Health Sciences major, Luis Torres Portillo and his family moved to the US from Caracas, Venezuela when he was 15. As a high school student, Luis knew he wanted to pursue a career in health care and was fortunate to take medically related courses throughout his high school years. He was drawn to Health Sciences because of its reputation as a well-rounded, applied curriculum.
Luis is thrilled to be conducting cutting-edge neuroscience research with a UCF professor. As a UCF Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, he investigated potential causes of reactive aggressive behavior that occurs in some patients with Huntington disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disease. “I think it’s important for future healthcare professionals to be involved in research because it helps build high level critical thinking and analytical skills that are the foundation to providing high quality patient care,” said Luis.
Beyond his passion for science, Luis founded an organization that provides opportunities for hundreds of children to engage in sports and to benefit from the values, friendships, and physical well-being that come from playing sports.
Luis’s goal is to create real impact. “I aspire to improve people’s quality of life and significantly add value to the lives of others.”
