{"id":12378,"date":"2026-10-15T19:43:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/?p=12378"},"modified":"2026-10-15T21:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T21:14:03","slug":"how-jacob-luna-is-steering-synthetic-trust-in-healthcare-with-purdue-universitys-online-doctor-of-technology-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/how-jacob-luna-is-steering-synthetic-trust-in-healthcare-with-purdue-universitys-online-doctor-of-technology-program\/","title":{"rendered":"How Jacob Luna is steering synthetic trust in healthcare with Purdue University\u2019s online Doctor of Technology program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you consider the trajectory of your career ambitions as a child to where you are today, would those two frequencies align? Most people end up changing their professional goals somewhere along their life journeys, but for one Doctor of Technology (DTech) student, his career north star has been clear since day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all aspects of life, Jacob Luna has been driven by two questions founded in his fascination with technology: \u201cWhat\u2019s the cause of a problem and how do I understand it better?\u201d After his youngest daughter was diagnosed with a rare illness that only real-world data could treat, he was compelled to protect the integrity of transparent data with the help of Purdue University\u2019s online DTech program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout his education and career, Luna has sought to better understand how information security and synthetic data (data that is not directly created by a human and has instead been artificially generated) intersect. With such an aptitude for understanding the way complex concepts work today, it\u2019s difficult to imagine his upbringing in Washington State being the tech-free landscape that it was. It wasn\u2019t until his father brought home one of the very first Windows PCs that Luna got his first exposure to technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember at a very young age, maybe six or so, I took our family computer apart for no other reason other than wanting to understand how it worked,\u201d said Luna. \u201cWhat\u2019s even more remarkable is that I managed to get it back together and working again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After high school, he began to consider a career as a pilot, keeping his interest in technology more of a passion. But a chance meeting early in his college years would soon rekindle his drive to pursue technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Become a technological trail blazer with Purdue’s online Doctor of Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n Request Info<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\u201cMy father had asked me to meet with a mentor in the IT space,\u201d said Luna. \u201cI had always had a way with technology, and he pitched IT as a great way to help fund my aeronautics schooling. But that shift into IT and system administration was eye-opening because I was able to observe more about the business, leading me further down that path.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luna began working as an IT administrator within healthcare before transitioning into high-risk security environments later in his career, all while pursuing an education. With multiple credentials in business and technology across a wide ecosystem of schools, Luna was no stranger to studying while working full time. While he knew he had always wanted to pursue a doctorate, his decision to enroll at Purdue was not about simply earning another degree. He needed a stronger \u2018why.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A risk assessment gives way to determination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While searching for that purpose, he recalled a study by one of his professors from a prior educational institute. That study<\/a> noted that \u2018by the year 2030, synthetic data is going to outpace real data.\u2019 While that prospect alone set Luna into motion with his statement of purpose, it wasn\u2019t until 2025 when Luna\u2019s youngest daughter was diagnosed with an extremely rare degenerative illness that the reality of that data set in. This illness, if not acted on, was guaranteed to be fatal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The family faced two paths: one more conservative approach, which carried short-term side effects damaging to their non-verbal infant, which, if ineffective, would result in a high-risk surgical intervention, or jumping straight to the high-risk option. \u202fThe high-risk option required multiple surgical interventions, yet real-world data showed it offered a possibly better outcome. \u202fThe higher-risk option carried a high risk of permanent nerve damage resulting in paralysis, along with other complications of lengthy surgical intervention for very young pediatric patients. \u202fReviewing the real data, the choice for Luna was \u2018impossible\u2019. \u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Informed by real-world data, counseled by faith-based leaders and supported by his communities, he and his family were able to make the decision that would ultimately save his daughter\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luna and his family spent a year in and out of the children\u2019s hospital, specialists’ offices and PT\/OT sessions, but today, his daughter is safely recovering. It was through those moments of vulnerability that he spent with his daughter that he realized his purpose to pursue a doctorate: the data that contributed to saving his daughter\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are families just like ours that will have to make life-impacting decisions based on data,\u201d said Luna. \u201cHaving gone through a decision as impossible as that was, I don\u2019t ever want another family to be in that position and wondering if the data they\u2019re reading should be trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jacob Luna’s inspiration for getting his doctorate came after his daughter was diagnosed with a rare degenerative illness.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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He and his family spent a year in and out of the children’s hospital, working hard to find a solution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Real-world data helped his family make a decision that saved his daughter’s life.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prior to beginning his work at Purdue University, Luna knew Purdue would be the perfect place to pursue his passion right after applying, thanks to the support of the university\u2019s enrollment counselors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think I was in my enrollment counsellor\u2019s inbox for two years before I joined the program,\u201d said Luna. \u201cEven though it was a difficult time, they knew my situation and purpose. I wasn\u2019t just a number to Purdue. These are people who genuinely want students to be a part of these programs because they stand by them. They want to provide you with an education that\u2019s not only quality but respects your time as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A commitment to defending today and securing tomorrow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a first-year DTech student, Luna\u2019s research is being built on the foundation of synthetic trust to better understand how synthetic data will be used in clinical decision-making. Prior to beginning his research, Luna worked with Jung Han, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation at the Purdue Polytechnic Institute; Stephen Elliot, associate dean of academic programs in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute; and Kevin Rose, associate professor of organizational leadership and human resource development in the Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation at Purdue University\u2019s Polytechnic Institute, to help tailor his research gap.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What I\u2019ve come to realize during this program is how empathetic the professors\u2019 approach is. How they engage and heralded tectonic shifts in my research methodology affirms I\u2019m in the right place to do the work I\u2019m seeking to do.<\/p>\n\n <\/blockquote>\n

Jacob luna<\/p>\n

Purdue University Doctor of Technology student<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As such, his experience in the program is focused on the broader contributions to the pre-existing body of work that improves decision-making for pediatric patients with rare infectious diseases. Throughout his studies, he works closely with experts in the field to help him navigate the evolving landscape of information security, notably where frontier AI models have changed the way professionals look at incident and vulnerability management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will be satisfied if I can help provide data transparency to clinicians, physician researchers, and most importantly parents and caregivers,\u201d said Luna. \u201cI want to help those unfamiliar better understand the difference between synthetic and real data as Generative AI continues to proliferate into the healthcare industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Jacob is a leader at ADP, guiding a team of global security consultants tasked with forging trust and confidence in their security program. Much like his college mentor, Luna serves as board chair of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of NextGen Cyber Talent, as well as a board member for Fort Worth-based nonprofit Lena Pope, working to equip underprivileged and underserved talent with a strong foundation through counseling, education and behavior interventions. He also serves as an adjunct instructor at a local community college and as an advisory committee member for the Information Technology \u2014 Cybersecurity Program, a National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence program \u2014 all while pursuing his doctorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For professionals balancing their careers and personal commitments, Luna shares a piece of honest advice on returning to higher education: follow your north star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing I try to impart upon folks that want to pursue higher education is that you\u2019ve got to love what you\u2019re doing,\u201d said Luna. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to have a really strong desire to get your purpose across the line. It\u2019s going to challenge you, and you\u2019ve got to be willing to pay that bill \u2014 not the financial bill, but the commitment bill. But if you love what you\u2019re doing, it\u2019s going to be worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about Purdue\u2019s online Doctor of Technology program, visit the program\u2019s webpage.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For one Doctor of Technology (DTech) student, his career north star has been clear since day one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":12382,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"area-of-study":[38,18],"person":[74],"class_list":["post-12378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-success","area-of-study-data-information","area-of-study-technology-computer-science","person-students"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t