“ It is wonderful that AGHI can support student education through projects like Jacob ’ s . AGHI is a large , multi-faceted program , but there are countless opportunities for students interested in genomics to carve out a smaller area of focus during a discrete block of time . In a short summer , Jacob was able to design a project and answer an important question about how data can impact health care .”
— Anna Hurst , MD , MS AGHI Genomics Working Group Co-Chair
FUTURE LEADERS IN THE GENOMIC WORKFORCE
FUTURE LEADERS IN THE GENOMIC WORKFORCE
Meet UAB Medical Student Jacob Greenway , 2022 AGHI Summer Scholar
Jacob Greenway is a second-year medical student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham ( UAB ). He had been interested in genetics since his undergraduate studies . When deciding to study medicine , he connected with Bruce Korf , MD , PhD , Chief Genomics Officer for UAB Medicine , due to his interest in precision medicine .
After earning a degree in biochemistry at the University of Georgia , Jacob worked in medical research for two years at the Medical College of Georgia before beginning medical school at UAB . It was during his undergraduate experience that Jacob ’ s interest in precision medicine was piqued , while researching the RAS modification pathway to determine what predisposes a protein to go down on part of the posttranslational modification pathway vs . another for people who have cancers linked to RAS pathways . “ Growing up , you go to the doctor , you take a medication , and you usually get better ,” Jacob says . The research Jacob was involved in helped him understand that there may be ways to block the pathway for some diseases , like cancer . “ That ’ s what ignited my desire to follow the research , to be able to treat things more precisely .”
Jacob Googled precision medicine and found Dr . Korf . He contacted him to discuss his interest , and they discussed further on a Zoom call prior to starting his medical school coursework at UAB . “ I didn ’ t expect that ,” Jacob says , “ but I wanted to see where I could get involved in precision medicine .” During his first year at UAB , he learned that medical students could do research over the summer break . Jacob worked as an AGHI summer scholar with Dr . Korf ; AGHI Genomics Working Group Co-Chair Anna Hurst , MD , MS ; and UAB Director of Clinical Genetics Nathaniel Robin , MD . returned to participants and their referring medical providers . If there are ways to link these data to genetic risks , bioinformatics could play a major role in helping improve health outcomes for Alabamians who may have unknown genetic disease risks .
“ There are so many new discoveries being made in genetic research that will continue to inform and enhance precision medicine ,” Jacob says .
“ It is wonderful that AGHI can support student education through projects like Jacob ’ s . AGHI is a large , multi-faceted program , but there are countless opportunities for students interested in genomics to carve out a smaller area of focus during a discrete block of time . In a short summer , Jacob was able to design a project and answer an important question about how data can impact health care .”
In addition to working alongside Drs . Hurst and Robin and the clinical genetics team , Jacob completed medical chart reviews of participants who consented to share their data through the Alabama Genomic Health Initiative . He reviewed medical histories to see if there is any predictive information to genetic findings returned through AGHI , and he assessed how results from the study are being
— Anna Hurst , MD , MS AGHI Genomics Working Group Co-Chair
10 Alabama Genomic Health Initiative Annual Report 2022