{"678802":{"#nid":"678802","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Making a Difference in Global Health","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKristine Lacek vividly remembers watching news coverage of the West Africa Ebola outbreak while she was in high school. Inspired by the brave scientists investigating the disease, she wrote one of her Georgia Tech application essays about her aspiration to work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and contribute to their mission of preventing, detecting, and responding to disease threats.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ELess than 10 years later, her high school dream became a hectic, fast-paced \u2014 and fulfilling \u2014 reality. Armed with an accelerated bachelor\u2019s degree in biology and a master\u2019s degree in bioinformatics from Georgia Tech, the double Jacket started a fellowship at the CDC during a pivotal time in history \u2014 the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cIt was sink or swim for sure,\u201d says Lacek. \u201cKnowing I was working on public health decision-making that could make a lifesaving difference worldwide showed me I had chosen the right path.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EToday, Lacek continues her drive to make a positive global impact as a bioinformatics scientist at the CDC, specializing in influenza and SARS-CoV-2 genomics. Her career has taken her around the world, with time spent in places like Ghana, Oman, Panama, Algeria, India, Thailand, and the Republic of Georgia. She currently lives in Denver, but will return to Georgia Tech to provide the graduation speech at the College of Sciences\u2019 inaugural master\u2019s commencement ceremony this December.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWe recently sat down with Lacek to talk about her career and Georgia Tech experience:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your favorite memory from Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELacek\u003C\/strong\u003E: I always enjoyed the Georgia Tech nights at various Atlanta special event locations like the aquarium and Six Flags. When I was in grad school, the grad gala was held at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Halfway through the night, my then-boyfriend-and-now husband looked around and said we should get married here \u2014 and we did!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat were some of your college activities?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELacek\u003C\/strong\u003E: I worked a lot to fund my way through school. I tutored at the Center for Academic Success and worked as an athletic training aid with the track and field team. I gained research experience in the Exercise Physiology Laboratory as an undergrad and in the Gibson Lab as a grad student. Each summer, I served as the teaching assistant for the Biomolecular Engineering, Science, and Technology (BEST) Study Abroad Program in Lyon, France.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did Georgia Tech prepare you for success?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELacek:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EThe mix of coursework in my undergraduate and graduate studies was ideal for my career. As an undergrad biology major, I learned key theories and scientific concepts that I still use daily. Studying bioinformatics in grad school, I refined my technical skills in coding, math, and computer science. My two skill sets work well together. Because I understand the molecular side of the interdisciplinary coin, I can better apply technical tools to get the answers I need from the data.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice do you have for Georgia Tech students, particularly those looking for a career in bioinformatics?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELacek\u003C\/strong\u003E: Being a fast learner is the best skill you can have, especially as technology continues to rapidly evolve. The things you are learning right now may not be the exact language or application you will use as a young professional, so the ability to learn new products, programs, and schema quickly will make you very valuable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOn the public health side of things, I think being a really good collaborator and communicator is quintessential for success. One of my biggest regrets is not learning another language. As someone who does a large amount of technical support for other countries and overseas partners, working well with others and good communication is vital.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow do you define bioinformatics?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELacek:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003ETo me, bioinformatics is like a triangle of biology, computer science, and mathematics\/statistics. I\u2019m kind of halfway between the biology and computer science side, focusing a lot on next generation sequencing. I use code and statistical applications to make global health predictions based on the data analytics available.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us more about what you do.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELacek\u003C\/strong\u003E: I do a lot of genomic surveillance, which is basically tracking and monitoring genetic material to detect new mutations and variants. Influenza, for example, circulates year-round worldwide, and we are constantly sequencing samples from all over the place to track what the virus currently looks like and project what will happen globally. At the same time, we\u0027re also monitoring for novel outbreaks, with a posture of pandemic preparedness so that if something new and scary pops up, we are already looking for it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow are you making a difference in the world today?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELacek\u003C\/strong\u003E: After the COVID-19 emergency response wound down, I moved my focus to influenza. Over the last two years I have been going around the world to train other ministries of health in bioinformatics and next generation sequencing to do what we do in the United States for respiratory virus surveillance.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EI believe I\u0027ve trained and supported scientists from 89 different countries. Because of this effort, we\u2019ve detected some novel variants, such as a new swine flu in Vietnam. It\u2019s thrilling to know that we are making a worldwide impact by helping countries who don\u2019t always have the technical resources and informatics personnel we enjoy here in the U.S.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are your hobbies?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELacek\u003C\/strong\u003E: I love to read; I read 106 books last year! I live in Denver, so of course, I enjoy hiking. I recently completed my first 14er (hiking a mountain peak that\u2019s 14,000 feet above sea level). I also love to thrift, cook, and eat out!\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"A Conversation with the College of Sciences Master\u2019s Commencement Speaker Kristine Lacek, BIO 2019, M.S. BI 2020"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom tracking viruses like COVID-19 and influenza to training health professionals worldwide, Kristine Lacek, Georgia Tech\u2019s first B.S.\/M.S. bioinformatics master\u2019s graduate, is making a global impact in public health. She will return to Georgia Tech to deliver the keynote speech at the College of Sciences\u2019 inaugural master\u2019s commencement ceremony.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From tracking viruses like COVID-19 and influenza to training health professionals worldwide, Kristine Lacek, Georgia Tech\u2019s first B.S.\/M.S. bioinformatics master\u2019s graduate, is making a global impact in public health."}],"uid":"36607","created_gmt":"2024-12-10 18:25:53","changed_gmt":"2024-12-10 19:39:05","author":"ls67","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675810":{"id":"675810","type":"image","title":"In her dream career at the CDC, Kristine Lacek, Georgia Tech\u2019s first B.S.\/M.S. bioinformatics master\u2019s graduate, plays a key role in shaping the future of global disease surveillance and response.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EIn her dream career at the CDC, Kristine Lacek, Georgia Tech\u2019s first B.S.\/M.S. bioinformatics master\u2019s graduate, plays a key role in shaping the future of global disease surveillance and response.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1733858016","gmt_created":"2024-12-10 19:13:36","changed":"1733858016","gmt_changed":"2024-12-10 19:13:36","alt":"Split screen photo shows a woman in a graduation gown and a woman speaking into a microphone.","file":{"fid":"259475","name":"collage.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/10\/collage_1.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/10\/collage_1.png","mime":"image\/png","size":4253356,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/12\/10\/collage_1.png?itok=lVvy_uee"}}},"media_ids":["675810"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"192258","name":"cos-data"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Laura S. Smith\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Officer II\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003ECollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Elaura.smith@cos.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}