April 2024

JOHN-JOSE NUNEZ

IMH Marshall Fellow
UBC Mood Disorders Centre
BC Cancer Agency

Meet Dr. John-Jose Nunez, an IMH Marshall Fellow using computational methods to advance mental healthcare. Dr. Nunez’s groundbreaking research includes predicting mental illness in cancer patients and functional improvements in depression treatments. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling and making wine – a hobby that he highly recommends for researchers!

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

I’m a psychiatrist and clinical research fellow at UBC. My research is focused on using cutting-edge computational methods to help patients with mental illness, including artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and other big data approaches. This blend of computer science and psychiatry comes from a lifelong journey of not knowing whether I wanted to be a doctor or a computer programmer. I decided to do both! During my psychiatry residency, I completed my master’s in computer science, to give me the tools I need to use these techniques. I think, in life, it’s important to figure out what you’re passionate about, and go for it, even if those passions can sometimes seem pretty distinct!

Can you describe what kind of research you are involved in?

Some of my current projects include using large language models to “read” cancer documents to help predict which cancer patients will develop mental illness, hopefully allowing them to receive help sooner. Another project uses machine learning to predict which patients with depression will have improvements in their function at work and home if they were to take an antidepressant.

Do you have any recent publications or other accomplishments that you would like to share?

We’ve published some high-impact papers lately, including our papers in JAMA Network Open and Psychiatry Research, and our forthcoming paper in Communications Medicine. I’ve also had a chance to present my work, including recently at the ACLP conference in Austin, Texas, and as a plenary speaker at the recent BC Cancer Research Summit. I’m presenting in Lille, France as well in a few months.

What are your interests and hobbies outside of work?

One of the benefits of getting to present my work internationally is I get to enjoy my love of travel; some recent highlights include enjoying hot springs in the Azores, wine tasting in Argentina, and cycling Japan’s Shimanami Kaido. My favourite hobby at home is winemaking – the perfect hobby for a researcher as letting it sit when I get too busy helps improve the wine!

If you are an IMH member and would like to share more about yourself and your research with the community, please contact IMH Research Manager Dr. Nicole Sanford at nicole.sanford@ubc.ca.