Alexandra “Allie” Cocco grew up in the New Haven area of Connecticut prior to attending Trinity College in Hartford, CT. At Trinity, she majored in Biochemistry and minored in Italian Studies, and also competed on the Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field teams for all three seasons throughout her four years. After graduating, Allie moved to Cambridge, MA to pursue a career as a Research Associate at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. A great deal of her work was involved in diagnostics, biomarker discovery, and drug discovery support for cancers and rare diseases, which prompted her interests in patient advocacy and healthcare administration, in particular how research has an impact on patient care and outcomes. Allie is a current dual degree MHA/MBA student at UNC and is pursuing a career in healthcare consulting. She is excited to join the CBOH and collaborate to improve and ensure health and well-being across North Carolina and beyond.