Faculty

Melissa A. Austin, Ph.D.

Professor of Epidemiology
Adjunct Professor Medicine
Director of Public Health Genetics

F-363B Health Sciences Building
Epidemiology, Box 357236
Phone: 206-685-9384, 206-543-0709
FAX: 206-685-3407
E-mail: maustin@u.washington.edu

Research Profile (Community of Science)

Research Program:

Dr. Austin’s research program focuses on lipoproteins and genetic susceptibility to atherosclerosis, with an emphasis on triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein heterogeneity. Dr. Austin’s current, NIH-funded projects include two large-scale family studies investigating the familial forms of hyperlipidemia and the genetics of risk factors for coronary heart disease and diabetes in the Japanese American community. She also serves as a core director for the University of Washington Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health.

In her role as director, Dr. Austin leads a multidisciplinary group of faculty members from seven different schools and colleges in developing the Public Health Genetics program. Curriculum-related activities have already resulted in a new Masters of Public Health degree track in Public Health Genetics, and a new Ph.D. degree is planned. The Public Health Genetics Program also facilitates new research and dialogues among professionals in this emerging discipline. Dr. Austin leads the Genetics in Public Health Training Collaboration: a nationwide effort of five universities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health; to identify career opportunities for graduates of public health genetics programs.

Investigator: Dr. Melissa Austin is Professor of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Adjunct Professor in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition in the Department of Medicine, and Director of the new University-wide Public Health Genetics Program at the University of Washington. She is currently an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association.

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