معرفی
Dr. Karlijn A. C. Meeks serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine with secondary appointment in Epidemiology & Public Health, conducting research through the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition focused on cardiometabolic diseases in African-ancestry populations across sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora.
Her academic credentials include:
- B.Sc. in Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University (2010)
- M.Sc. in Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University (2012)
- Ph.D. in Public Health Epidemiology, University of Amsterdam (2017)
- Postdoctoral training in Epidemiology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (2018)
- Postdoctoral training in Genetic Epidemiology, National Institutes of Health (2024)
Dr. Meeks pioneers research in genetic and epigenetic epidemiology of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia through innovative multi-omics approaches that integrate genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics with classical epidemiological methods. Her work specifically targets historically underrepresented African populations using comparative migrant studies across geographical settings to dissect environmental versus genetic contributions to disease.
She has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles with recent work (2019-2023) establishing foundational knowledge in African-ancestry populations through first-of-kind epigenome-wide association studies and genome-wide analyses of cytokines. Her publications in Genome Medicine, EBioMedicine, and International Journal of Epidemiology demonstrate consistent focus on Mendelian randomization, biomarker discovery, and improving risk prediction models for cardiometabolic diseases in underrepresented groups.
Her major scientific recognition includes:
- NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
As principal investigator of the NIH K99/R00 award, Dr. Meeks leads research examining interactions between lifestyle factors, cytokines, genetic variants, and epigenetic biomarkers in type 2 diabetes pathogenesis among African-ancestry populations. While specific advisees aren't documented in source materials, her work involves extensive international collaboration through consortia like the RODAM study.
Dr. Meeks operates within the University of Maryland's Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition while maintaining active research partnerships with institutions across sub-Saharan Africa and the National Institutes of Health, driving global health equity through population-specific genomic and epigenetic research frameworks.
