• Ph.D. Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 2005 - present

• A.M. Statistics, University of Michigan, College of Literature, Science and Arts, 2007 - present

• M.P.H. Health Management and Policy, Interdepartmental Concentration in Public Health Genetics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 2003 - 2005

• B.S. Biology, concentrating in genetics - Cornell University, 1997 - 2001

• Smith JA, Turner ST, Sun YV, Fornage, M, Kelly RJ, Mosley T, Jack CR, Kullo IJ, Kardia SLR. (submitted) Complexity in the Genetic Architecture of Leukoaraiosis in Hypertensive Sibships from the GENOA Study

• Smith JA, Arnett DK, Kelly RJ, Ordovas JM, Sun YV, Hopkins PN, Hixson JE, Straka RJ, Peacock JM, Kardia SLR. (2008) The Genetic Architecture of Fasting Plasma Triglyceride Response to Fenofibrate Treatment. European Journal of Human Genetics 16(5):603-13.

• Kelly RJ, Jacobsen DM, Sun YV, Smith JA, Kardia SL. (2007) KGraph: a system for visualizing and evaluating complex genetic associations. Bioinformatics 23(2):249-51

Jennifer is pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology and a masters degree in Statistics. She is interested in examining the relationship between genetic variation and complex traits, including common chronic diseases (dementia, stroke, hypertension) and complex developmental disorders (autism). She is particularly interested in gene-gene and gene-environment interaction as well as statistical methods for identifying them in association studies. Currently, she is studying the role of genetic and environmental factors in ischemic brain injury due to hypertension.