Yein Ji

Yein comes from Geoje, Korea, and she began her academic journey in the U.S. as a first generation college student. Yein earned her B.S. in Nutritional Science and Toxicology with a specialization in physiology and metabolism (metabolic biology) from UC Berkeley in May 2024. During her undergraduate years, Yein worked as a student tutor teaching STEM subjects to her peers while volunteering with Crisis Text Line and the American Heart Association. Yein gained laboratory research experience when she worked as a research assistant for Dr. Ted Holman at UCSC in Summer 2021, working on a project screening for inhibitors of an enzyme called lipoxygenase, the findings of which Yein went on to present at the 2021 SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference. The summer after her junior year, Yein began to work as a genetic counseling intern at UCSF Health where she gained valuable insight into the diverse responsibilities of genetic counselors in healthcare, research, and education. In this role, her passion for making precision medicine more accessible to patients and each community grew stronger. At UCLA, Yein looks forward to learning more about ways of integrating insights from pharmacogenomics and bioinformatics to advance genetic counseling practices. She hopes to raise awareness of asymptomatic genetic disorders, particularly within underrepresented minority communities, to reduce healthcare disparities. In her free time, Yein enjoys quilting, playing with her dog Yedoong, and trying new recipes and foods.

Department: Human Genetics