Dr. Luz A Padilla received her MD from the Universidad de Guadalajara and obtained an MSPH in Applied Epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. As faculty for the Department of Epidemiology she has served as course master for both undergraduate and graduate level courses. Dr. Padilla serves on the UAB Institutional Review Board (IRB) and other committees across campus. She has helped train students in research and conducted studies internationally in countries such as Swaziland, Zambia, Ghana, Jamaica, Guatemala, Peru and Mexico. Currently she is the director of surgical research for the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center of Alabama, collaborating in research related to congenital heart disease, pediatric cardiology, and xenotransplantation.