School of Medicine
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Margaret Stedman
Sr Res Engineer, Medicine - Med/Nephrology
Current Role at StanfordStaff Biostatistician
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Laurel Stell
Research Engineer, Biomedical Data Science
Current Role at StanfordInvestigating non-glycemic genetic effects on HbA1c using the Veterans Administration Million Veteran Program (MVP). HbA1c is a widely used test that reflects average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. It is well known that certain genetic blood conditions, such as sickle cell disease, can cause HbA1c to be a misleading indicator of blood glucose levels. I am investigating the extent to which genetic variants can have this effect even without a diagnosis of one of these conditions. I am also investigating whether these effects are impacting clinical diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, and whether such impacts are reflected in health outcomes.
The impact of these variants has potentially been overlooked because they are very rare in populations with European genetic ancestry. As with the variant for sickle cell disease, they only persist when they provide an evolutionary advantage, such as protecting against malaria infection and its symptoms. Consequently, the genetic variants that I am analyzing do not appear in most genetic biobanks frequently enough to enable my analyses. MVP, however, includes genetic data for over 100,000 Veterans with African genetic ancestry, making it an ideal resource for this research. Since these variants are common among individuals with African genetic ancestry but practically non-existent in European genetic ancestry, this research may provide insight into racial health disparities in the US, particularly in T2D prevalence and outcomes.
I've also been a member of the department's JEDI Committee since its inception in 2021, providing assistance wherever I can.
