How to Pre-Health at Tech is a new series of stories and experiences with our faculty, current students, and alumni working in healthcare and medical fields. Check back throughout the spring for interviews with:

• Alonzo Whyte, faculty member, academic advisor for the Health and Medical Sciences (HMED) Minor, director of academic advising for the Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience, and development leader in the School of Biological Sciences
• Ritika Chanda, fourth-year neuroscience undergraduate with dual-minors in health and medical sciences and leadership studies
• Jeffrey Kramer, first-year biology undergraduate
• Charles Winter (BIO '12), anesthesiologist assistant

If it wasn’t for her dad’s encouragement, Jenna Nash may never have applied to Georgia Tech. After her admission to Tech, Nash says the resources available for pre-health students at Tech felt like “the missing puzzle piece that fell in place” when deciding what college to attend.

Four years and countless memories later, the Canton, Georgia native graduated in May 2021 with a degree in neuroscience and a minor in health and medical sciences. From her involvement in the Physician Assistant Club as a member and vice president of marketing, to support from peers, professors, and the Neuroscience Club, Nash shares that coming to campus was “the best decision I have ever made.”

Her time at Georgia Tech helped Nash achieve her goal of physician assistant (PA) school. This semester, she begins classes at Mercer University for the Master of Medical Science (MMSc) degree.

Here are Nash’s tips on “How to Pre-Health” at Georgia Tech:

Q: Why did you decide to pursue pre-health at Georgia Tech?

A: I knew going into college that I wanted to pursue a pre-health career, but Tech actually helped secure my decision to become a physician assistant. I was weighing heavily between nurse practitioner, which requires a complete Bachelor of Nursing, then going back to school to become a nurse practitioner for around two years; versus physician assistant, where you can choose your own undergraduate degree and then complete around 27 months of school; versus doctor, which requires a complete undergraduate degree then four or more years of school depending on specialty.

While choosing what school to attend, I knew I wanted to stay in state because of financial reasons, but most schools in Georgia that offered nursing programs did not seem challenging enough to me.

My dad actually encouraged me to apply to Tech, even though I thought there was no way I would get in, and I didn't think it had a huge pre-health program. However, checked all the boxes – challenging, football team, great location – so when I got in, I knew that it was meant to be. From there, I decided to become a physician assistant instead of a doctor because of a mentor in high school that told me about the flexibility and freedom that comes with becoming a PA instead of doctor – then, I knew it was for me. Additionally, I found out there was a club for pre-physician assistant students at Tech which sealed the deal. It was kind of my missing puzzle piece that fell in place. It was the best decision I have ever made.

Q: What resources did you use at Georgia Tech to support your career aspirations, such as clubs, advisors, or supportive professors?

A: One of the best resources for me during my time at Tech was the Physician Assistant Club (PAC). It is tricky navigating how to get into graduate school and it was getting super overwhelming trying to figure it out on my own. My pre-health advisor, Maria Krakovski, and one of my sisters in my sorority, Claudia Varnedoe, encouraged me to join PAC. I am so happy that I did! It helped me figure out what I needed to do while in college, allowed me to form connections with other people that aspired to become PAs, gave me job and volunteering options, and walked me through the application process which was so helpful when it came time to apply for schools my senior year.

One of the best things that came from PAC was the opportunity to work with Good Shepherd’s Clinic, which provided healthcare to uninsured people of Atlanta. At this clinic, I learned how much I loved working with underserved populations and learned a lot about the inequality in the healthcare system of Georgia and the United States.

Another thing I am so thankful for was one-on-one tutoring through the Tutoring & Academic Support Office at the Clough Undergraduate Commons (CULC). I was studying there nearly three times a week for help on subjects that I could not figure out for the life of me. It increased my confidence in my ability to solve problems and allowed me to reflect on what I really understood. Tutoring is a very underused resource at Tech, and I cannot encourage people to take advantage of the tutoring resources enough!

Q: How did Georgia Tech help you during the application cycle for graduate school? Any tips that process?

A: I am so thankful that I had Georgia Tech resources available during my application cycle. I used lots of the available resources, especially when it came to writing my personal statement. I took advantage of the Communication Center to edit my essay a lot. They really helped to critique and organize my thoughts. Writing has always been a weakness of mine, because I write just like I talk, and my message can get confusing; they went through it with me sentence by sentence to make sure every word in my essay was meaningful.

