When Passion is Your Purpose

    Rachel Harrell, 25, is a recent graduate of Northeastern University, ready to take on the world. However, before embarking on her next academic chapter in Scotland for her master’s degree at the University of Glasgow, she will complete an outstanding summer program that she co-chaired at her alma mater. 

WISE: Passion to Project

    The program, WISE: Passion to Project, is an offshoot of Northeastern’s women-led entrepreneurial network, WISE (short for Women’s Interdisciplinary Society of Entrepreneurship). WISE is home to several entrepreneurial initiatives, including innovation incubators and mentorship programs for women and non-binary students interested in entrepreneurship at Northeastern University. 

    In the Spring of 2021, Rachel felt called to apply to be the assistant director of the WISE group she was familiarizing herself with. Shortly after acceptance, her faculty advisor, Betsy Ludwig,  the Executive Director of Women’s Entrepreneurship at Northeastern University,  approached her about co-creating a program modeled after WISE’s thought incubator for high school teens. In the summer of 2021, the program was officially launched.

    For the last four summers, Harrell has continued to direct the program alongside faculty and fellow student teachers. Together, the team has supported over 100 young women and non-binary students with their business ventures as they fostered close interpersonal relationships and a lasting drive to explore and expand on their unique ideas. Students also had the opportunity to live on campus for the two-week workshop, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in the college experience. 

Getting candid with Rachel with mountain views.

    WISE: Passion to Project was developed as a safe space where women and non-binary students can get comfortable with the idea of sharing their voices in rooms that can often be male-dominated. As with many business and STEM-related practices, men are at the forefront of performance and visibility. The reality is that, despite the individual personas of the men who dominate these spaces, it takes skill and practice to navigate a male-centered world, as it slowly morphs into a more equitable society for all. Programs like WISE: Passion to Project provide the skills, training, and safe space for individuals to hone their skills, shine their unique light, and foster lasting connections and confidence along the way.

Rachel’s Pursuits

    Amidst the challenges and certainty of COVID, Rachel also followed her heart to Scotland for a visit before deciding on an extended backpacking trip throughout Europe. Despite accenting her studies with these international adventures,  Harrell remained present and committed each summer for the duration of the workshop. 

    While Rachel will no longer spearhead WISE: Passion to Project after this summer, she will continue to offer her support and compassion to the WISE team and their continuous initiatives. 

    Rachel’s open and curious mind has led her down an unexpected and inspiring path. Her willingness

An image of Rachel on one of her backpacking trips!

not only to dream but to see it through will take her to even more magical places. With a desire to teach and a track record of supporting others, it’s clear that Rachel will find a way to bring more inspired minds along with her. 

    Rachel always dreamed of going to Scotland, and she did it! She always wanted to be a writer, and now, after completing her Bachelor’s in English and Journalism, she will immerse herself in some of the finest literary studies at the University of Glasgow. With dreams of continuing to share her learning with others, she'll have a worldly perspective to share. It’s fair to say that Rachel is a powerhouse, and we can’t wait to see where in the world she is and what she’ll be up to next!

 

Phicil-itating Change with Sheila Phicil

With years of experience in health care, most recently at Boston Medical Center (BMC), Sheila Phicil has recently switched gears, paving her own unique path to modernizing healthcare. As the former Director of Innovation for the Health Equity Accelerator at BMC, Phicil organized and interpreted patient data in order to seek ways to center patients and their unique needs.

Sheila holds a dual Master’s degree in Public Health and Financial Economics, is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

As a “social change futurist” and former “intrapeneur,” Sheila brings her unique skills to existing data collection systems by addressing racial health disparities. Like an entrepreneur, an intrapreneur is a self-led member of a larger organization, such as BMC. Through trial and error, several hospitals nationwide have adopted the same initiatives that Phicil helped onboard. She has spent the last few months sharing her expertise and guidance with healthcare facilities across the nation.

 Her hands-on, interpersonal connections with patients, caregivers, and medical professionals have led her to create a niche product of her own to advance healthcare on a global scale. 

 

The Woman Behind the Innovation

 As a Black woman of Haitian descent, Phicil shared how she’s witnessed the potential for science and technology to “provide the change needed for social change.” Scientific processes often help actualize the socioeconomic outcries we have experienced over countless years, quantifying them and bringing these experiences to life. With greater accessibility to education and opportunities, more people are getting a chance to enter the science field and ask meaningful questions that embody the facts of life. 

 Staying grounded amidst navigating and deciphering the minutiae of this patient data is vital. Sheila creates a balance between her work and her well-being by enjoying time in nature, soaking up the sun, and traveling. She also actively checks her perception and privilege to embrace deeper expansion and understanding of herself and the complex world around her. She is also sure to set boundaries between her work and personal life.

Life as a Social Change Futurist 

Sheila’s multifaceted venture, Phicil-itate Change is an innovation studio that brings high-potential healthcare concepts and radically patient-centered solutions to life. Following their SEEDS Framework, the team supports fellow healthcare innovators, patients, and venture studios. The innovation studio is rooted in bringing real-life solutions to everyday people that will improve the medical experience on all fronts. With countless hours of dedication and expertise applied to the project, the team is building a platform to ensure a sustainable, actionable, and effective product for both patients and healthcare providers.

