1997 Major: Biology and Psychology; minor in Chemistry; certificate in Neuroscience
"I still cannot believe the opportunities that I was given at Duke. I worked in a few different labs in both biology and psychology, and my favorite in biology was in Dr Rausher's botany lab (the morning glory field in the Duke Forest). Dr Crenshaw's light microscopy class was incredible too; the research that we did in that class was made into a departmental presentation. My favorite classes by far were the animal behavior and evolutionary biology classes my junior and senior year. The classes were small, and the professors were second to none. All of these experiences shaped my love for research. Over the summer and after graduation, I worked in labs back in my hometown and figured out what kind of research I enjoyed most. A summer at the Beaufort Marine Lab was another Duke experience I will never forget. Soon after graduation, I completed a masters in public health policy and then a PhD in epidemiology with a focus on healthcare quality improvement. I now work as a cardiovascular epidemiologist in a job that I absolutely love doing clinical research at hospitals across the southeast. I am lucky enough to also get to work with a number of colleagues at Duke! I could not be more thankful for the amazing opportunities that I was given during my time at Duke."
"Work in labs if you can! Also, take the classes that interest you most, you'll learn so much about what you want to do. If you can, find a great study group. Finally, just because you get a couple of less-than-stellar grades in college doesn't mean you can't end up in a job that you love. I struggled in the larger intro bio courses, but I ended up exactly where I want to be."
Department of Biology