I put to use every bit of knowledge I gained from PAC during the application process. I utilized other students in the Club that I made connections with to review my application and make sure that I did not miss any small details. I encourage students to take advantage of peers with similar goals to share the stress of the application cycle with, because they are an invaluable resource.

Q: What graduate degree are you pursuing and where? Why did you choose that program?

A: I am studying to become a physician assistant (PA) at Mercer University. I knew from high school I wanted to become a physician assistant because of my desire to form connections with patients while still having time to enjoy life outside of my career.  I chose the PA program at Mercer because of its proximity to Atlanta. During my time at Tech, I became connected to the city and realized how much it has to provide. But, living in Atlanta and through my involvement at Tech, I also noticed the large population of people in need of healthcare, shelter, food, and more. Since Mercer focuses on service opportunities, I thought this would be a great way for me to give back to the city I learned so much from in college.

Q: What advice do you have for current Georgia Tech pre-health students?

A: Get as many healthcare experiences as possible that you can while you are at Tech. In Atlanta you have access to many different fields – take advantage of that! Try different things, because each thing you do will give you more information and shape your future as a healthcare provider. During those experiences, keep a journal of conversations, patients, or advice that make an impact on you. This will help you in future interviews, when writing your personal statements, or talking about your career. And it is fun to look back at it all when you are questioning whether you have chosen the correct path for yourself.

One of the most important pieces of advice that was given to me is: this is the only time in your healthcare journey where you will get the opportunity to see how different providers handle situations differently. Take advantage of shadowing experiences to determine how you will act as a healthcare provider in the future.

Lastly, develop a network of people that have a career path that is similar to you. For me I had three main people: someone who already was working in the field, someone currently in my chosen graduate program, and then someone that was at the same stage as myself. Having these people to go to with “stupid” questions was so useful and really eased my stress about the whole application process. In my experience, people are flattered when you ask them for help because it makes them feel important, so don’t be afraid to reach out!

Q: What makes Georgia Tech special?

A: I had the best four years of my life at Georgia Tech, and I am forever thankful for everything I learned from my professors, friends, and peers. It was challenging, but at the end of the day, you come out of Tech ready to accomplish anything that is ahead of you. Cherish the moments getting to learn in such a stimulating academic environment. You were chosen to be at this school for a reason.

Feel free to reach out to me if you ever need advice or encouragement! I’m always available. Email Jenna Nash. 

Georgia Tech’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is recognizing College of Sciences faculty members for their excellence in teaching during the 2021-2022 school year.

41 College of Sciences faculty have won Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching: CIOS Awards based on student evaluations during the annual Course Instructor Opinion Survey (CIOS). Eight faculty are the recipients of CTL Faculty Teaching Awards.

The CIOS honors, given for the full calendar year, are based on student-provided CIOS responses about their instructor's “respect and concern for students, level of enthusiasm about teaching the course, and ability to stimulate interest in the subject matter.”

“It's impressive to see the many ways that faculty in the College of Sciences are contributing to student learning at Georgia Tech,” says Joyce Weinsheimer, CTL director. “The College’s award-winning teachers are excelling in the classroom, laboratory instruction, co-curricular education, online teaching, academic outreach, and the scholarship of teaching. They are providing exciting learning environments and experiences to students on our campus and beyond.”

College of Sciences recipients of the “2022 Faculty Teaching Awards” include:

CTL/BP Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 

Neha Garg, assistant professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Faculty Award for Academic Outreach 

James R. Sowell, principal academic professional, School of Physics, and director of the Georgia Tech Observatory

Geoffrey G. Eichholz Faculty Teaching Award 

Michael Evans, First-year Chemistry Laboratory coordinator, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Christie N. Stewart, senior academic professional, School of Biological Sciences

Innovation and Excellence in Laboratory Instruction Award 

Christy O’Mahony, laboratory coordinator for Analytical and Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Innovation in Co-Curricular Education 

Jake D. Soper, associate professor and associate chair for Operations, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry 

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award 

Emily G. Weigel, senior academic professional, School of Biological Sciences

Teaching Excellence Award for Online Teaching 

Michael Evans, First-year Chemistry Laboratory coordinator, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

College of Sciences faculty honored with “Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching: CIOS Awards” include:

Small Classes:

