Meet the Team

 

Caitlin Allen, Ph.D., is a social and behavioral scientist with expertise in the implementation of translation-ready research to advance precision health initiatives. As an early-stage investigator, her current research looks at equity-focused approaches to implementation and sustainability of interventions that apply genomics for disease prevention and early detection.

Her current leadership role as the Director for Outreach and Implementation Research for the Medical University of South Carolina's (MUSC) newly established population-wide genomic screening initiative has positioned her to envision innovative implementation science research to bring these approaches to a range of settings and has a high potential for broad health impact. She also serves as the Assistant Director for the Dissemination and Implementation Science Collaborative at MUSC, which supports implementation science training for researchers and practitioners across South Carolina.

Jarrod Marable, Program Coordinator

With strong experience in both clinical care and research settings, Jarrod oversees many aspects of the team's various research initiatives. Primarily tasked with the FOCUS project, Jarrod is responsible for managing collaborations, coordinating study activities, and putting plans into action. Jarrod is also responsible for organizing efforts within the lab, in conjunction with Dr. Caitlin Allen, to collaborate with and involve student work.

Marie Smith, MS

Marie Smith is a Ph.D. student in Applied Health Research and Evaluation at Clemson and serves as a clinical research coordinator at the Center for Integrative Oncology and Survivorship at Prisma Health-Upstate. Her research interests include genetic literacy, population genomics, and risk stratification, particularly in oncology. She is currently working on the PREFER CHW project, which aims to train community health workers in genetics to enhance diversity in the genomics research workforce. Her work focuses on developing a curriculum and implementing a Delphi process to refine this training over the next three years.

Sarah English

Sarah English is pursuing her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling at MUSC and works as a research coordinator for the In Our DNA SC community health research project. With a strong background in clinical research, regulatory affairs and patient interaction, Sarah focuses on the process of returning cancer-related results and subsequent clinical outcomes. Her project investigates how patients experience receiving a positive cancer result from untargeted genetic screening, with the goal of improving patient care and understanding in this field.

Bernardica Brown, MPH

Bernardica Brown holds a Master of Public Health and brings expertise in focus group facilitation, participant recruitment, and digital media marketing to the team. Her interests lie in public health, program evaluation and qualitative research, with a strong emphasis on equity and inclusion. Bernardica is currently leading the PECAN study, which examines factors influencing perceptions of precision health research among diverse populations of lupus patients in South Carolina. Her work involves both qualitative and quantitative methods to identify barriers and develop strategies for enhancing research participation and retention within these communities.

Lauren Carroll

Lauren Carroll is a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling student at MUSC with a background in marketing communications and business. Currently, she is exploring the effects of targeted messaging on patient participation in genomic screening within specific mammography and colonoscopy cohorts. With a keen interest in genetic counseling, healthcare disparities and preventive medicine, Lauren's work examines factors influencing patient engagement in the In Our DNA SC study. Her focus on AI and cultural competency further supports her commitment to advancing precision medicine and genetic services.