Rosty Brichko
Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee
University of California, Irvine

Research Interest

While wrapping up my bachelor’s degree in international studies and environmental science, I led an independent research project on government policies shaping urban development and on how these policies and developments, in turn, shape human health. In the process, I became interested in delving deeper into human health, so I pivoted toward a career in the biological sciences. I then joined a human subjects research laboratory to study biomarkers underlying Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive aging. Alongside my research in the lab, I engaged with the local community. These experiences profoundly impacted my ongoing research interests. I began to learn about health inequities—and the public policies that systematically reinforce these inequities—that underlie neurodegenerative diseases, particularly among racial, ethnic, and sexual orientation and gender identity minority communities. At the same time, I came to recognize the huge gap in knowledge on the social determinants of health that contribute to health inequities and the biological mechanisms that underlie neurodegenerative diseases. When I joined graduate school, I was eager to address this gap. Now entering my third year of doctoral study, I examine how aging affects neuronal regeneration in Drosophila melanogaster and how lifestyle factors, such as nutrition, shape neuronal health. My hope is that this research, and the scientific expertise gained throughout my career, will help me to advocate for public policies that affect neuronal health and combat health inequities in historically marginalized communities.

As a PhD-trained scientist, you have many career options. What interests you the most?

As I enter my third year of doctoral study, I am exploring many career routes. The deeper I go into my current PhD projects, I find myself asking even more questions and am eager to pursue them in research settings, whether in academia or industry. At the same time, I am eager to shape public and science policy. For instance, I recently learned that within research settings, there are opportunities to engage with federal, state, and local governments as a governmental affairs liaison. Alternatively, I also learned about health economics outcomes research, which would blend my love for science education and research. Through these positions, I want to shape science policy, address systemic barriers to accessibility to health care, and address head-on the social determinants of health that drive health inequities. Alongside my research or science policy career, I love to teach. I see myself teaching courses like neurobiology and cell biology in a part-time master’s program, similar to the professors in my master’s program. Ultimately, I hope to find a career that strikes a balance between research and face-to-face human interaction.  

In addition to your research, how do you want to advance the scientific enterprise?

My broad career interests are to promote science for society. I hope to find a balance between my passions for research, public policy, community engagement, and science education. If I choose to pursue academia as a career, I am drawn to translational research because it would bridge my prior work with human subjects on biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease and my current wet lab work on neuronal regeneration in Drosophila melanogaster. In the process, I want to make sure that any therapeutic interventions are widely accessible to the broader public, rather than limited to those with the financial and social resources to receive them. This motivation to promote health equity spurs my passion for science policy as a potential career so I can address the systemic barriers to accessing health care and science education. I also want to use my platform in science policy to elevate opportunities for early-career scientists, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds, to have the resources and support to thrive and then inspire others to do the same—this was one of the reasons that drew me to GSA’s Early Career Leadership Program. Beyond research and science policy, I am eager to teach and share my science in both educational and community-based settings. I hope to use my teaching platform to excite the next generation of scientists to pursue STEM as a career, such as through programs like BioEYES for K-12 students in local public schools.

As a leader within the Genetics Society of America, what do you hope to accomplish?

As an LGBTQIA+ scientist-in-training, I want to use my experience with GSA and ECLP to develop a peer support group and mentorship program for LGBTQIA+ and allied trainees in GSA. In my PhD lab and at my home institution, I am surrounded by a support system that uplifts my personal identity, pushing me even more to put out my best science and personal potential. I hope to bring this same level of support and inspiration to other GSA members through the peer support group and beyond. I have been taking advantage of ECLP’s wealth of professional development resources to help me plan my career. Not only has the program opened my eyes to what career paths are available, but GSA also helps me network with individuals and communities to reach my goals. I am also new to exploring science policy, so my aim in the Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee is to learn more about science policy and begin engaging with policymakers on the science and public policy issues important to me.

Previous leadership experience

  • California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Predoctoral Research Training Grant | University of California, Irvine | January 2025–Present
  • Executive Director—Queer, Trans and Allies in Biological Sciences | University of California, Irvine | June 2023-Present
  • Assistant Director, Professional Development Committee—Queer, Trans and Allies in Biological Science | University of California, Irvine | September 2022–June 2023
  • Mentoring Excellence Certificate Program | University of California, Irvine | November 2023
  • GAANN Fellows Program | University of California, Irvine | October 2023
  • Outreach Leadership Award | Johns Hopkins Memory and Aging Community Advisory Board | May 2023
  • Memory and Aging Community Advisory Board | The Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center | March 2017–September 2022
  • Co-Chair, Health and Human Services Committee | Baltimore City LGBTQ Commission | November 2018–July 2021
  • Advanced Study Grant | Boston College | April 2012
, , ,
View all posts by Editorial Staff »

Read more in