Gary (Michael) Lavigne, visiting assistant professor, School of Mathematics; and assistant director of Communication, Education and Outreach for the Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology

Dan Margalit, professor, School of Mathematics

Melinda (Mindy) Millard-Stafford, professor, School of Biological Sciences

Large Classes:

Meghan Babcock, academic professional and lecturer, School of Psychology

Dobromir (Doby) Rahnev, associate professor, School of Psychology

College of Sciences “Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching: Honor Roll” Awardees:

Small Classes:

School of Biological Sciences — Joel Kostka, professor and associate chair of Research; Lin Jiang, professor; Melinda (Mindy) Millard-Stafford, professor; Emily Weigel, senior academic professional

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences — Sven Simon, associate professor;  Samantha Wilson, academic professional; James Wray, associate professor

School of Mathematics — Neha Gupta, academic professional and director of Scheduling; Gary (Michael) Lavigne, visiting assistant professor, School of Mathematics; and assistant director of Communication, Education and Outreach for the Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology; Dan Margalit, professor; John Olinde, Ph.D. student

Neuroscience — Timothy Cope, professor

School of Psychology — Lizanne DeStefano, professor and  Center for Education Integrating Science, Math, and Computing (CEISMC) executive director; Ruth Kanfer, professor; Dianne Leader, lecturer

Large Classes:

School of Biological Sciences — Adam Decker, senior academic professional and director of Anatomical Sciences; Colin Harrison, senior academic professional; Emily Weigel, senior academic professional

School of Chemistry and Biochemistry — Amit Reddi, associate professor; J. Cameron Tyson, principal academic professional and College of Sciences assistant dean for Academic Programs

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences — Heather Chilton, remote laboratory support;  Zachary Handlos, academic professional

School of Mathematics — Neha Gupta, academic professional and director of Scheduling; Sung Ha Kang, professor; Siddhi Krishna, former NSF Research Training Groups (RTG) postdoctoral associate; Miriam Kuzbary, NSF postdoctoral fellow; Gary (Michael) Lavigne, visiting assistant professor, School of Mathematics; and assistant director of Communication, Education and Outreach for the Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology; Michael Loss, professor; Gregory Mayer, academic professional and director of Online Learning

Neuroscience — Christina Ragan, lecturer and director of Outreach for the B.S. in Neuroscience program; Alonzo Whyte, academic professional, advisor for the Health and Medical Sciences (HMED) Minor, and director of Academic Advising for the B.S. in Neuroscience program

School of Psychology — Meghan Babcock, academic professional;  Dianne Leader, lecturer; Dobromir (Doby) Rahnev, associate professor; Christopher Stanzione, senior lecturer, associate chair for Undergraduate Studies in Psychology; Christopher Weise, assistant professor 

Learn more about the Center for Teaching and Learning at Georgia Tech.

This story first appeared in the College of Engineering newsroom.

The College of Sciences at Georgia Tech continues to make progress in the graduate school rankings published by U.S. News and World Report.

Released on March 29, the 2023 U.S. News Best Graduate School Rankings highlights all six College of Sciences schools as best overall science programs for graduate studies:

• Biology – No. 37    

• Chemistry – No. 21

• Earth Sciences – No. 28

• Mathematics – No. 21

• Physics – No. 28

• Psychology – No. 39

Biological Sciences rose 17 places (from No. 54) in a nine-way tie with Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Dartmouth College, Indiana University-Bloomington, Ohio State University, University of Utah, and UT Health MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Chemistry and Biochemistry shifted from No. 20 in a four-way tie with Johns Hopkins University, University of California (UC)-San Diego, and Texas A&M University-College Station.

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences rose by 10 (from No. 38) in a tie with Ohio State University, University of Southern California, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Mathematics advanced by five, up from No. 26 in a tie with Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, UC-San Diego, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Physics maintains its No. 28 ranking in a tie with Brown University, Duke University, and Rice University.

Psychology rose six spots to No. 39 in a tie with Arizona State University, Michigan State University, Stony Brook University, University of Florida, University of Iowa, and University of Pittsburgh.

U.S. News previously ranked graduate science programs in their 2019 Best Graduate Schools Edition (published in March 2018) with the exception of Psychology, which is categorized under U.S. News “Social Sciences and Humanities” programs and was last ranked in the 2017 Edition.

