Jennifer N. Grauberger

Why did you choose research as a career?

In my experience working with patients so far, I have seen not only how successful current medicine is in treating disease, but also how far it still has to go to improve quality of life. By incorporating research into my career as a surgeon, I hope to contribute to the field to increase the understanding of disease processes, and more importantly to provide quality care for patients.

What attracted you to Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences?

I was attracted to the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences because it emphasizes the same values of interdisciplinary collaboration and personalized mentorship that drew me to Mayo Clinic for medical school.

Being able to have individual and small group meetings with my research mentor with multiple surgeons, residents, research fellows and graduate students provided me with an unparalleled level of education.

Why did you choose the clinical and translational science track?

As a future physician with a basic science background, I wanted to learn how to bring bench research into the clinic. The clinical and translational science track allows me to learn the skills to do so while also learning important principles of epidemiology, statistics and study design that I will use throughout my career as a clinician-scientist.

What do you like about Rochester?

Unlike for a lot of others currently living here, for me Rochester is a large city. I grew up in a very small, rural town in western Washington with limited resources. Being able to live within an hour of Target is very exciting.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan on practicing as a plastic surgeon, hopefully with an emphasis on congenital or traumatic reconstruction. This is a perfect opportunity for me to work alongside other clinicians and scientists to translate new technologies to improve the field and the lives of my patients through preserving functionality and minimizing pain.