By Mikala Evans, MPH
Welcome to “Mind Body Wellness,” a column that aims to help you develop a deeper understanding of your health.
With genetics in mind, I’m tackling common topics and breaking down issues that impact your health journey. With so much information coming at us daily, it’s hard to know what’s best for our health and what we should ignore.
Is red wine good for you, or should you never touch alcohol? And what on earth is acetaldehyde?
Navigating all of this information can be exhausting.
My name is Mikala, and I’m here to be your guide. I don’t mind sifting through studies and papers to summarize key takeaways (because I really like this stuff!) My interest in science began in college, studying biochemistry. However, it wasn’t until I joined the 23andMe Customer Care team in 2015 and helped people answer questions about their genetic reports through thousands of emails and phone calls that I realized how daunting this journey can be. This ultimately led me to a master’s degree in public health, where I quickly learned that my favorite aspect of graduate school was that it was a little unique. As a teaching assistant in a cell biology course, I loved seeing students’ eyes light up when they finally understood a new biological concept. I felt privileged to help them gain new knowledge and understanding.
My time in Customer Care and my students’ experience perfectly captures my goal for this blog. Not only do I want to break down health topics, I want you to start to feel more comfortable approaching scientific concept papers. We will cover a range of diverse issues, and I hope you get educational content that leads to conversations, reflection, and even action.
Join me as I take on diet, exercise, mindfulness, and new developments around common health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer using a holistic lens backed by scientific literature. I can’t wait to start this journey towards improving our understanding of mind and body wellness!
Everything is always better as a game — including biology. Here is the first of many health trivia questions!
What is the most abundant element in the human body by mass?* (no cheating!)
Mikala Evans’ time with 23andMe goes back to 2015 when she worked with our Customer Care team. She returned to the company after receiving her master’s in public health from UCLA, where she trained in epidemiology and focused her studies on asthma within a community in Los Angeles exposed to natural gas pollution. After returning to 23andMe, Mikala has worked as a quality engineer focused on compliance. She has a bachelor of science in biochemistry and a minor in religious studies from Washington University in St. Louis. She loves her two nieces and exploring all the natural beauty in Northern California.
*Answer: Oxygen
