During my bachelor's degree my interest and fascination for life sciences steadily increased because I became aware of the potential, they had for our society, especially for health care. Therefore, I became engaged in several outreach programs and even founded the first chapter of MEDLIFE in Puerto Rico at the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce. Since then, I have continued to be a spokesperson for my community.
As an undergraduate student, I had the opportunity to participate as an adjunct student in the UPRP-RISE program (NIH #R25GM096955). This program provided me with the opportunity to conduct research focused on studying the effect of CaS nanoparticles and cancer treatment improving my skills in scientific research. During these years, I also developed an interest in human anatomy. This motivated me to continue graduate studies at Universidad Central del Caribe – School of Medicine (UCC-SoM). I am currently a Puerto Rico Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (PRINBRE) Junior Research Associate and Ph.D. Candidate in Cell and Molecular Biology at the Anatomy Department focusing on Neuroanatomy. During my Ph.D., I decided to complete a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences in Anatomy and Cell Biology and graduated with honors during the Summer of 2019.
As a science advocate, I have participated in several projects which have allowed me to transmit my passion and raise my voice so that we can all understand science as an accessible knowledge tool for everyone:
https://www.1mwis.com/profiles/Jailenne-Quiñones-Rodr%C3%ADguez
https://youtu.be/wpW6wVRJQwg
As an anatomist, I am highly skilled in a cadaver-based anatomy course, macro-surgical techniques, processing tissue/cytological specimens, and dissection techniques for Human Gross Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, and Histology courses.
I am also skilled in project design as a coordinator, instructor, and mentor of Mastering Anatomical Techniques which is an intensive clinical and research immersion experience to second and third-year medical students providing them with an integrated apprenticeship and an opportunity to mentor first-year students during their Human Gross and Developmental Anatomy (HGDA) course. Also, I am honored to be part of the Seeds of Success: STEM Girl Ambassador Project through CienciaPR, through which I mentor a middle school girl. Through educational activities, we have been able to discuss the different opportunities that she has within STEM careers.
https://youtu.be/nWb1hWT2qA4
https://www.cienciapr.org/es/seeds-success/jailenne-i-quinones-rodriguez
