IPHG Student Blog
Drawing from a wide variety of disciplines, IPHG students incorporate a multitude of interests into their research. The IPHG student-produced blog is a platform for students to highlight interesting research, their own research topics and spotlight fellow students in the program. This is a great way to learn more about IPHG students and the interdisciplinary work they do in Public Health Genetics.
Public Health Genetics week 2025 - Featured Students
During the 2025 Public Health Genetics week, IPHG highlighted students from its three graduate degrees, the MPH in Public Health Genetics, MS in Genetic Epidemiology and the PhD in Public Health Genetics.
 | Jiachen Zhang is a first-year Ph.D. student in Public Health Genetics at UW. His research focuses on the genetic epidemiology and architecture of common cancers, with the ultimate goal of translating genomic insights into enhanced cancer prediction and prevention. He is interested in exploring the genetic background and pleiotropy effects across common cancers, and actively advocates for greater diversity in genetic research. |
 | Kelsey Kanavel is a second-year MS student in Genetic Epidemiology and an incoming PhD student in Public Health Genetics. Her thesis research focuses on gene-environment interactions related to telomere length, which is associated with increased risk of age-related diseases when too long or too short. During her PhD, she plans to continue investigating how genetic and environmental factors contribute to complex disease, with the goal of improving disease prevention, risk prediction, and precision health. |
 | Nikhita is a third-year Ph.D. Candidate who conducts research at the intersection of bioinformatics, statistical genetics, and health economics to advance the clinical application of long-read sequencing. Her dissertation focuses on improving rare disease diagnostics through the evaluation of phasing methods and cost-effectiveness analyses. |
 | Gechlang is a Fulbright scholar from Cambodia, pursuing a MS in Genetic Epidemiology. Her thesis focuses on developing a data-driven method for estimating absolute bacterial biomass from metagenomic data to improve cross-dataset comparison and reproducibility. She hopes to continue research at the intersection of genetics and public health, with particular interest in method development and data-driven approaches. |
Introducing Interim Director of IPHG, Dr. Malia Fullerton
Dr. Malia Fullerton is serving as the Interim Director for IPHG during the current leadership transition. Dr. Fullerton is uniquely qualified to serve in this position–since arriving at the UW in 2005 she has been an active contributor to IPHG, teaching multiple courses and mentoring several dozen students. Malia previously served as interim director of IPHG (2014-2015) and has been serving as one of the associate directors of IPHG for the last year, working with Dr. Brian Shirts and other associate directors to lead the Institute’s administration.
Learn more about Malia’s work and involvement with IPHG in her recent feature on the IPHG Student Blog.
Student Spotlight: Diane Xue, PhD Candidate
The School of Public Health recently spotlighted Diane Xue, PhD candidate, for her work on genetic and environmental risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Diane was recently awarded a Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00) from the National Institute on Aging to support her dissertation and post-doctoral research. Read about Diane's research and how the IPHG PhD program supports her interdisciplinary perspective.
Student Spotlight: Hang Yin, PhD Candidate
The School of Public Health recently spotlighted PhD candidate Hang Yi. Hang matriculated into the PhD program in IPHG after earning an MS in Epidemiology at the UW School of Public Health. Hang's research focuses on improving health equity in the field of cancer research in the context of public health genetics. Hang was recently awarded a Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00) from the National Cancer Institute to support her dissertation and post-doctoral research. Hang discusses her research and how the IPHG PhD program is providing her opportunities to further her research on the SPH Blog.