About
I grew up in Tianjin, China, and moved to the U.S. at age 15 as an international student. I earned my B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology with a minor in Psychology from UC San Diego in 2020, where my interests in genetics and the psychosocial aspects of healthcare first came together. After graduation, I gained research experience working as a research associate in Dr. Xin Sun's lab at the UC San Diego School of Medicine before earning my MPH in Chronic Disease Epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health in 2023. At Yale, under Dr. Andrew DeWan's mentorship, I explored genetics from a population health perspective by researching genetic pleiotropy between asthma and COPD using UK Biobank data.
Before joining UCLA, I worked at Fulgent Genetics as a molecular laboratory technician, where I performed and developed confirmatory assays for clinically complex genes, particularly those affected by pseudogene interference. Working with carrier, prenatal, and familial testing sparked my interest in reproductive genetics and laboratory genetic counseling.
At UCLA, I look forward to exploring prenatal and laboratory genetic counseling and learning how I can help make genetic services more accessible and culturally responsive, especially for Mandarin-speaking communities. In my free time, I love spending time with my dog and cat, listening to K-pop, and hunting for new coffee shops around LA.