Project Title: The epigenetic basis of socioeconomic determinants of cardiometabolic health in American Indians
Position: Postdoctoral Researcher
Institution: Columbia University Health Sciences
Funding NIH Institution/Center: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
Grant ID: K99HL173555
Christian K. Dye was born in Hilo, Hawaii, spent part of his childhood in Las Vegas, and later returned to Hawaii as a teenager. Immersed in his Native Hawaiian community, he observed firsthand the severe health disparities affecting his people, which ignited his long-term interest in understanding the environmental factors contributing to Indigenous health disparities and inequities. Dye pursued a BA in Biology and a PhD in Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. His research focused on uncovering the epigenetic mechanisms behind age-related diseases in high-risk communities.
Currently, Dr. Dye is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He integrates his expertise in epigenetics with molecular environmental epidemiology to identify epigenetic biomarkers underlying the relationship between adverse environmental conditions and cardiometabolic disease risk in marginalized populations.
As a Native Hawaiian, he emphasizes the significance of diversity and inclusion in research, which is fundamental to capturing unique perspectives that are important to driving novel scientific discovery. As such, Dr. Dye has mentored students through the Native Hawaiians in STEM (NHSEMP) program and the Program to Inspire and Mentor Undergraduates in Environmental Health Sciences (PrIMER), and he has personally guided many students from diverse backgrounds throughout his research career. He aims to develop a research program to address minority health disparities while fostering the next generation of minority leaders in biomedical sciences.