Among specialty graduate programs, Analytical Chemistry and Condensed Matter (Physics) both rank in the top 20, while previously unranked Applied Math climbed into the top 16 to No. 11.

Mathematical Analysis and Topology tied for No. 18 and No. 15, respectively, and Tech remains top five in the nation for Discrete Math and Combinatorics. Uniquely organized across the Colleges of Sciences, Computing, and Engineering, the Institute’s Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization program previously held a rank of No. 2.

• Analytical Chemistry – No. 17

• Applied Math – No. 11

• Condensed Matter – No. 18

• Discrete Math and Combinatorics – No. 5

• Mathematical Analysis – No. 18

• Topology – No. 15

“I was very happy to see that several of our schools in the College of Sciences moved up in the rankings, in some cases quite significantly,” shares Matthew Baker, professor in the School of Mathematics and associate dean for Faculty Development in the College.

Fellow colleges on campus are also on the rise in the latest U.S. News “Best Graduate Schools” set, with Engineering remaining in the top ten in its overall disciplines, and Business, Computing, and Public Affairs also ranking among top programs in the nation. The full roster of current Georgia Institute of Technology rankings can be found here, along with U.S. News’ methodology for graduate rankings here.

The College of Sciences at Georgia Tech continues to make progress in the graduate school rankings published by U.S. News and World Report.

Released on March 29, the 2023 U.S. News Best Graduate School Rankings highlights all six College of Sciences schools as best overall science programs for graduate studies:

• Biology – No. 37    

• Chemistry – No. 21

• Earth Sciences – No. 28

• Mathematics – No. 21

• Physics – No. 28

• Psychology – No. 39

Biological Sciences rose 17 places (from No. 54) in a nine-way tie with Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Dartmouth College, Indiana University-Bloomington, Ohio State University, University of Utah, and UT Health MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Chemistry and Biochemistry shifted from No. 20 in a four-way tie with Johns Hopkins University, University of California (UC)-San Diego, and Texas A&M University-College Station.

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences rose by 10 (from No. 38) in a tie with Ohio State University, University of Southern California, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Mathematics advanced by five, up from No. 26 in a tie with Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, UC-San Diego, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Physics maintains its No. 28 ranking in a tie with Brown University, Duke University, and Rice University.

Psychology rose six spots to No. 39 in a tie with Arizona State University, Michigan State University, Stony Brook University, University of Florida, University of Iowa, and University of Pittsburgh.

U.S. News previously ranked graduate science programs in their 2019 Best Graduate Schools Edition (published in March 2018) with the exception of Psychology, which is categorized under U.S. News “Social Sciences and Humanities” programs and was last ranked in the 2017 Edition.

Among specialty graduate programs, Analytical Chemistry and Condensed Matter (Physics) both rank in the top 20, while previously unranked Applied Math climbed into the top 16 to No. 11.

Mathematical Analysis and Topology tied for No. 18 and No. 15, respectively, and Tech remains top five in the nation for Discrete Math and Combinatorics. Uniquely organized across the Colleges of Sciences, Computing, and Engineering, the Institute’s Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization program previously held a rank of No. 2.

• Analytical Chemistry – No. 17

• Applied Math – No. 11

• Condensed Matter – No. 18

• Discrete Math and Combinatorics – No. 5

• Mathematical Analysis – No. 18

• Topology – No. 15

“I was very happy to see that several of our schools in the College of Sciences moved up in the rankings, in some cases quite significantly,” shares Matthew Baker, professor in the School of Mathematics and associate dean for Faculty Development in the College.

Fellow colleges on campus are also on the rise in the latest U.S. News “Best Graduate Schools” set, with Engineering remaining in the top ten in its overall disciplines, and Business, Computing, and Public Affairs also ranking among top programs in the nation. The full roster of current Georgia Institute of Technology rankings can be found here, along with U.S. News’ methodology for graduate rankings here.

Thanks to better diagnostics, therapeutics, and care, the overall cancer mortality rate has plummeted in the past 20 years. But cancer survival disparities stubbornly persist along racial and ethnic lines, demanding a firmer grasp of the underlying mechanisms at play, which would ideally result in better outcomes for populations disproportionately burdened by the disease.

A group of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology is tackling this complex, multi-layered problem, and they describe their latest work in a recent edition of the journal Cancer Research. Their results blur the line between nature and nurture, providing a potential link between the genetic and environmental contributions to cancer health disparities.

