Biography

Hey! I’m Shaurita D. Hutchins, a graduate trainee at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in their Graduate Biomedical Sciences (GBS) Doctoral Training Program and a member of the Center for Computational Genomics and Data Science (CGDS) under the mentorship of Dr. Liz Worthey.

Currently, my thesis project focuses on understanding the genetic underpinnings of heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (HPAH) and identifying drug repositioining targets.

I’ve known for most of my life I’d have a career in healthcare (ever since my grandfather had a porcine heart valve replacement). That early experience inspired me to pursue a pre-medicine major in college and eventually grew into a desire to use technology to improve health outcomes, specifically through analyzing omics data and developing tools.

I’m wholly committed to building a career in science that ensures omics and AI research is ethical and inclusive of underrepresented groups. I want to create better tools for both scientists and consumers to analyze and understand health-related data.

Also, I like to think (and talk) about “thinking” - specifically, systems thinking. I am always looking for ways to improve my approach to solving problems, and I’m fascinated with philosophy, sociology, and how they intersect with science and technology.

Open To

Invited talks, guest lectures, podcasts, hackathons, research collaborations, advocacy initiatives, and mentoring in computational biology and reproducible data science.

Contact Me

Skills

Interests

I love sports, indie films/music, and trying a new bottle cabernet sauvignon. I also serve as a developer for a basketball forum, build websites, and analyze NBA data using Python. Additionally, I love exploring nature, studying in parks, gardening, photography, writing poetry and short stories, philosophy, and cooking. Check out some of my favorite quotes.

Publications