"Because humans don't have wings, we look for ways to fly."
Hello! Nice to meet you, my name is Perla Molina. I'm a resilient Ph.D. student and an aspiring Data Scientist at Stanford University in the Department of Biomedical Data Science within the School of Medicine where I am advised by Nima Aghaeepour in the Aghaeepour Lab. I received my Bachelor's in Data Science from the University of San Francisco (USF) in May of 2023. My current research interests are rooted in maternal and baby health, where I’m using machine learning and computational methods to assess heart failure risk in newborns. Outside of research, I enjoy anime, manga, K-pop, K-dramas, horror media, reading, writing, and, of course, napping.
I want to change the world with numbers—that is my motto as I move forward in my career. Since I was young, I’ve been driven to find a career that can help people, and my passion for math and coding ultimately led me to data science in healthcare and biomedicine. My research today focuses on analyzing large datasets from electronic health records and biological markers to uncover patterns in newborn health, specifically targeting heart failure. I’m working to develop computational methods that will help identify risk factors and improve prenatal and neonatal care, advancing health outcomes for mothers and babies. In the future, I hope to bridge this work into gynecologic cancer research to support women's health more broadly.
As a queer Latina pursuing a STEM degree, I’m also dedicated to supporting underrepresented groups in academia. I previously served as President of the Association for Women in Mathematics at USF, where I led funding initiatives and helped fellow students access valuable opportunities like conferences. Currently, I served as a Program Leader at Stanford’s ADVANCE Summer Institute, supporting marginalized and underrepresented incoming Ph.D. students in biosciences. I am also the Principal Communications Officer of the SACNAS Stanford Chapter, where I work on outreach and student-led events, and I contribute to my department’s JEDI committee, advocating for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Through my work, I aim to break down barriers in STEM and to become a source of inspiration for others pursuing their own paths in science, regardless of background or identity. I firmly believe that no one is ‘bad at math or coding’—everyone has the potential to thrive in science, no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disabilities, or personal challenges.
HTML
CSS
Python
R
SQL
Java
JavaScript
Adobe Dreamweaver
Microsoft Excel
Qualtrics
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Github
Adobe Flash
● Collaborated with the Director of ADVANCE and other program leaders to develop programmatic activities for the Stanford ADVANCE Summer Institute, a comprehensive 8-week transition program for incoming Biosciences graduate students
● Facilitated and led workshops and activities designed to acclimate scholars to campus, and to promote academic, professional, and leadership skills throughout the program
● Supported scholars transition into their first year, contributing to a foundation for a successful and rewarding graduate experience
● Promote and sell affordable and modern fashion clothing
● Helped deliver store sale goals
● Merchandised and organized products
● Maintained organization and appearance of departments I was positioned to
Managing and overseeing club activities. In charge of administrative tasks and communications including but not limited to coordinating meetings, organizing operational tasks of all other executive board members, and communicating with faculty advisors and school administration to approve events. Administered an initiative to revive the club after the pandemic and encourage women in mathematics and other related fields. Began and led fundraising for the club. Advocating for equal opportunities for women in STEM and decreasing the gender gap. Motivating women of color in STEM to prove stereotypes wrong.
Created a website for students and faculty to access more information about the club, upcoming events, and important announcements (https://sites.google.com/view/awmusfca)
Began and designed new annual fundraising events.
● Assisited professors in keeping track of students' work in Data Science and Mathematics classes (2 classes in Data Science w/ R, 1 class in Elementary Statistics, and 2 classes in Discrete Mathematics)
● Graded student assignments while providing feedback on what students got wrong or did not understand.
● Held office hours for coding support
● Provided academic and college-related support for any students or underclassmen who ask for it
● Promote and sell high-end sunglasses while on commission pay
● Set and delivered store and individual sale goals
Worked with the DaVita Clinical Research team doing preliminary and analytical research on Care Partner Stress in order to give voice to them as part of the patient experience and involve them more with the company's continuous development of quality care. Worked on research tasks involving qualitative research and Natural Language Processing. I programmed a survey for Care Partner Stress on Qualtrics and aided in the launching process. Conducted preliminary and analytical research on the Care Partner Stress survey results & presented findings to the team.
Advocating for equal opportunities for women in STEM and decreasing the gender gap. Motivating women of color in STEM to prove stereotypes wrong. Coded a website from scratch for AWM members, USF students and faculty to access for information, recent news, and upcoming events.
I created websites for 4 of my high school teachers using HTML and CSS, as well as Google Sites as a side project for my Web Development class.
I was also assigned to re-design a website for a local shop in my hometown.
I was the leader of a three-person group in charge of redesigning my high school's entire website as a collaborative project between different class levels of web development.
Through these various projects, I learned communication skills by talking to my team and talking to clients about what they wanted. I also learned leadership skills by coordinating my team on what sections to work on, how to do it, and what to do in my absence. I also gained experience working in a client-based environment.
When finishing a website, I had to run feedback surveys for all those websites to help me and my teammates constantly update our websites as well as learn from any criticisms we received from either the client or public viewers.
Coming soon...
I also do freelancing Web Development! If you need a website made, feel free to reach out to inquire.
Access archived projects here
Based in Stanford, CA 94305