Keith Keene, PhD
Professor and Director, Center for Health Disparities
office: 1805 W. 5th Street, Medical Pavilion Suite 6
phone: 252-744-5254
email: keenek@ecu.edu
Dr. Keith Keene is currently Professor of Biology and Public Health and Director of the Brody School of Medicine Center for Health Disparities at East Carolina University where his main focus is genomics and health disparities research. He obtained his PhD in Molecular Medicine from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Dr. Keene joined the faculty of ECU with a joint-appointment in the Department of Biology and Center for Health Disparities. Dr. Keene has over nineteen years of experience in Precision Health and Genomics research, with a longstanding commitment to research focused on health disparities and health equity. Dr. Keene’s research experience includes using -Omics based approaches (e.g. genetic, epigenetic, metabolomics), statistical, and molecular biology methodologies, such as Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS), next generation sequencing, DNA methylation arrays, and high throughput genotyping to identify heritable risk variants contributing to complex diseases. Dr. Keene is particularly interested in performing integrative -Omics analyses utilizing biospecimens from underserved and marginalized populations, especially African Americans (AA), with hopes of alleviating the disparate burden of disease present in the African American community. As Director, Dr. Keene is working to expand the Center for Health Disparities’ research portfolio by developing an integrated research agenda focused on biological, environmental, and social determinants of health disparities; developing partnerships with community organizations; and expanding educational pipelines and training programs for under-represented undergraduate and graduate students interested in biomedical and health disparities research.
Education
- BS, Biology, North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, NC)
- PhD, Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC)
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia School of Medicine (Charlottesville, VA)
Areas of Interest
- Human Genetics
- Health Disparities
- Epigenetics
- Metabolomics
Courses Taught
- BIOL 1100 Principles of Biology I
- BIOL 6994 Geonomics and Human Health