Latifa Jackson

Institution/Organization: Howard University

Department: Human Genome Center

Academic Status: Postdoctoral Fellow

What conference theme areas are you interested in (check all that apply):

Data Analytics and Visualization
Data-Driven Modeling and Prediction

Interests:

I have academic training in biomedical science systems biology related to human disease genomics and human evolutionary genetics training as well as a focus on using bioinformatics approaches to analyze large datasets. My research includes studies to identify candidate variants for complex diseases in underrepresented populations, studying the biophysical aspects of genome structure and function using metrics of entropy, and modeling immune function patterns at evolutionary timescales. As a Postdoctoral Fellow, my research has expanded to include the social determinants of health disparities. This has particularly focused on quantifying genome by environment interactions as they relate to Allostatic load (the wear and tear on the immune system) and the genomics of resilience.

Non-Work Related Activities:
In my free time I paint, make jewelry and volunteer as a mentor to undergraduate students in bioinformatics. In addition I have a 1.5 year old son who I get to chase around.