VIPBG News

By Jessica Bourdon

Kristin Mignogna is a PhD student in the Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Statistical Genetics (PBSG) program. Her interests in psychiatric genetics began as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, where she majored in biology and psychology. Although she was initially interested in physiology and anatomy, she discovered that she was actually more passionate about genetics during an introductory biology course. Therefore, upon graduation, she was searching for graduate programs that integrated both genetics and psychology, and the PBSG program was a natural fit.

Kristin’s current research interests involve integrating genetic and neurogenomic data from mice with human GWAS alcohol dependence data. More specifically, she studies alcohol consumption in outbred mice and human gene expression in relation to those phenotypes. She has more recently become interested in depression, especially among women and the overlap between hormonal imbalances and internalizing disorders.

Outside of research, Kristin’s hobbies include running half-marathons and outdoor activities such as hiking. She also enjoys cooking.