Dana Hancock

After growing up in Oxford – a small town north of Durham, I attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh and received a B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Genetics in May 2004. As an undergraduate, I worked in Dr. James Mahaffey’s Drosophila lab to investigate body pattern specification during animal embryogenesis. During my final year at NC State, I worked with the statistics and clinical research departments at King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development in Research Triangle Park exploring statistical measures of pain assessment in clinical trials.

Since entering the UPGG program in August 2004, I have affiliated with Bill Scott in the Center for Human Genetics to investigate genetic and environmental risk factors for Parkinson disease, a neurological disorder that affects approximately one million Americans. I apply statistical and epidemiological approaches to analyze the main effects of candidate genes and environmental exposures and to explore the subsequent interactions in a large collection of families. Although statistical analysis is my primary interest, my project also encompasses involvement in various aspects of study design from contacting patients for risk factor data collection to genotyping in the lab.

On a personal note, my husband, Justin, and I enjoy visits to the mountains and the companionship of our dog, Duke.

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