Samantha Greenberg, MPH ’16, is an assistant professor, researcher and the architect of the new Genetic Counseling Training Program at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. She has spent the past year and a half preparing for the first cohort of students who will take the program on its inaugural run.
Precision health uses genetic and other biological data to bring traditional public health strategies to new levels. But precision health is about much more than genetics, says Sebastian Zöllner, professor of Biostatistics and co-director of the Precision Health initiative at the University of Michigan.
Socioeconomic status, overcrowding, institutional racism, political partisanship, and global economic inequality are all social factors that determine the disease risk for individuals and populations. And understanding those factors from all angles—from biology to sociology—can help us reduce that risk.
Suzanne Cole absorbs the energy and optimism of public health students and shares it right back with them, consistently creating an environment of positive energy in the classroom. She encourages students to consider how course materials connect to professional goals, sharpening both their intellectual curiosity and their passion for population health.
Team science requires a lot of grit, says epidemiologist Carl Marrs. Collaborators have to trust each other enough to be straightforward and honest about their projects. Straight truth isn’t always easy on our emotions, but it is good for science. Science is a challenging endeavor, and the incredible teamwork led by Marrs and others means better health for all of us.
Could that researcher in goggles sitting in a lab really be an anthropologist? And how much adventure will they actually have? From the top of the Himalayas and the Andes to the insides of cells, Ainash Childebayeva has combined anthropology, genetics, and public health to uncover secrets of human history and keep today’s vulnerable populations healthy.