RESEARCH INTERESTS: Cancer; Genomics; Epidemiology; Health outcomes; Health disparities; Structural determinants of health; AI/ML; Biostatistics; Risk prediction; Methods development; Bioethics; Ethical Legal and Social Implications (ELSI); Community engagement; Cost effectiveness; Research ethics; Mixed methods; Interdisciplinary research
RESEARCH SKILLS: Mixed methods research; Big data analysis; DNA and RNA sequencing methods; Sequencing technologies; Data pre/postprocessing; Data quality control; Data integration; Statistical Analyses; Unsupervised learning; Supervised learning; Linear regression & GLM; Hierarchal clustering; Risk prediction; Survival Analysis; Population based studies; Clinical data analysis; Data sharing and security; Project management
My overall goal is to directly impact and improve clinical outcomes through omics analyses and ELSI. I’m currently a Senior Expert II Data Scientist at Novartis Innovative Biomedical Research. My current position builds off of my expertise in cancer genetics/genomics, computational biology, and epidemiology to determine effects of genomic alterations and develop/discover genomic determinants of response therapy.
I received my PhD in Pathobiology and Translational Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Under the guidance of Katherine Hoadley and Melissa Troester, my doctoral research focused on developing methods to detect DNA repair defects in diverse populations and tumor types. At UNC, I was awarded a T32 in Translational Medicine and also received a Susan G. Komen TREND grant for my thesis research.
You can also find me on Twitter @MarkiaASmith, where I post about all things cancer, health disparities, data troubleshooting, ELSI, and diversity + equity + inclusion efforts.
Outside of science, I am a doula, mentor, huge foodie, traveler (been to 39 of the 50 states thus far), and avid lifter.
