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Meet Public Health Genetics Student Kit Church

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Kit Church started her MPH in public health genetics in 2021 and anticipates graduating in 2025.

What does public health genetics mean to you? 

Public health genetics is so important because it is the application of all of the amazing advances in genetic technology that we have seen in the last few decades to the community in the form of programs and services that benefit the health of larger populations! 

What areas of public health genetics are of interest to you? 

I am largely interested in nonprofit advocacy, education, and outreach, specifically in reference to genetic disorders and rare disease. I am also interested in event planning and program management in this same capacity. 

What will you be doing/have you done as a practicum during the MPH Public Health Genetics Program? 

I am currently completing my practicum with the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation in Pittsburgh, where I am involved with many different facets of the organization. I also work as a research coordinator with the TBRS Community, a nonprofit organization supporting inviduals with the rare disorder Tatton Brown Rahman Syndrome. 

Do you have a recommendation for a resource/podcast/book/article for someone who might be interested in learning more about public health genetics? 

My favorite book related to public health genetics is "The Gene: An Intimate History" by Siddhartha Mukherjee. This book details genetic research ·         throughout history and how this can be used to help the community and general population, whilst also describing the complicated relationship between health and genetics, specifically in reference to avoiding over-reliance on genetic markers – which is very important to the current state of public health genetics!. There is also a PBS TV show of the same name. 

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5/23/2022
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