Aside

You can use the interactive network above on my online resume. It shows my positions colored by section & connected if they occurred in the same year.

Contact

Skills & Certificates

Research & Quantitative:

  • Bayesian modeling; causal inference; longitudinal analysis; EHR & observational data analysis; program evaluation & assessment; data cleaning & preprocessing; data-driven problem solving

Technical & AI-Enabled Tools:

  • Programming (R, Matlab, SAS, Python, Stata); AI-Enabled research workflows (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini); data visualization (R, Python, SAS); survey design (Qualtrics); reproducible workflows & version control (R scripts, Github)

Main

Jeanette J. Varela

Education

PhD. Candidate, Biostatistics

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Boston, MA

2026 - 2021

  • NIH Environmental Training Grant Research Fellow

M.A., Biostatistics

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Boston, MA

2024 - 2021

  • NIH Environmental Training Grant Research Fellow

M.S., Biostatistics

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Boston, MA

2021 - 2019

  • Donald Hopkins Pre-Doctoral Scholar

B.S., Applied Mathematics

University of New Mexico

Albuquerque, NM

2019 - 2014

  • summa cum laude

B.S., Statistics

University of New Mexico

Albuquerque, NM

2019 - 2014

  • minor Psychology

Research Experience

Graduate Research Fellow

Harvard Dept. of Biostatistics

Boston, MA

2026 - 2020

  • Derive and apply unsupervised Bayesian clustering methods for joint, longitudinal exposures data to find latent groups with similar phthalate and personal care produce use trajectories in the ERGO dataset.
  • Applied dimension reduction techniques on nutrient intake collected on dietary recall data to empirically derive dietary patterns in two study population cohorts: Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos and National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (HCHS/SOL and NHANES).
  • Conducted a comparative analysis of nutrient intake patterns to determine its association to major cardiovascular disease risk factors among Hispanic/Latino populations in the two aforementioned national cohorts

Student Researcher

Statistical Sciences Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos, NM

2019 - 2016

  • Implemented a predictive model for internal bunker temperature based on external environment to ensure the safety of stored detonators.
  • Analyzed torque measurements data to evaluate the variability in manual exertion of knobs used at Pantex Plant, the primary US nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility.

Data Analyst

Dept. of Internal Medicine, UNM Health Sciences Center

Albuquerque, NM

2019 - 2017

  • Analyzed electronic medical records from health care centers to estimate the prevalence of a wide range of medical conditions with the goal of better understanding Native American health issues.
  • Generated standard operating SAS protocols to provide epidemiologists instruction on using the complexdatabase of medical records.

Summer Program Fellow

Harvard Dept. of Biostatistics

Boston, MA

2018

  • Refined and applied a statistical model to compare risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality rates in institutions across developing countries where congenital pediatric cardiac surgeries are performed.

Leadership & Collaboration:

  • Cross-disciplinary collaboration; executive communication; research operations; thought leadership; mentorship; program planning

Language & Certificates:

  • Fluent in Spanish & English, CITI Human Subjects Research Certification, 2022-23 Distinction in Teaching Certificate

Published Manuscripts

Examining Generalizability across Different Surveys: Comparing Nutrient-Based Food Patterns and Their Cross-Sectional Associations with Cardiometabolic Health in the United States Hispanic/Latino Adults1

Current Developments in Nutrition

N/A

2024

  • Authored with Mattei J, Sotres-Alvarez D, et al.

Predicting historical indoor temperatures from available local weather data2

Statistical Analysis and Data Mining: The ASA Data Science Journal

N/A

2018

  • Authored with Anderson-Cook CM, Weaver BP, Ticknor LO, Skidmore CB

Manual Torque Data Study

Techinal Report LA-UR-18-20213

N/A

2018

  • Authored with Mundt, M., M. Martinez, C. Anderson-Cook, W. Gilmore, A. Williams

Teaching & Mentoring Experience

Graduate Teaching Fellow

Office of Educational Programs, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

N/A

2026 - 2022

  • Taught coding labs, graded homework & held office hours for the following courses: Applied Multiple Regression for Clinical Research, Applied Longitudinal Analysis (Teaching Distinction), Quantitative Methods for Monitoring & Evaluation, Statistical & Quantitative Methods for Pharmaceutical Regulatory Science.

Peer Mentor & Pathway Programs Assistant

Donald Hopkins Scholars Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

N/A

2025 - 2023

  • Organized workshops, helped restructure program, created program evaluations, onboarding material, & met bi-monthly with all Donald Hopkins scholars.

Graduate Student Co-Leader/Instructor

StatStart Program, Harvard Dept. of Biostatistics

N/A

2025 - 2022

  • Facilitated a summer research program for high students in the Boston area; recruited students, found classrooms, teachers, & mentors, & taught statistics & programming classes.

Graduate Student Mentor

Harvard Summer Program in Biostatistics & Computational Biology

N/A

2021 - 2020

  • Assisted Dr. Stephenson in mentoring four undergraduate students through research project; provided guidance & support in R programming along with statistical methods and applications.

Teaching Assistant

Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, UNM Health Sciences Center

N/A

2019 - 2018

  • Assisted graduate medical students in biostatistics assignments, graded homework, and helped coordinate end-of-year class projects.