Janina Jeff

Janina M. Jeff is an American geneticist and senior scientist at Illumina. She was the first African American to earn a PhD in Human Genetics at Vanderbilt University and is the host and executive producer of In Those Genes, a podcast that links genetics, African American identity, and Black culture. She is specifically interested in identifying genetic variants that explain disease disparities across populations, as well as science communication. Jeff is a 2020 American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Advocacy Award winner and won the inaugural Spotify Sound-Up Bootcamp in 2018.[1]

Janina Jeff
Alma materSpelman College (BS)
Vanderbilt University (MS, PhD)
AwardsASHG Advocacy Award American Society of Human Genetics (2020)
Sound Up Bootcamp Spotify (2018)
Scientific career
InstitutionsIllumina, Inc.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Vanderbilt University
ThesisThe Genetics of Quantitative Traits Associated with Cardiovascular Disease in African Americans (2012)
WebsiteIn Those Genes Podcast website

Early life and education

Jeff grew up in New Orleans and graduated from Spelman College in 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a minor in Spanish. At Spelman College she was a RISE (Research Initiative for Science Enhancement) Scholar.[2] She earned a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics in 2011, and a Doctorate in Human Genetics from Vanderbilt University in 2012.[2][1] She was the first African-American to graduate from Vanderbilt University with a Ph.D. in Human Genetics.[3] She completed her postgraduate training at the Center for Human Genetic Research at Vanderbilt University, as well as training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.[3]

Research and career

Jeff is a Senior Bioinformatics scientist at Illumina where she develops genomic pipelines used in population screening.[2][4] Her academic research career has focused on population genetics, with an emphasis on admixed populations and genetic risk factors of common diseases.[5]

Public engagement

Jeff is a science communicator and podcaster.[6] She is the host and executive producer of In Those Genes, a podcast that explores genetics and "the lost identities of African descended Americans through the lens of Black Culture."[3] In 2018 she won the inaugural Spotify Sound Up Bootcamp which provided her with $10,000 to start her podcast. Episode 3, "Skinfolk, Kinfolk," of In Those Genes was listed by IndieWire as one of the 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2020.[7] Jeff has also received the 2020 American Society of Human Genetics Advocacy Award for her podcast. [8] She is the first African American and youngest recipient to receive this honor.[2]

Awards and honors

Selected publications
  • Pendergrass, Sarah A.; Buyske, Steven; Jeff, Janina M.; Frase, Alex; Dudek, Scott; Bradford, Yuki; Ambite, Jose-Luis; Avery, Christy L.; Buzkova, Petra; et al. (2019). "A phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) in the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) study reveals potential pleiotropy in African Americans". PLOS ONE. 14 (12): e0226771. Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1426771P. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0226771. PMC 6938343. PMID 31891604.
  • Wojcik, Genevieve L.; Graff, Mariaelisa; Nishimura, Katherine K.; Tao, Ran; Haessler, Jeffrey; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Highland, Heather M.; Patel, Yesha M.; Sorokin, Elena P.; Avery, Christy L.; Belbin, Gillian M.; Bien, Stephanie A.; Cheng, Iona; Cullina, Sinead; Hodonsky, Chani J.; Hu, Yao; Huckins, Laura M.; Jeff, Janina; et al. (2019). "Genetic analyses of diverse populations improves discovery for complex traits". Nature. 570 (7762): 514–518. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1310-4. PMC 6785182. PMID 31217584.
  • Edwards, Todd L.; Giri, Ayush; Hellwege, Jacklyn N.; Hartmann, Katherine E.; Stewart, Elizabeth A.; Jeff, Janina M.; Bray, Michael J.; et al. (2019). "A Trans-Ethnic Genome-Wide Association Study of Uterine Fibroids". Frontiers in Genetics. 10: 511. doi:10.3389/fgene.2019.00511. PMC 6582231. PMID 31249589.

References
  1. "Pioneering Geneticist's Podcast Plums Race and Ancestry". Diverse. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  2. "RISE Alumna and Human Geneticist Janina Jeff Receives ASHG's 2020 Advocacy Award". Spelman College RISE. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  3. "Scientist Janina Jeff Awarded the 2020 American Society of Human Genetics Advocacy Award". The Network Journal. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  4. "Celebrate DNA Day". National Human Genome Research Institute. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  5. "Talking Genetics and Authenticity with Janina Jeff". She Geeks Out. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  6. "#117 Dr. Janina Jeff on African Genomes". DNA Today. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  7. "The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2020 (So Far)". IndieWire. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  8. "ASHG Honors Janina Jeff, PhD, MS with the 2020 ASHG Advocacy Award". ASHG. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
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