Talking to Public Health Genetics MPH student Eli (Eh-lee) Harter is an engaging experience—be ready to think deeply and take notes. Harter’s perspective is both insightful and thought-provoking, shaped by a diverse research background in genetics and applied sciences.
Harter, who graduated from the University of Chicago with a BS in 2020, came to Pitt Public Health after three years as a research assistant in genetic sequencing at The Rockefeller University in New York City. There, they studied the neurogenetics of vocal learning, using modern sequencing tools to analyze DNA and RNA to uncover how cells communicate in the brain. Long fascinated by cellular language, Harter previously researched the role of microbes in inflammatory bowel disease while an undergraduate. Their goal was to understand microbial influences on cell differentiation and how these changes may predispose or protect people from disease—a query that ultimately led Harter to public health genetics.
“I was like the ‘black sheep’ of the family because most of them went to Northwestern University,” laughs Harter. “I still wanted to be in Chicago, so the University of Chicago was the perfect fit—insightful, rigorous and multidisciplinary.” It was there that Harter first pursued endocrinology, a field focused on the body's production and regulation of hormones.
Before deciding on Pitt, Harter volunteered at New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital. “I had so much fun talking with people about different approaches to science and its application to health care,” they say. “It made me think that public health was a good field to consider. If people were asking questions, that probably meant they also wanted some answers.”
Harter was drawn to the Public Health Genetics MPH program for its integration of genetics with epidemiology, behavioral and community health sciences, biostatistics and environmental health, as well as its emphasis on ethics, social sciences, public affairs and law.
For their master’s thesis, Harter is designing and conducting a survey to explore the physical, mental and behavioral impacts of gender-affirming hormone therapy among transgender and gender-diverse individuals.
“We often think of the body as static, but it’s actually constantly in motion,” explains Harter. “There are so many unknowns about hormonal regulation. It’s like a broad fishing net, even with our current tools. Hormones have such an ambiguous effect on the body and our emotions, varying greatly from person to person.”
Harter’s survey aims to address these questions by evaluating respondents’ satisfaction with their care and any changes in their physical and mental health related to gender-affirming hormone therapy. They noticed that while an abundance of research focuses on the behavioral and psychological impacts of care—or lack of it—far less examines biological mechanisms and their interaction with the natural history of disease.
While the survey may not yield a sample size large enough for broad conclusions, Harter sees it as an important foundational step—one that can guide future iterations and help identify key areas for exploration. Recognizing the barriers to traditional research participation, they hope to strengthen intracommunity support by making the dataset an open-source resource designed by and for the trans community.
One of the biggest changes Harter made was refining the language to better reflect the main perspectives within the community, ensuring that the survey captures a more nuanced and inclusive range of experiences with hormone therapy.
“We need to learn more about how sex hormones may predispose people to specific diseases and illnesses,” they say. “For example, ‘Do trans men on testosterone have increased susceptibility to infectious diseases but greater protection against autoimmune conditions? And are trans women on estrogen more protected from infectious diseases but at a higher risk for autoimmune conditions?’”
Harter adds that social perceptions and discrimination can influence these risks, as social stressors are often closely linked to biological stressors. “It’s definitely a balancing act,” they say. “How can we separate physical factors from external influences, especially for a community that is facing delegitimization?”
“Eli’s research is crucial for developing safe and effective treatments that cater to the unique needs of transgender and gender-diverse individuals,” says Wenndy Hernández, PhD, assistant professor of human genetics and Harter’s advisor. “They have done a tremendous amount of research that involves a multidisciplinary integration of fields ranging from endocrinology to mental health. I have learned so much from Eli’s research and continue to do so.”
Although untangling these complexities may be challenging, Harter remains dedicated to examining these issues in depth and bringing clarity to research that remains largely unexplored and poorly understood.
-Clare Collins
Photo credit: Rayni Shiring/University of Pittsburgh