Posted on Aug 15, 2019

30 Days of Genetic Research

30 Days of Genetic Research

During the month of June, College of Nursing doctoral student Lakeshia Cousin attended the National Institute of Nursing Research’s (NINR) Summer Genetics Institute, a one-month intensive research training program at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She was among 25 nurse scientists selected to attend from across the country.

Cousin used the opportunity to network with some of the strongest minds in genetic research, including Dr. Ann Cashion, the acting NINR director. She has also collaborated with two other participants of the summer program on a manuscript regarding racial and ethnic health disparities in genomics.

“Overall, it was a great learning experience, and if I decide to include genetics in my research, I feel confident that I can connect with the right scientists to develop an effective interdisciplinary team,” Cousin said.

With new resources in hand, Cousin foresees genetic and genomic research as key to the future of nursing research. She recommends the Omics Nursing Science and Education Network, which provides resources for training for the integration of o, common data elements support and providing partnerships in omics research.

Omics research explores technologies that quantify some characteristics of large families of cellular molecules, like genes and proteins, as well as roles, relationships, and actions of the molecules making up the cells of an organism.

Researchers can also utilize a free online course in genomics titled, “Method for Introducing a New Competency: Genomics (MINC).”

“As the public becomes more aware of genetic and genomic contributions to health and disease, nurses should be prepared to answer genetic and genomics questions,” she added. “Genomics is now relevant to the practice of all nurses, and we should look into implementing genetics into our nursing agenda.”

During her time in Bethesda, Cousin took over the college’s Twitter account to chronicle her experience:

https://twitter.com/USFHealthNurse/status/1142148302730932230?s=20