Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. Student Aims to Solve Major Health Issues Through Research

While completing his dissertation research at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Brent Jenkins is pursuing his Ph.D. through Georgia State’s Institute for Biomedical Sciences.

ATLANTA — After finishing his undergraduate degree, Brent Jenkins landed a full-time research job, but he decided to return to school to earn a Ph.D. so he could be a leader in solving some of the world’s most complex health issues.

Now a student in the Translational Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State, Jenkins is completing his dissertation research project at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), becoming one of the first students in the institute’s partnership with the CDC. His research is focused on identifying genetic markers for differentiating serotypes, or strains, of Salmonella.

A native of Wilmington Island, Ga., in the Savannah area, Jenkins is the first in his family to pursue a Ph.D. degree and a career in applied research. He wanted to earn a Ph.D. for the intellectual growth, personal development and opportunity to contribute to society. He also enjoys exploring knowledge gaps and using his creativity to find solutions to complex issues.

“While these are all possible without a Ph.D., I knew the pursuit would force me out of my comfort zones and challenge my biggest weaknesses,” Jenkins said. “The future access to more interesting job opportunities, including a greater level of autonomy, is desirable, while still being in a field that requires immense collaboration and teamwork.”

During his undergraduate years, Jenkins was a student-athlete and began his studies at Piedmont College, now Piedmont University, where he played NCAA Division III tennis. He transferred to the University of Georgia as a junior, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in biology.

Brent Jenkins

After graduation, Jenkins landed a job at the CDC, but already knew he’d like to pursue advanced studies after gaining some additional experience. He chose the Translational Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program because it offered interdisciplinary training opportunities in science, business and law, all areas he wanted formal career development in.

“Additionally, the applied, or translational, focus of the program aligned with the type of research I have been involved in at the CDC since 2018, as opposed to projects leaning heavier toward basic research,” Jenkins said.

Georgia State, which is near the CDC, allowed him to stay connected to the leading science organization. He was impressed by the university’s state-of-the-art facilities and the unique Ph.D. program. The institute’s faculty also supported his desire to perform his dissertation research at the CDC, and his Georgia State mentor, Leszek Ignatowicz, has visited the CDC several times, even giving a scientific seminar about his research.

“Dr. Ignatowicz has helped guide me down a smooth path to bolster my preparedness for the qualification exam, which I recently passed, and eventual dissertation work,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins initially joined the CDC through the ORISE Fellowship, working in the National Salmonella Reference Lab in the Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch. He assisted with the laboratory methods underlying the national foodborne surveillance system and aided state public health labs as they made the transition from serotyping to whole genome sequencing (WGS). He still holds a microbiology position in this branch on a contract overseen by ASRT Inc.

Over the years, he has gained experience with the world of Salmonella, wet lab techniques ranging from traditional microbiology to next-generation sequencing, dry lab techniques including building command line pipelines for microbial genomic analyses using bioinformatic tools, facilitating meetings and seminars, quality management systems, and emergency response deployments including three for COVID-19 and one for Mpox. This knowledge has contributed to his success in his Ph.D. program.

“I successfully passed the comprehensive Ph.D. qualifying exam in early June where I proposed an NIH F31 proposal and corresponding presentation for a potential research venture for the development of a culture-free whole genome sequencing assay for Salmonella Typhi,” Jenkins said.

A separate ongoing project will likely be the focus of his dissertation research going forward, he said.

Jenkins has also demonstrated the use of a custom-tailored bioinformatic pipeline for the identification of genetic markers that distinguish a group of closely related Salmonella serotypes. He presented this research at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Microbe conference in Atlanta last year.

So far, he has been acknowledged on a number of COVID-19 research publications, and his first co-authored paper on Salmonella was published in late 2024 in the journal Nature Communications.

After completing his Ph.D. studies, Jenkins plans to apply for postdoctoral fellowship programs at the CDC, while possibly joining the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. He also plans to earn a master’s degree in public health.

“These opportunities will allow me to further develop the breadth of my experience in the public health arena,” Jenkins said.

His future career goals include possibly staying at the CDC and getting involved in either food allergy initiatives or next-generation sequencing initiatives for issues like food safety and pathogen genomics. He’s also considering teaching biology or genetics classes at a local school or university.

— Story by LaTina Emerson