PI and Director

Dr. Luzuriaga is an internationally-renowned physician-scientist who uses scientific investigation to improve human health. Her laboratory research focuses on understanding how viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Epstein Barr virus (EBV), establish persistent viral infections in children. Viral pathogenesis studies have defined the genetic and biologic properties of viruses that initiate infection and evolve over time following infection; immunopathogenesis studies characterized the role of virus-specific CD8+ T cells in controlling viral replication or evolution of the viral quasispecies. Dr. Luzuriaga has developed early diagnostic methods for pediatric HIV infection, led the first clinical trials of nevirapine in children, and conducted Phase I studies of several other antiretroviral therapies (ART) labelled for pediatric use. Having led the first early combination ART trials in infants, she is now focused on characterizing residual HIV reservoirs in individuals on ART to inform the development of strategies to achieve remission.

Dr. Luzuriaga has served since 2012 as Director of the University of Massachusetts Center for Clinical and Translational Science (UMCCTS). In this capacity, she provides strategic, administrative, and financial oversight of all UMCCTS cores, programs, and educational programs. As UMass Chan Vice Provost for Clinical and Translational Research, Dr. Luzuriaga has led strategic planning and provides administrative and financial oversight of the UMass Chan clinical and translational research enterprise, including the Office of Clinical Research, the Clinical Research Center, and the IRB. Working with UMass and UMass Chan leadership, faculty, and a broad range of partners, Dr. Luzuriaga and the UMCCTS team have built an ecosystem that capitalizes on UMass scientific strengths and partnerships with the CTSA network to advance the science of translation, high-impact clinical and translational research, and workforce development. This ecosystem has fostered the development of new trans-disciplinary initiatives, examples of which include the UMass Center for Microbiome Research and Massachusetts Medical Device Development (M2D2). Highly committed to training the next generation of clinicians and scientists, Dr. Luzuriaga served as the Founding Director of the NIH CTSA-funded UMCCTS KL2 program, which has served as a prototype for additional institutional KL2 programs.

Dr. Luzuriaga completed undergraduate and master’s degrees in Biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and her medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine. After serving a residency in pediatrics at the Floating Hospital for Children, Tufts Medical Center, she completed clinical and research fellowship training in adult and pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Luzuriaga joined the UMass Chan faculty in 1990 and has served as Division Chief, Pediatrics Infectious Diseases, and as Founding Director of the UMass Chan Office of Global Health. She has held multiple leadership roles in the NIH-sponsored pediatric HIV clinical trials network, served on the NCATS-CTSA Steering Committee, and has served on scientific advisory boards of several national/international organizations.