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The Translation of Epigenetics into the Medical School Curriculum
Jacqueline A. Nguyen
Mentor: Valerie Olson
Epigenetics has been commonly defined as heritable changes in gene expression without modifications of
DNA sequence. The objective of my study is to understand the process of if and how knowledge regarding
epigenetics investigated by research labs translates to medical and post doctoral students during their medical
education for future diagnoses and treatment. My secondary research questions include whether universities
with centers of epigenetics contribute to this awareness used in daily patient care and if the intentions of
translational research is being clearly demonstrated through the UCI School of Medicine curriculum. Eight to
ten interviews will be conducted with UCI medical and post-doctoral students, which will be recorded then
transcribed to identify and analyze reoccurring themes in the participants’ responses. This study will allow
research to potentially be better used by making explicit if, how, and where medical students obtain their
knowledge about epigenetics, and this can be used to inform translational centers in order to improve
processes of communication and translation. As translational research is still a newer type of process,
translation of results from clinical studies into everyday practice requires a mastery of implementation science
by which my research will attempt to examine and potentially allow a more efficient flow of all updated
knowledge. Analyses of the interviews suggest that translational knowledge of epigenetics is currently not a
formalized part of the core education curriculum. Rather, there may be more specialized seminar courses
underway in the near future; this finding also suggests opportunities for translational education exist at UCI.