Abby Askins, ’26
B.S. Biology with Minor in Neuroscience, University of South Carolina (2021)
Email: laaskins@uncg.edu
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Hey there! My name is Abby Askins and I am from Columbia, South Carolina. I first learned about genetic counseling early in high school from a career aptitude test. I loved the idea of specializing in an area of care and being able to educate and counsel patients rather than just diagnosing.
I attended the University of South Carolina for my undergraduate degree. While there, I worked as a GCA at USC Genetics and got the opportunity to shadow cancer and prenatal genetic counselors. The following year, a previous GCA and I worked to start the Society of Pre-Health Professionals in Genetics back up after its original founders graduated. I discovered a passion for research and worked with three different research groups in college. I worked with Dr. Miroslav Cuturic, director of the SC HDSA Center of Excellence, on modeling HD in c. elegans to examine the effects of alcohol exposure on HD and wrote my honors thesis on our findings. I also worked with Dr. Joseph McQuail on understanding normal cognitive aging in a rat model. Finally, I worked with Dr. Deborah Billings on understanding birth inequities of women in SC who rely on Medicaid, in the context of COVID-19. Outside of school, I was heavily involved in the mountaineering club and spent many of my weekends on backpacking trips across the southeast! I also volunteered at Planned Parenthood as a patient advocate and at Crisis Text Line, where I got training in patient support and counseling.
After graduating, I moved to Austin, Texas where I worked as a research assistant in Dr. Luis Natividad’s lab studying the mechanisms of alcohol addiction and its effects on cognition. I stayed there for three years and really enjoyed managing projects, presenting my findings for professional organizations, and training the undergraduate assistants in our lab. I was also paired with a family through Best Buddies International which gave me a new perspective on what disability means. I also volunteered as a mentor to undergraduates as a STEM professional and was able to shadow multiple pediatric genetic counselors at Dell Children’s during my time in Texas.
In my free time, I enjoy thrifting, crafting, being outside, and spending time with friends or my cat. Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions about UNCG’s program, applications, or genetic counseling!