👋 Hello, I'm Ferney!

Although I had always been drawn to Mathematics, my journey began with a setback: I failed my first Pre-Calculus exam during my freshman year. At the time, I had just graduated from a rural public school that offered only a basic foundation. Rather than letting this discourage me, I treated it as a turning point. I improved my performance and ultimately graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s degree in Pure Mathematics.

During my Master of Science in Mathematics (Statistics Option) at the University of Puerto Rico, I expanded both my academic and professional skills. I had the privilege of teaching Pre-Calculus I and Statistics courses, which deepened my passion for mentoring. In addition, I participated in academic support initiatives for freshmen under CRRSAA grants.

Now, as a PhD student in Biostatistics at The University of Iowa, I am developing Bayesian machine learning models to improve prehospital stroke triage, using large-scale clinical data to simulate and evaluate different triage strategies. At the same time, I work on a Lyme disease vaccine project, building Bayesian GLMMs and implementing MCMC algorithms to estimate vaccine effectiveness, assess model convergence, and summarize results to inform intervention strategies.

My academic path

 Community Service

I am part of the Olimpiadas Matemáticas de Puerto Rico (OMPR) team, which aims to popularize mathematics in Puerto Rico while identifying and supporting mathematical talent among students.