PhD Candidate
Mayo Clinic
My name is Jean Marrero-Polanco, a PhD candidate at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences under the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and am the first person in my family to pursue a doctorate degree. I selected my thesis laboratory with the intent of developing skills in artificial intelligence methodologies to solve problems in biomedical sciences. My work has focused on the development of machine learning models for the field of psychiatry, such as predicting response or remission to pharmacotherapy. Other focuses include smartwatch data analysis for wearable-based prediction models, as well as utilizing natural language processing to uncover latent topics from large free-text data. My goal is to become well-trained in these methods so I can translate them into different fields and answer different problems. I am open and willing to learn more about training opportunites that would expand upon my skills.
On a personal note, I am passionate about paying forward the lessons I have learned to the next generation of scientists. Specifically, I want to share to Spanish-speaking students or minorities about the possibilities a career in science has to offer. The best investment is the education of a country's population. I want to support the efforts of other 1st generation students that want to pursue a career that may seem daunting at first but highly satisfying and fulfilling.