Graduate genetics researcher named among 60 Tillman Scholars for 2024

Immigrant. United States Navy veteran. Genetics researcher. These are titles that Sarah Ingram, a PhD candidate at the Texas A&M University College of Medicine, can use for herself. Now, among those, she adds 2024 Tillman Scholar.

Ingram had no idea that a visit to Texas at five years old to see family would alter the course of her life forever. That visit led to the decision for her family to make the permanent relocation to the United States from Australia. Over a decade later, at 19 years old, she joined the military. The Navy, she says, provided her a sense of camaraderie and home that she had been searching for.

“You know how kids can be. You stand out a bit and that does kind of make you a target sometimes. And so, there were definitely portions growing up where I felt like I wasn’t very connected to the people around me,” Ingram said. “My dad had some friends who had been in the military. And, you know, they’d overheard some of those conversations, and they suggested, ‘Well, if you don’t mind military service, this would be a good way for you to find people that you just feel that connection with and feel that camaraderie with.’”

Navigating new waters

Her choice of profession in the Navy, aviation mechanic, was an homage to her father, who gave up his own aspiration of working in aviation to be present at home.

Ingram worked on Lockheed P3 Orion cargo planes before transferring to search and rescue units to work on MH 60 Seahawk helicopters. She was eventually deployed with the 2515th Naval Air Ambulance Detachment during Operation Iraqi Freedom to support MEDEVAC operations, which is the first Navy unit to be deployed for dedicated MEDEVAC support. Throughout her deployment, Ingram witnessed events that, like many veterans, led to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and her subsequent medical retirement in 2015.

Into the unknown

After retirement from the military, Ingram wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do next, but she knew that she wanted to help prevent others from feeling the impacts of mental illness and PTSD as she did. Without a clear path to the future, she enrolled in a biology program at Texas A&M-Texarkana. Ben Neuman, PhD, her undergraduate research mentor, played a significant role in her undergraduate career and is ultimately who influenced her to pursue a graduate degree.

The genetics program at Texas A&M was highly recommended by Neuman and numerous other undergraduate faculty. The interdisciplinary nature of the program was highly appealing to Ingram. From everything she had learned about the college and the faculty in it, she felt like she would have a lot of freedom to pursue whichever paths appealed to her. One of her top concerns was being a non-traditional student and having the support to succeed. The rigor, instruction, research and individual support she has received during her three years here, she said, has backed up her initial thoughts.

The camaraderie she loved in the service continued in her journey at Texas A&M. “Everything about the program, not just the people running it, all of the faculty, even the ones that I haven’t worked with, they’re all so willing to help you with anything,” she said. “Any questions that you have, it really does feel just like a like a big, interconnected family all across the campus.”

Charting new frontiers

Although the decision to choose graduate school over medical school was influenced by a mentor, the decision to research genetics was influenced by her experience in the Navy. Along with her own personal mental health challenges, she says, she saw many service men and women with similar struggles. During her self-discovery in undergrad, she wanted to find a way to help people like her and prevent and treat mental illness conditions.

“The discipline and dedication Sarah learned during her military service is part of what makes Sarah a successful graduate student,” said Shaunna Clark, PhD, Ingram’s principal investigator (PI) on her doctoral dissertation. “Her passion for service member and veteran mental health will help her succeed in her future research career.”

Ingram’s dissertation examines the link between DNA methylation and anxiety. The National Cancer Institute explains that DNA methylation is a chemical process where a small molecule known as a methyl group attaches to DNA. This addition of methyl groups can influence how genes function. For instance, when a methyl group is added to specific locations in a gene’s DNA sequence, it may deactivate the gene, preventing it from producing a protein. This lack of protein can interfere with the body’s ability to act in a typical manner.

Ingram is examining the pattern of DNA methylation across the genome in people with and without anxiety in a similar fashion that a professional might compare insulin and glucose levels in those with and without diabetes. She hopes to eventually apply this information to helping service members. More specifically, she aspires to assist in identifying service members who might be at a higher risk for mental illness and to advocate for earlier intervention and lower suicide rates among veterans. Veterans Affairs clinical neuroscience, she says, seems like the perfect place to continue her work.

Onward and upward

The Tillman Foundation Scholarship makes Ingram’s dream one step closer to being attainable. “It is support from every possible direction,” she said about the impact the foundation has had on her future. “I have had this drive, and I’m willing to put in the hard work to make my goals happen and to make the impact that I want to make. But, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not something that I could do by myself. The Pat Tillman Foundation is such a wonderful organization in that what they care about the most is giving us whatever support, in whatever way they can, to make sure that we could do that.”

She continues to say that the support comes from both the people within the organization and other scholars. “It is a group of almost 1,000 very dedicated people, and maybe they’re not necessarily studying the same things you are. Maybe the area they’re trying to impact is vastly different than yours, but they’re still always excited to sit there and talk to you about what you are doing and help you work through it and find the best ways to make it happen.”

The Pat Tillman Foundation, which is celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year, was founded in honor of Pat Tillman, a college and professional football player turned United States Army soldier. In 2004, Tillman tragically passed, and his friends and family continue to honor his legacy by awarding scholarships to active-duty military members, veterans and their spouses who showcase exemplary service, scholarship, humble leadership and impact.

Ingram says that while she is thrilled by this award, she is honored and humbled to be among some of the best and brightest fellow service men and women. She encourages anyone who is curious to browse the biographies of other scholars, as most are completing research and projects that are impactful and important. She says that the impact of those before her is what paved her path to be here. “I wouldn’t be afforded these opportunities if all of them hadn’t come before me and I’m just really grateful.”