Kailee Ward

Kailee Ward is from Papillion, Nebraska, and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology, and minors in psychology and art. During her undergraduate studies, she co-founded the Pre-Genetic Counseling Club at UNL, served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for general genetics, acted as a pre-health peer mentor, and worked as a grant research assistant in a population genetics research laboratory.

After graduation, Kailee took on the role of clinical research coordinator at the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Clinic at the University of Iowa Health Care, where she assisted patients with clinical care and research enrollment. She also worked as a Genetic Counseling Assistant for the Inherited Neuropathy Consortium, supporting research efforts to identify new genetic causes of hereditary neuropathy.

One of her most significant experiences was leading the natural history analysis for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1E (CMT1E). In this role, she collaborated with research scientists to investigate the disease mechanisms of this condition. Kailee is passionate about patient support systems and strives to connect CMT1E patients to foster a supportive and understanding community. In her free time, Kailee enjoys baking, crocheting, rock climbing, and playing with her cat, Poe.