“When you think about race and ethnicity, those are socially ascribed categories, based on cultural expectations and norms” said King Jordan, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and principal investigator of the study. The lead author was Kara Keun Lee, a graduate student advised by both Jordan and cancer researcher John McDonald, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and a co-author of the study.

So while they approached the work with the understanding that race and ethnicity are not genetic or biological categories, Jordan said the researchers also are aware that health outcomes are a combination of the genetic and biological, with the social and environmental. “And we’re very interested in that interplay,” Jordan said. “But this particular study is focused on the idea of using genetic ancestry as a means to drill down to the underlying molecular biology – the mechanisms that contribute to these survival disparities.”

Genetic ancestry, a characteristic of the genome, refers to genomic similarities based on shared ancestors, which can be defined objectively and with precision, “independent of the social dimensions of race and ethnicity,” Jordan added.

And it turns out, the mechanisms behind cancer survival disparities have plenty to do with the environmental impacts on gene expression, and not on ancestry-related differences.

The research was a collaboration of the Jordan and McDonald labs at Georgia Tech, blending the two labs’ experience in multi-omics biological analysis with Lee’s biostatistics skills, together with Dr. Leonardo Mariño-Ramírez, head of Genomic and Epidemiology Sciences at the NIH’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, which helped fund the study.

Key Ingredient

The key to analyzing all of the multi-omics and cancer survival data was Lee. Though she’s pursuing her Ph.D. in the Georgia Tech Bioinformatics Graduate Program, Lee’s background as both a researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an Emory University student, is in biostatistics.

While bioinformatics is generally concerned more with collecting and analyzing complex biological and genomics data, biostatistics is focused on broad, bigger-picture biological data to address public health issues. So, for example, when you read that cancer mortality rates have decreased 27%, that’s the work of a biostatistician.

“We would not have been able to do this study without Kara’s expertise in biostatistics,” Jordan said. “She brings experience as a statistical epidemiologist in health outcomes to our team. One of the really exciting things as a Ph.D. advisor is when you can get a student like Kara that can potentially change the direction of your lab.”

Lee previously led a study that utilized the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Genome Atlas to analyze 33 cancers and 9,818 patients. The team identified four cancer types with significant survival disparity.

“The survival disparities were more stark and more obvious when we looked at genetic ancestry as opposed to self-identified race and ethnicity,” said Lee, whose computational tools built a compelling body of evidence showing that nature might actually be nurture.

Nature as Nurture

The researchers’ findings point to epigenetic mechanisms – not genetics – as the primary culprit in cancer survival disparities. Epigenetic changes, which can alter the structure of DNA and affect how genes are expressed, can be heavily influenced by the environment around us or the food that we eat.

“The thing about epigenetic changes is that they can be inherited, passed down to future generations,” said McDonald. “That includes the propensity for cancer. But that’s the other thing about these epigenetic changes. They don’t unalterably change DNA structure. They’re reversible. It isn’t permanent.”

One of the most interesting discoveries of the study, the researchers agreed, was what they didn’t find – there were no ancestry-related differences in the DNA they analyzed that contributed to survival disparities. Rather, it was epigenetically induced changes in gene expression that were associated with differences in cancer survival between populations.

“That means the environment may actually change how genes are expressed,” said Jordan. “Following that epigenetic trail, or at least the logic of it, looking at how genes and the environment interact to shape health disparities will be a big focus of my lab going forward.”

CITATION: Kara K. Lee, Lavanya Rishishwar, Dongio Ban, Shashwat Nagar, Leonardo Marino-Ramírez, John F. McDonald, and I. King Jordan. “Association of Genetic Ancestry and Molecular Signatures with Cancer Survival Disparities: a Pan-Cancer Analysis.” (Cancer Research)

https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-2105

FUNDING: Lee, Rishishwar, and Nagar were supported by the IHRC-Georgia Tech Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory (Atlanta, GA; grant no. RF383). Marino-Ramírez was supported by the NIH Distinguished Scholars Program and the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (Grant Nos. 1ZIAMD000016 and 1ZIAMD000018). Ban was supported by the Ovarian Cancer Institute. McDonald was supported by the Ovarian Cancer Institute, Deborah Nash Endowment, and Northside Hospital Research Foundation.

About Georgia Institute of Technology

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 44,000 students representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.