Olga's Story
You are not defined by your illness or disability.
About Olga
Olga Lucia Torres, JD, MS
Olga Lucia Torres, JD, MS Lecturer, Columbia University
Chair, Board of Trustees, Multicultural Media Correspondents Association
Northeast Region Advocacy Chair, Lupus Foundation of America
Olga has been sick her entire life: starting with severe asthma, then the discovery of a pediatric pituitary adenoma, and later developing lupus and five other autoimmune diseases, then experiencing a devastating brain injury that left her disabled.
As a first-generation Latina, she has cared for and continues to care for her family members, taking them to their doctor’s appointments and translating for them. This inspired her to dedicate her career to nonprofit work. She was one of the eight founding attorneys of the Bronx Defenders and is now a lecturer in the Narrative Medicine program at Columbia University.
Olga is also a patient advocate and the inaugural Northeast Region Advocacy Chair for the Lupus Foundation of America, where she does one-on-one and group advocacy work. She’s a member of the Patient Engagement Collaborative, which works with the FDA and Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative to improve communication and education on issues of medical product regulation.
She’s also a member of the medical advisory board of Hear Your Song. This nonprofit empowers children and teens with serious illnesses to make their voices heard through collaborative songwriting. She’s the Chair of the Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association Board of Trustees, which seeks to increase diversity across all media platforms. Olga is a new board member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
Olga’s been published in the New York Times, the New York Daily News, Parents, Next Avenue, and various other publications about healthcare, disability rights, and BIPOC issues. Olga received her BA from Cornell University and her JD at Georgetown University Law Center. As a mami, she returned to Columbia University for an MS in Narrative Medicine.
Olga was Awarded The 2024 Sandra C. Raymond Advocate of the Year Award
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