> Speakers
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Dr. John Christopher Polanco Santana |
| General Surgery Resident; Doctoral Student in Epidemiology |
| Dr. J. Christopher Polanco is an aspiring Surgeon-Epidemiologist whose work bridges hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery, causal inference methodology, and surgical outcomes research. His career is anchored in three core domains: clinico-surgical training, public health, and advanced quantitative methods, through which he seeks to strengthen evidence-based approaches to complex surgical decision-making. |
| Dr. Polanco was first introduced to the research world through the Principles and Practices of Clinical Research (PPCR) program in 2018, an experience he describes as transformative and foundational to his professional path. Following PPCR, he completed a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship focusing on pancreaticobiliary surgical outcomes and innovations in surgical education, while concurrently earning an M.P.H. in Clinical Effectiveness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. |
| He went on to complete three years of general surgery residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, where he refined his clinical expertise and engaged in substantial academic, research, and mentorship roles. As part of his dedicated professional development time during residency, Dr. Polanco is pursuing a Ph.D. in Epidemiology with a specialization in causal inference under the mentorship of leading scholars in the field, alongside a concurrent Sc.M. in Biostatistics. |
| His doctoral work focuses on developing, applying, and advancing causal inference methods to evaluate surgical strategies and guide high-stakes clinical decisions. Through this integrated clinical and quantitative training, Dr. Polanco aims to advance the scientific foundations of HPB surgery and improve outcomes for patients worldwide. |