Dr. Elani Wiest, Ph.D. is a Process Development Associate Staff Scientist in the Human Cell Therapy Lab at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally from South Africa, she obtained her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Kentucky and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of New Mexico. In her current role at the HCTL, Dr. Wiest is responsible for developing an automated manufacturing platform for generating cGMP-grade extracellular vesicles for use in early phase clinical trials. She is co-chair of the ISCT ESP Community Outreach Committee and serves as an ESP Representative on the ISCT Exosome Committee. Dr. Wiest is passionate about clear scientific communication, as she believes that even the most important scientific discoveries have limited impact if not communicated effectively. Like many others in the scientific community, she was horrified by the distrust of science which surged during the COVID pandemic, where significant advancements in lifesaving vaccine technology were accompanied by tremendous increases in conspiracy theory belief, the politicization of science, and science denialism. Watching her husband take care of unvaccinated COVID patients dying in the ICU, some of whom didn’t believe that the COVID virus existed, reinforced even more strongly to her the critical role of effective science communication. Today, her biggest passion outside the lab is food allergy awareness, as both her children have multiple anaphylactic food allergies. She is a member of the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) Advocacy Sub-Committee and lobbies to promote food allergy education and scientific advancement. In this capacity, she frequently meets with local, state, and national lawmakers on behalf of FARE in her ongoing efforts to promote public welfare through effective scientific communication.