Demetrio Sierra-Mercado

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Dr. Demetrio Sierra Mercado earned his PhD in the Biomedical Sciences/Neuroscience at the Ponce School of Medicine and University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine.  As a graduate student, he trained under the mentorship of Dr. Gregory Quirk where he explored the biological markers of emotional regulation using a rodent model of Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction.  Next, Demetrio pursued postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-Harvard Medical School.  As a postdoct, he expanded his background in neuroscience research to include the brain mechanisms of avoidance and reward seeking.  Currently, Demetrio is an Assistant Professor at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, and performs biomedical research in the neurosciences.  Notably, he actively participates in outreach activities where he helps increase scientific literacy to the lay public.  

As part of his professional formation in Bioethics, Demetrio is training in Neuroethics research under the tutelage of Dr. Gabriel Lázaro Muñoz at the Baylor College of Medicine.  Furthermore, Demetrio is expanding the professional network of educators and collaborators to contribute to the knowledge base of Bioethics/Neuroethics in Puerto Rico.  Overall, Demetrio’s goals include fomenting collaborations in Bioethics research to provide educational and training opportunities in Puerto Rico.