Dara McDougal graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from North Carolina Central University in 2019. While at NCCU, Dara began conducting research with Dr. Kevin Sean Kimbro in Julius Chambers Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI) at NCCU. The research involved investigating the role of microRNAs in African American Diabetic women. During her training with Dr. Kimbro, she developed skills in isolating DNA from serum, performing Real-time Polymerase Chain Reactions (RT-PCR), and analyzing statistical data. This experience allowed her to attend the Endocrine Society\u2019s annual conference, ENDO2018, in Chicago, Illinois, and co-author a publication with her lab team as second author.
\nShortly after, Dara participated in University of Louisville\u2019s R25 NCI Cancer Education Program summer internship under Dr. LaCreis Kidd of the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department. There, her project focused on Toll-Like Receptor genetic variants and their role in prostate cancer susceptibility among men of African Descent. This project involved the use of bioinformatics, biostatistics, and the understanding of epistasis or gene-gene interactions. While at UofL, she was trained to code in Statistical Analysis Software 9.4 and PLINK. Her bioinformatic training continued in a graduate level bioinformatics course, under the guidance of Dr. CharLynda Williams-DeVane in BBRI at NCCU, where she learned to code in R.
\nDara is working with the Department of Genetics at UNC as a genetic counseling intern. In this position, she is acting as a junior coordinator with ClinGen, and assists genetic counselors in the Cancer and Adult Genetics clinic. She is planning to attend graduate school for Genetic Counseling.<\/p>\n
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