Akash Anand

My name is Akash Anand and I am from Hong Kong. I graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2020, where I majored in biology (physiology). I enjoy combining my interests and helping my community. In the past, I helped to host basketball charity tournaments in Hong Kong with proceeds going to The Society for the Relief of Disabled Children in Hong Kong, and also spent a summer as a student teacher of biology for summer bridge Hong Kong, a non-profit organization that provides tuition-free education and life skills development opportunities for underprivileged students. During my time at the University of Washington, I was an undergraduate research assistant for a cardiovascular research laboratory as well as a neurodevelopmental pediatric genetic medicine laboratory. After graduating, I started working for Natera, a genetic testing company, first as a clinical data reporter and then as a genetic counseling assistant for the renal genetic counseling team. I recently attended the 2023 National Kidney Foundation (NKF) spring clinical meetings in Austin, Texas to present my poster titled Diagnostic Utility of Broad-Based Renal Genetic Testing in Patients with Dent Disease, which was later awarded as a Top Rated Poster by NKF. I am ecstatic to become a Bruin and continue my education at UCLA to train to become a genetic counselor. I look forward to training across many specialty clinical settings and learning under the amazing faculty at UCLA while striving to bring diversity to the genetic counseling field and increase accessibility in diverse communities. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, attending concerts, backpacking, playing basketball and tennis, as well as cooking for friends and family.