Kia Byrd

Experience

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  UAMS - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

  Jun 2011 - Jul 2011

  Summer Medical Program Participant
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  Howard University

  Sept 2011 - May 2014

  Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Student Researcher

  Under the direction of Dr. Winston Anderson, I conduct research on the effects of a plant-derived medicinal drug on tumor growth in breast and ovarian cancer cell models.

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  Caltech

  Jun 2012 - Aug 2012

  Undergraduate Research Assistant

  Explored the neuroprotective effects of IKKB inhibitors on human neurons in Huntington's Disease progression.

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  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  Jan 2013 - Jan 2013

  Quantitative Biology Student

  The MIT Department of Biology Quantitiative Biology course provides exposure to the quantitative and computational methods utilized in modern biological research, including biostatistical and data analysis, Biochemical Kd determination, and mRNA sequence assembly.

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  Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

  Jun 2013 - Aug 2013

  Multidisciplinary International Research Training Program Research Fellow

  The eight-week program provides seven students nationwide with opportunities to conduct health-related population-based research and training in developing countries. As a MIRT Fellow, in association with the Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, I conducted research examining the associations between measures of sleep disorders and common mental disorders among Ethiopian college students.

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  Harvard Medical School

  Jun 2014 - Aug 2014

  Harvard Catalyst Summer Clinical and Translational Research Scholar

  As a SCTRP Scholar, I work under the direction of Dr. Michael Super at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. My project consists of developing protocols for assessing mannose binding lectin- (MBL) induced phagocytosis of E.coli in an attempt to develop point-of-care devices for treating sepsis in the developing world.

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  Massachusetts General Hospital

  Jan 2015 - Feb 2016

  MGH Medical Student Research Assistant

  I worked as a student research assistant as a part of the the Massachusetts General Hospital Chester M. Pierce Division of Global Psychiatry. My project involved the examination of adolescent adversity and early childhood malnutrition as predictors of breastfeeding duration in a population of Barbadian women. My work included organizing spreadsheets and coding newly acquired clinical data collected from the Barbados Child Development Center and utilizing SAS statistical programs to write and run code for analyzing data for interpretation. My research also involved a site visit to Barbados to observe data collection at the Child Development Center. Show less

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  City of Boston

  Oct 2017 - Apr 2018

  Policy Intern, City Councilor-At-Large Ayanna Pressley

  I work as a policy intern under the supervision of the Director of Constituent Services at Boston City Hall. I conduct policy research for Councilor Pressley's initiative, Project Focus. Project Focus seeks to examine school disciplinary policies and the disproportionate impacts on girls of color in Boston Public Schools. This project falls under the Councilor’s political agenda as the Chair for the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities. The Committee devotes its work to issues relating to stabilizing families, reducing and preventing violence and trauma, combating poverty, and addressing issues that disproportionately impact women and girls. I am tasked with authoring policy briefs and publications delineating recommendations for the school district. Show less

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  Parkland Health

  Jul 2019 - Sept 2022

  Internal Medicine Resident
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  UT Southwestern Medical Center

  Aug 2022 - now

  The UTSW-Parkland Health Equity Scholars Program is a 2-year initiative designed to equip Clinician-Educators with practical tools and experience to engage the community in activities that promote health and support health equity.

  • UTSW-Parkland Health Equity Scholar

    Mar 2023 - now

  • Academic Hospitalist, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

    Aug 2022 - now