Hello Readers,

Welcome to Healix - a collaboration health blog that seeks to unite and present the various branches of the health professions. Come follow our individual and collective journeys through our health education and into the professional world.

On this blog you will see different views representing health fields such as: genetic counseling, medicine, pharmacy, and public health.

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First an introduction to the authors of Healix. As our journeys progress, we will update our bios accordingly; so please check back here periodically!

Alicia is a second-year genetic counseling student working toward her Master's in Science (class of 2010). Her ultimate goal is to become a Certified Genetic Counselor (MS, CGC). In her clinical training, Alicia has and will rotate through various clinics including Ob/Gyn for prenatal counseling, Pediatric Genetics, Cancer Genetics, and Adult Medical Genetics. She works with patients in these environments to help facilitate decision-making around genetic testing and to aid in the interpretation of test results, acting as a patient advocate. Alicia is interested in the way people incorporate genetic/hereditary information into belief systems, and how this interaction impacts decision-making and health management around "genetic" conditions. Whenever she isn't working on the above, Alicia tries to learn more about tea, tea-drinking, and related refreshments like herbal infusions, since she is hopeless with wine.

Alb is a former Masters in Public Health (MPH) candidate in hospital and molecular epidemiology. Starting August 2009 he will be an M1 medical student working towards his MD degree (class of 2013). While he is unsure about completing his MPH degree, the experience has given him valuable insights into the intersection of medicine and public health. He has broad interests ranging across medical genetics, pediatrics, endocrinology, and public health issues such as chronic illnesses (e.g. obesity and diabetes), infectious diseases (e.g. HIV/AIDS), and the impact of culture and language on health and health care. His ultimate career ambition is to work in an academic setting at the forefront and focus of research, teaching, and clinical care. Alb is the maintainer of this blog and is (currently) the only male contributor to Healix.

Rui is currently an M2 medical student working towards her MD degree (class of 2012) and wishes to pursue ophthalmology. Being foreign-born, she is highly interested in international health care issues ranging from universal health care to differing treatment regimens due to contrasting cultural and religious differences. Rui has also conducted research in Beijing, China. Being a self-described "work-out-aholic" (not because she studies 24/7 in the library), she loves to run 3 to 5 miles a day. Although deathly afraid of insects, particularly mosquitoes, Rui does love outdoor activities from hiking to rafting. As a medical student, Rui will be able to contribute current medical news and knowledge to the blog, as well as opinions and thoughts concerning international health care.

Shari is currently entering her last year as pharmacy student working towards her PharmD degree (class of 2010). She is planning on applying to residency programs next year with the ultimate goal of working either as a clinical pharmacist in Infectious Diseases or in a hospital drug information center. Her interests include psychiatry drugs and cardiology drugs, but she doesn't think those are practical enough to make a career out of. Since great writers are supposed to write about what they know, Shari will probably be writing mostly about the work she's doing and how it affects/relates to the world of health care. Starting in August, she'll be working in a different place every month, so this should make for a wide variety of pharmacy-related topics.

Yo is a 2010 Masters in Public Health (MPH) candidate in general epidemiology. Her interests lie in a wide range of topics including parasitology, chronic diseases, and disease progression from infections to chronic disease. Yo is particularly interested in international health and/or health care in resource-poor settings. Some of her recent areas of focus have been hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and other STDs in special populations. She currently works as a Health Promotion Intern in a correctional facility. Yo's long-term goal is to work with the World Health Organization. She considers herself raised in a cross-cultural environment, and she hopes to learn from others as well as share her experience with the members and audiences here at Healix.

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Last updated: August 20th, 2009.