Tara C. Collins

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio. My parents and particularly my older sister encouraged me to do well in school and to go to college. I graduated as valedictorian from John Marshall High School in Cleveland, and then went to Howard University where my major was biology and my minor was chemistry. While at Howard, I researched allelopathy in Bidens polylepis, and I was able to present my research at several scientific meetings. I participated in many activities and honor societies, and also enjoyed volunteering in the Howard University Hospital as well as working as a tutor for the athletic department. I graduated in 2000 with a BS in biology, summa cum laude. Before beginning medical school, I did a research project at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris, France, looking at genetic markers for oligodendrogliomas. I am now a third year medical student at the Emory University School of Medicine. I am active in several student organizations which organize a wide variety of programs for the greater Atlanta community. I took last year off school to work at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute-National Institutes of Health Research Scholars Program. My research focused on the use of low-dose aspirin among women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. Next year I will take another year off to pursue a master’s degree in public health, focusing on epidemiology. After medical school, I plan to do a residency in psychiatry, and work as a psychiatric epidemiologist in addition to seeing patients.