Fredrica Nash

Hillside New Tech High School
Durham Public Schools
Mentor: Helen Gordon, CNM, Duke University
Sponsor: NSF‐ITEST

Genetics, Genomics and Personalized Medicine: Advancing Health Care through the Nursing Profession

The common misconception among adolescents is that health is directly related to illness. If one is ill then one must be unhealthy. Through her project, Genetics, Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Ms. Nash is working with Ms. Gordon and nursing students at Duke University to shift student thinking to an understanding of health and wellness as a continuum which is influenced by genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Students will develop their own personal wellness plans, investigate their family histories, conduct research on current and inherited health trends and the Human Genome Project to get to the big idea: Can my personal habits overcome my genetics? Students will showcase their understanding of these concepts through a presentation of their work via a website and community showcase.