We’re proud to highlight two outstanding medical students whose work reflects not only academic excellence, but also perseverance and dedication throughout a challenging research process:
Joan Ivonne Rodriguez Rodriguez
Project Title: Ablation of Proarrhythmias at the Site of Lead Implantation: Premature Ventricular Contractions and Tachycardia
Mentor: Dr. Alex Daniel Pacheco Bouthillier, Cardiologist
Ninoshka Perez Soto
Project Title: Acute Heart Failure Masks a Surgical Emergency: A Case of Stage 3 Appendicitis
Mentor: Dr. Oscar Sergio Lomelí Sánchez
This project began as an initiative of Dr. Lucía Álvarez, Director of Research and Neuroscience at our institution, who was approached by both students with a strong desire to participate in scientific work. Understanding the importance of mentorship in early research development, Dr. Álvarez reached out to Dr. Adriana González Martínez, Director of Research at ICMI, to collaborate in creating an academic structure that would support the students’ learning and project development.
Dr. González Martínez then designed a structured academic pathway focused on research methodology and scientific reasoning, while also facilitating the connection with expert clinical mentors. Through months of effort, the students actively engaged in all stages of the research process, from conceptualization to presentation.
After approximately nine months of dedicated work, Joan and Ninoshka successfully presented their findings at the Congreso Internacional de Avances en Medicina (CIAM), held April 3–5, 2025, in Guadalajara.
Although collaboration between researchers is common, it is less common to see two mentors come together purely to provide formative research experiences for students — without external incentives, driven only by the commitment to education and scientific development.
This experience reminds us that research is a serious process that demands time, structure, and active engagement from everyone involved. Projects like this succeed not because of the people behind them — students, mentors, and academic leaders — whose shared commitment and voluntary effort make meaningful scientific growth possible. These kinds of initiatives deserve greater recognition within educational environments.
We celebrate the accomplishments of Joan and Ninoshka and reaffirm our commitment to supporting future healthcare professionals through meaningful, rigorous research training.