The Puerto Rican doctor Jailenne Quiñones Rodríguez She became the first Latina to graduate from “Anatomy Scholars Program”, that offers the American Anatomy Association with the goal of supporting the retention of underrepresented minorities in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM, in English).
Regarding her achievement, the scientist commented that, “for me, it is very special and very important, since I represent Puerto Rican women who, every day, fight to obtain better resources and be able to create an inclusive environment where we can feel represented.”
In interview with The new daythe researcher believed that there is a limited perception about the importance of the study of anatomy because there are few scientists trained in Puerto Rico in this field.
Quiñones Rodríguez studies the frequency of morphological variants in the human body and how these differences can represent a risk of diagnostic errors, in order to avoid these failures, as well as complications in patients undergoing surgical interventions.
He recalled a study, published in 2007, which reflected that 25% of medical malpractice cases involved claims about surgeons or doctors who did not know the anatomy presented by the patient.
“Now, I am evaluating the frequency and distribution of these anatomical variants in the human body, evaluating it among populations. So now I am including the Puerto Rican population and comparing the anatomical variants of our population compared to other populations, for example, in Indian populations and among different ethnicities in the United States,” he said.
The assistant professor at the School of Osteopathic Medicine at Sam Houston State University, in Texas, completed all her academic preparation in Puerto Rico. She completed her doctorate and master's degree at the Central Caribbean Universityin Bayamón, and his high school in the Ponce campus of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR).
“Through my participation as a faculty member and researcher, I also have several students whom I mentor in the area of research, as well as “I promote the importance of Spanish and being bilingual”he shared.
In this regard, the clinical anatomist said that, together with a group of university students, she created an association in which workshops and medical completion are offered in Spanish so that the students feel more familiar when they are in an environment in which they have Spanish-speaking patients. .
Quiñones Rodríguez wants more Puerto Rican scientists to learn about and apply for the “Anatomy Scholars Program” so that they can also obtain that type of professional opportunity.
“I understand that Puerto Rico needs to know what we anatomist scientists do in the diaspora; although we are very few, even from a distance we proudly represent the country.”he asserted.