MD/PhD Candidate: Kristin Harrington

For this week’s #IamEmoryEpi spotlight, we met up with Kristin Harrington!

Tell us a little bit about your academic history:

I went to the University of Wisconsin in Madison for undergrad, and I majored in biochemistry and global health. I worked for a couple of years, and then started the MD/PhD program here at Emory in 2016.

What are your primary research interests?

My primary research interests are in infectious disease transmission modeling (specifically for tuberculosis), using a combination of field work, Bayesian statistics, and geospatial methods! My advisor is Neel Gandhi.

What were you up this this past summer?

This summer I was mainly working on writing up my F30 fellowship grant for the NIH – so lots of writing and communicating with all of my collaborators for what will eventually become my dissertation! I also worked on the data analyses for a couple of other research projects I am involved with, and went to a few summer courses focused on biostatistical methods for ID modeling. I was also able to travel to the Republic of Georgia, and France!

Are there any exciting projects or experiences you are involved in right now?

Currently my research has been focused on some of the other projects I have going on separate to my dissertation. I am involved in a project comparing diagnostic tests for cryptococcal disease, which is an opportunistic fungal infection – I presented this work at the IDWeek conference in DC last month, and hopefully the manuscript will be completed soon! My other project is looking at pulmonary diseases (like asthma and COPD) in people with HIV in Atlanta, and I just submitted an abstract to the ATS conference for next May.

What is your favorite part about earning your PhD at Rollins?

My favorite part about getting my PhD here at Emory is being surrounded by such amazing faculty and students – all of the students are so accomplished and have so much to share in terms of their experiences, and the faculty are so well known for their contributions to the field of epidemiology.

What advice do you have for MPH students?

Take advantage of all of the opportunities here at Rollins – for involvement in teaching, research projects, taking courses, everything! One thing I really missed when I graduated college and started working was being supported by an academic institution that really provides as much as possible for you to succeed moving forward.

What books are you currently reading, or what podcasts are you currently listening to?

The books I have currently on my coffee table to start reading over winter break are Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Dying of Whiteness by Jonathan Metzl. Podcasts that I am always listening to are All Songs Considered and The Daily!

What are three fun facts that you want people to know about you?

1. I lived in 5 states and in the Philippines before starting high school.
2. I absolutely love kickboxing.
3. I am obsessed with my bikes and all sports/activities bike-related!