Research Trainee
Mayo Clinic
Parvathy Prasanna Surendran, BPT, MPH
Research Trainee, Department of Otolaryngology
Mayo Clinic – Jacksonville, Florida
I am a Research Trainee in the Department of Otolaryngology at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where I support clinical research focused on head and neck cancers. With a background as an international Physical Therapy graduate and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Epidemiology from the University of Florida, I bring both clinical insight and population health training to my research work.
During my MPH program, I served as a Graduate Research Assistant at UF’s RISE Lab and a Public Health Intern at the Florida Department of Health in Collier County. I completed a Public Health Internship at Mayo Clinic focused on improving cancer care outcomes, after which I was invited to continue as a Research Trainee, expanding my role in retrospective studies and cancer disparities research.
I’ve been recognized for academic excellence and leadership, receiving the Outstanding MPH Epidemiology Student Award and the Dean’s Scholar Award – Master’s level at the University of Florida. I was also selected as a Pathway to Practice Scholar by the Region IV Public Health Training Center at Emory University.
My research interests lie at the intersection of cancer disparities, chronic disease epidemiology, and health equity. I have published two peer-reviewed articles on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and poly-substance use disorder. Currently, I am leading two first-author retrospective studies—one examining the impact of housing-based socioeconomic status on delays in postoperative radiotherapy for oral cavity cancer patients, and another evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of PET scans relative to histopathology in early-stage oral cavity cancer.
With a foundation in both clinical care and research, I am committed to advancing equitable, evidence-based strategies that improve cancer outcomes and address public health disparities.