Email

fatima.khan@bcm.edu

Education

MS from Baylor College of Medicine, School of Health Professions

05/2023 - Houston

Genetic Counseling

BS from Penn State Harrisburg

05/2020 - Middletown, Pennsylvania United States

Biology and English

Professional Interests

• Issues in Genetic Counseling: Access to GC services; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Legislative Advocacy

Professional Statement

Prior to starting my graduate training program in genetic counseling at Baylor College of Medicine, I was a student at Penn State Harrisburg, where I declared majors in Genetics/Developmental Biology and English and began my journey towards a career genetic counseling.

As an undergraduate, the Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program (EMRAP) and Bridge Pre-Med Mentorship Program at Hershey Medical Center made me realize that I wasn’t as passionate about a career in medicine or clinical research. As a Girls on the Run coach, I really enjoyed empowering girls to have confidence in their abilities and live healthy lifestyles. I pursued this passion further as the Muslim Student Association president by making the Penn State campus more inclusive and diverse through outreach and community engagement events. When I graduated in 2020, I was awarded the Research Award for Information Literacy for my honors thesis titled, “Identification of differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs in a model of neuron differentiation,” which I completed in collaboration with my Developmental Biology professor, Dr. Nik Tsotakos, who played an invaluable role in guiding me towards a career in genetics.

Following graduation, I took on a role as a behavior technician at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders in Sterling, Virginia for one year. It was a full-time special education school for teenagers with special needs, and where I found myself grow immensely in terms of my understanding of the needs of a disabled community and how to advocate for them. It was an incredible work opportunity, and gave me the confidence and experience I needed for a smooth transition to graduate school in Fall 2021. I am very happy to be part of the Baylor community, and would love to speak with any prospective applicants who have questions about the application/interview process or life at BCM!