Lucia Burrafato – Finding a home for art and science

Lucia Burrafato feels at home around art. She was born in New Jersey, spent her tweens and teens bopping around Pennsylvania, went to college in Queens, returned to New Jersey, moved back into the city, then finally took one long trip from Manhattan to San Diego. Through it all, she drew, painted, and captured life around her. 

Burrafato is shaping Discovery Society—a new, exclusive donor community built around a love for science, art, and Salk. 

Burrafato brought her artistic eye and myriad talents to Salk in October of 2025. She serves as one of the Institute’s gift officers, communicating the importance of Salk science to help build relationships with new donors. One uniquely Burrafato dimension to her role is Salk’s new Discovery Society, an exclusive donor community she founded and continues to lead. 

But before stepping onto Salk’s iconic midcentury campus, Burrafato took an impassioned path through art school and museum galleries. As the latest addition to Salk’s Advancement team, she embodies the fusion of science and art that Jonas Salk held so dear. 

From fine art to fresh start 

Pursuing her lifelong interest in the arts, Burrafato earned a bachelor’s degree in fine and studio arts from St. John’s University. 

“One of my dreams was to work in a museum—I just didn’t know in what capacity,” says Burrafato. “So, I started making connections around Newark, volunteering and working to broaden my reach. Eventually, I landed an administrative assistant position at the Montclair Art Museum.” 

Burrafato’s eyes still sparkle when she talks about the “best first museum job you could ever have.” She went from assistant to associate, falling into and in love with development work by coincidence. Her genuine passion for art made it easy to talk to prospective museum donors. “I was so fulfilled and happy,” recalls Burrafato. 

Nearly four years into her time at the Montclair Art Museum, Burrafato had her whole career ahead of her, but little room for growth. Burrafato says with a laugh, “I probably would have never left otherwise.” 

But leave she did, moving on to work at multiple museums, launching membership programs and planning major events. Eventually, she found herself in San Diego, working with children alongside Salk Senior Director of Advancement Kira Foody. When Foody first left for Salk, Burrafato was unfamiliar with the Institute. This unfamiliarity quickly turned into excited surprise as Burrafato asked herself, “How could I not know about this wonderful place?” 

A lifelong advocate for science 

Burrafato joined the Institute last October. Already, “I feel that same strong passion and feeling as my first museum job,” she says. Much of this fondness comes from the incredible timing of Salk’s entrance into her life. 

Burrafato was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2025. Unfortunately, it wasn’t her first confrontation with the disease. Six months before, her mother had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer; decades prior, her brother had fought neuroblastoma. 

“My brother was diagnosed at one year old,” she says. “He is alive because of an experimental treatment, and that has made me a lifelong advocate for science and medical research.” 

“When I got my diagnosis,” Burrafato continues, “my whole world changed. It’s made me even more passionate about ensuring scientists get the funding they need to make cancer breakthroughs, because when budgets get slashed, it’s patients who pay the price. It could be the difference between me living and dying.” 

Burrafato’s fundraising efforts support lifesaving cancer research, along with other vital science that’s lighting the way to a healthier, happier world. By developing the Discovery Society, she hopes to build relationships with others who are equally as touched by Salk science and motivated to preserve and advance its impact. 

Making Salk a second home 

Burrafato is eager to meet new people and share Salk’s mission. And, crucially, she’s ready for any feedback and shared storytelling that can help her shape the Discovery Society into something worth joining—something that represents the people it’s made of. And whether those conversations take place on campus, over the phone, or via email, just know that there’s a welcoming smile on her face. 

“I really want to bring a sense of community and belonging to people. I want Salk to almost be like a second home,” says Burrafato. “One way I’ve been connecting people to Salk is through art, saying, ‘Look at this incredible Louis Kahn building, then after that, look at the amazing science happening within its walls.’” 

Salk and San Diego are starting to feel like home for Burrafato, too. She hits fitness boot camps in the mornings, takes hikes with her husband and dog in the afternoons, and attends shows downtown come evening. Beyond that, her friends and family fill her cup all the way to the brim. 

“A lot has changed since my diagnosis. I just want to feel joy and celebrate life and people,” says Burrafato. “And right now, it’s great to be able to say that I’ve been working to advance scientific research to make the world a better place for all of humanity. I feel so lucky.”