Ms. Lopez graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Tolima in Colombia. During her undergraduate studies she joined the Hormones and Cancer Research Group in the National University located in Bogotá. There she developed studies to help the understanding of cancer and improve the early detection of cervical cancer. After graduation she pursued her interests in research and project management by joining the International Park of Creativity where she gained experience by outsourcing projects for the food industry, using biosynthetic methods to produce vitamin E from raw palm material. During that time she realized the importance and responsibility of being an excellent bioscience leader with the potential to make a world impact. For this reason she decided to join the Bioscience Research and Health Policy Master's at Rice University. Melissa completed her internship with Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, and is now working at M.D.Anderson, Cancer Prevention.