Kylee Spencer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology and Environmental Science
Heidelberg University
I am grateful for the training and opportunities I received through the VGI. First and foremost, the research experiences and rigorous training in science were excellent. At the same time, the VGI also provided opportunities for me to gain valuable experience in teaching. I was encouraged to work with the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching, to lead small groups sessions with IGP students during flextime, and even to give guest-lectures on occasion. After defending my dissertation, I worked for a period as an instructor at the VGI, and during that time I was encouraged to develop and teach my own special topics course in genetics. All these experiences have helped me enormously during my first year of teaching at Heidelberg University. My research interests include defining the specific genetic variants that underlie complex human traits, especially early age at first menstrual period (menarche). Given that earlier age at menarche is associated with increased risk for breast cancer and obesity, discovering these genetic changes may have additional public health relevance.