Yazmin Feliz, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral researcher at the Columbia University Medical Center where she develops medical imaging solutions and supports translational research. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics of Computation from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and her M.S and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University.
Dr. Feliz grew up in the Bronx. Her mother was an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Dr. Feliz said her mother had the opportunity to attend medical school in Cuba but had to decline the offer because she had nine siblings at home that she was expected to help raise.
“I considered the sacrifices that she had to make, that others had to make, for me to reach my goals.” Dr. Feliz said.
When she was in the sixth grade, Dr. Feliz attended her first science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workshop. Through persistence and hard work, she obtained full scholarships to attend undergraduate and graduate programs and during college, took on leadership roles in projects.
In 2008, Dr. Feliz was introduced to research. “I saw an opportunity to solve a problem and seized it,” she said. She co-authored her first publication and went on to win awards at the RPI Undergraduate Research Symposium and the Cornell Louis Stokes Conference.
”It takes one person to believe in you to give you a chance, therefore fostering a network is important," she added.
She began her Ph.D. in 2016 as a GEM Fellow and National Science Foundation Graduate Research fellow. She joined the Creative Machines Lab. and led the Open-Source Portable Ultrasound project driven by a growing interest in intelligent, affordable, and complete point-of-care diagnostic imaging.
This technology is the first-ever imaging system that generates 3D sonograms for under $100 in materials cost, paving the way for ultra-affordable modalities to enter the ultrasound market. Dr. Feliz is launching her startup to provide a more user-friendly and economical imaging system that can be used for remote patient monitoring.
