Biography

Rachael’s research is in the area of mitochondrial rare diseases and what they can teach us about mitochondrial dynamics and regulation. Her interest in Rare Disease research has also led her to connect with and begin to advocate for the Rare Disease community. She is a co-founder of the Rare Disease Network, a collaborative organization that seeks to provide support and education to the Rare Disease community in Michigan. Rachael’s work in the highly interdisciplinary Rare Disease field has also led to her interest in how to prepare students to be effective scientists and collaborators. Rachael is passionate about how faith shapes our approach to doing science and can be a resource for improving the way we do science. In collaboration with other faculty at Calvin, she is developing a training curriculum and associated faculty workshop for using Christian practices to improve outcomes in collaborative science projects.