Olivia White

Olivia graduated with highest honors in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2024. There she worked in the lab of Dr. Alisa Wolberg in the UNC Blood Research Center. She studied a bleeding disorder resulting from deficiency of coagulation factor XI, focusing on the structural and functional determinants of bleeding risk. 

Upon graduating, Olivia joined a molecular cancer biology lab at Duke University, working under Dr. Christine Eyler to study epigenetic regulatory mechanisms and their alteration in cancer. The project investigated the role of chromatin looping in the function of novel enhancers to modulate gene expression of cancer-relevant genes. This experience studying enhancer regulation in cancer directed her interests toward the molecular genetics of disease that she will be pursuing in her graduate research. 

As a member of the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program, Olivia will pursue cardiovascular pathophysiology research through a partnership between Dr. Manfred Boehm (NHLBI) and Dr. Helle Jørgensen (Cambridge). She will interrogate the role of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in cardiovascular disease, utilizing murine models and three-dimensional cell culture systems. She will focus on the genetic and genomic profiles of these cells, ultimately aiming to contribute to the health and treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease.