Kristin Young, PhD

Dr. Young is a research assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology. Her research focuses on health disparities related to common, complex diseases such as obesity. Her prior training in anthropological genetics and epidemiology was broadly centered on genetic and environmental factors that influence health and disease, including epistatic and gene*environment interactions.

Her current work involves identification of novel low-frequency coding variants, fine mapping and functional validation of known GWAS loci related to obesity.

Honors and Awards

NCTraCS KL2 Scholar

2015, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

NIH Loan Repayment Program

2014, NIMHD

Ethan Sims Young Investigator Finalist

2014, The Obesity Society

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Carolina Population Center

2012-2015, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Invited International Faculty

2011, 7th ISABS Conference in Forensic, Anthropologic, and Medical Genetics and Mayo Clinic Lectures in Translational Medicine

Participant

2010, NIH Summer Institute for Transdisciplinary Research: Integrating Genetic and Social Work Research

K30 Clinical Research Fellowship

2009-2011, University of Kansas Medical Center

NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship

2009-2011, University of Kansas Medical Center

Teaching Interests

Fundamentals of Physical Anthropology
Principles of Nutrition
Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Human Genetics and Evolution

Research Activities

Genetic epidemiology and health disparities related to common, complex diseases, including identification of novel low-frequency coding variants, fine mapping, functional validation of known GWAS loci), and gene*environment interactions

Service Activities

UNC Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium, Judge, 2015

American Association of Anthropological Genetics, Outreach Committee, 2014-

American Society of Human Genetics, DNA Day Scholarship Essay Judge, 2014-

NC DNA Day, Ambassador, 2014-

Genetic Epidemiology Journal Club, Coordinator 2013-2015

American Society of Human Genetics, Member, 2012-

The Obesity Society, Member, 2012-

American Heart Association, Member, 2012-

American Association of Anthropological Genetics, Elections Committee, 2010-2012

American Association of Anthropological Genetics, Member, 2001-

American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Member, 2001-

Key Publications

Interaction of smoking and obesity susceptibility loci on adolescent BMI. KL Young, M Graff, KE North, AS Richardson, KL Mohlke, LA Lange, EM Lange, KM Harris, PG Larsen. (2015). BMC Genetics.

Influence of SNP*SNP interaction on BMI in European American Adolescents: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. KL Young, M Graff, KE North, AS Richardson, JP Bradfield, SFA Grant, LA Lange, EM Lange, KM Harris, P Gordon-Larsen (2015). Pediatric Obesity, 10(6).

Decisional stage distribution for colorectal cancer screening among diverse, low-income study participants. Hester, CM, WK Born, HW Yeh, KL Young, AS James, CM Daley, KA Greiner. (2015). Health Educ Res, 30(3), 400-11.

Lipoprotein lipase variants interact with polyunsaturated fatty acids for obesity traits in women: replication in two populations. Y. Ma, KL Tucker, CE Smith, YC Lee, T Huang, K Richardson, LD Parnell, CQ Lai, KL Young, AE Justice, Y Shao, KE North, JM Ordovás (2014). Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 24(12), 1323-9.

Sequence variation in TMEM18 in association with body mass index: Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium Targeted Sequencing Study. C-T Liu*,KL Young*, J Brody, M Olden, MK Wojczynski, N Heard-Costa, G Li, AC Morrison, D Muzny, RA Gibbs, JG Reid, Y Shao, Y Zhou, E Boerwinkle, G Heiss, L Wagenknecht, B McKnight, IB Borecki, CS Fox, KE North, LA Cupples. (2014). Circ Cardiovasc Genet, 7(3), 344-9.

Education

MS, Clinical Research, University of Kansas Medical Center, 2011

PhD, Anthropological Genetics, University of Kansas, 2009

MA, Anthropological Genetics, University of Kansas, 2001

BS, Zoology, University of Oklahoma, 1995

BA, Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, 1995