In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing video games, embroidery, building Legos, and more. Since moving to Philadelphia, I have enjoyed going to Rittenhouse Park and the Schuylkill River dog park. A fact about me is that I have a service dog named Shay.

About Me

My Name is Jessica Medina, and I am a PhD student in Information Science at Drexel University and an NSF CSGrad4US Fellow. I am being advised by Dr. Afsaneh Razi

My research interests lie in the intersection of HCI, online social support, online communities, health, and well-being. My current projects are focused on implementing a community-based approach to designing technologies for epilepsy self-management and further developing online social support for people living with epilepsy (PLWE).

Born and raised in Florida, I am a first-generation American and college graduate. I received my BS in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida and have three years of industry experience as a full-stack developer and software engineer. I moved to Philadelphia in Fall 2024 to start my PhD program in Information Science at Drexel University.

My life with Epilepsy

My research passion comes from my experience of living with epilepsy. On February 12th, 2010, I experienced my first seizure at the age of 14. After being consulted by cardiologists, endocrinologists, and neurologists, I was diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy at 15. The types of seizures I experience are partial complex seizures, myoclonic jerks, and secondary generalized seizures. I tried different kinds of medications until the perfect combination was found. As of November 2024, I have been seizure-free for a year! I am passionate about learning about others' experiences with epilepsy or chronic conditions.

Epilepsy Quick Facts

Epilepsy is a chronic, noncommunicable disease of the brain that affects people of all ages.
In many parts of the world, people with epilepsy and their families suffer from stigma and discrimination
1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy during their lifetime

Meet Shay!

Woof, woof, meet Shay! Shay is a yellow Labrador retriever and a working service dog. She comes from a long line of hunting and working dogs. Fun fact: a cousin of Shay is completing training as a diabetes service dog. I worked closely with Shay's trainers (Craig Fizer and Miriam) to ensure she and I would work well together. We did trial training sessions, sleepovers, and weekend stays to ensure we were a perfect match! Alongside this, I had training sessions with her trainers to learn how to handle a service dog, and Shay had training sessions on how to do her service work. Shay and I passed our public access exam in July 2024.

Although Shay is very intelligent and has sensed when I am not well, she is not specifically trained in seizure alerting. Training seizure-alert dogs is very difficult to accomplish, so the trainers and I discussed ways in which Shay can help when I am not feeling well or having a seizure. Some service tasks that Shay performs are as follows:
1. Medical Response (Response to symptoms that I experience before seizures, such as anxiety, hyperventilating, crying, etc.)

2. Deep Pressure Therapy (A form of therapy that can help with depersonalization and derealization symptoms that I experience with auras)

3. Seizure Response (Shay will position herself alongside my back when she sees that I have laid down in anticipation of a seizure to help keep me on my side)

Like humans, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is important for Shay. You'll see Shay with me the majority of the time, but sometimes, she will be at home enjoying a day off. This helps Shay from overworking but also allows me to increase my confidence, feelings of autonomy, and independence. She enjoys long walks and loves making new human and dog friends. Some of her best dog friends are Zoe, Baxter, Chewie, and all the amazing dogs that live with her trainers!

Enjoy these photos of Shay in her "uniform" and during her free time.