While collecting data in a broad sense can be helpful, Sheila’s program will help humanize the data and numbers collected in different forms and files in healthcare offices. Providing deeper insights into each patient will allow healthcare startups to offer resources that encourage advancement and wellness for each person. The team’s flagship product, the COMPASS Project, brings these features together in an AI-powered platform. The COMPASS Project paints a clear picture of the powerful potential when innovation meets human empathy and care. 

The Inspiration Behind the Work

“Why are they in that circumstance and I’m not?” echoed through Sheila’s young mind when she saw the sad commercials of starving children back in the early 1990s. As a true community beacon, Sheila spent much of her youth organizing and working with diverse groups of people to meet common goals. She’s always found inspiration and wisdom from the guidance and collaboration with teachers, colleagues, and patients alike. Since supporting her younger siblings and honoring the ways of her parents as a young girl, Sheila Phicil has grown into a nurturing and harmonizing force, driven to bring as many people along with her towards a brighter, healthier future.

She was particularly inspired by a 10-day mission trip to Haiti in her early college days. After visiting the island to disperse medical supplies, such as wheelchairs, prosthetics, and crutches to locals in need, she discovered several discrepancies. Despite the organization’s kind-hearted efforts, speaking to the locals individually revealed unique challenges that these well-intended resources merely exacerbated. 

A majority of the locals traveled across various terrains to get supplies. Before she left, a surprising number of items were returned. Her team members were hurt and confused, but being the only Haitian-Creole speaker present helped her communicate with the locals in greater depth. These deeper, personal conversations revealed that many of the locals couldn’t use the supplies in their daily lives, so continuing without them was easier. Rather than being ungrateful or ignorant of the use of the items, the team simply didn’t supply what the locals needed. This revelation sparked a deep awakening in Sheila that has since shaped her work to facilitate greater change. 

With many active components to her work, Sheila is set to make big and lasting changes in the field of healthcare innovation. We look forward to seeing how Phicil-itate Change continues to grow and foster deeper trust in the healthcare system.

The Legacy of Black Women in STEM

From barbaric medical practices to outright plagiarism and theft, modern science carries a dark history. Modern science hasn’t always offered the most fair playing ground for women, people of color, or the disabled. Oftentimes they would either be tortured, stolen from, or ultimately abused in the name of innovation. The notion of race itself and the prejudices that come with it are based on the “science” of eugenics. However, science has also allowed us to have clean drinking water, life-saving medical interventions, and working electricity among so many other things. Despite this ever-present dichotomy in the science world, it is clear that to move forward as a society, we have to be willing to make those advancements together. 

Mary Kenner along with an image of the sanitary napkins based on her designs. Image courtesy of Vocal Media.

Black women have made significant contributions to STEM throughout history. Unfortunately, many of these key players in the advancements of STEM have been overlooked due to systemic barriers based on prejudice and discrimination. With brighter hearts and more open minds, science has the power to present the evidence and solutions needed to face social issues head-on.

This Black History Month, we highlight both historical and modern pioneers who've made a way where there was none. We thank these women named and unnamed who have opened the door for advancements in STEM that benefit all people, regardless of race, class, or gender.

Historical Trailblazers

Though we can only list so many, we just want to take the time to honor all of the Black women, known and unknown, whose minds have contributed to science and technology. 

Katherine Johnson,  Dorothy Vaughan, Christine Darden & Mary Jackson were pivotal members of NASA during the Apollo mission in 1969. Starting in the early 50s’ these women were a pivotal group of mathematicians, engineers, and leaders whose careful calculations made the success of the Apollo mission possible.  

 

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner received very little recognition for her monumental contribution to global menstrual care. With a patented design, Kenner engineered an improved menstrual pad, making menstrual more accessible, convenient, and sanitary.

Dr. Marie Maynard Daly was the first Black woman in the U.S. to earn a PhD in chemistry. Her research on hypertension and cardiovascular disease shaped modern medicine for the disorders. 

Not only did these women brave the frontlines of social change in America, but they graced our nation with the expertise and efforts that have made this great nation possible.

Modern STEM Leaders Conquering Challenges

Dr. Ayana Howard is pictured with a super cute robot, courtesy of Silicon Valley Robotics.

Today, there is a long list of Black women who continue to carry the torch of their foremothers in the STEM world. Though the future may seem daunting at times, these women are continuing to boldly step forward with their ideas and solutions.

Dr. Ayana Howard is an expert in AI and robotics, advancing ethical tech and accessibility. Her work addresses the pros and cons of the rapidly advancing world of AI and robotics. Dr. Howard’s expertise helps to ensure a safer experience with AI and robots for all.

Dr. Jedidah Isler is the first Black woman to earn a PhD in astrophysics from Yale in 2014. With outer space holding a special place in her heart, Dr. Isler is currently researching high-energy observational astrophysics.

Dr. Jedidah Isler speaks on the TED Talk stage.

Alexis Williams is one of many of us who were affected by the police brutality events of the last decade. However, Alexis took matters into her own hands and created a web-based database that offers resources for allies, survivors, victims, and their families called Police Brutality Resources (PBR).

According to the National Science Foundation’s 2023 report, Black women and our marginalized counterparts still have a bit of distance to go before we achieve greater equity in the sciences.

Some of the greatest challenges of increasing representation in STEM include:

Alexis Williams, founder of Police Brutality Resources (PBR), courtesy of Pulse Spikes.

By improving representation and access to STEM opportunities, more people are getting a chance to see themselves as scientists. Though the task may seem daunting, we can achieve these goals.

Inspirational women like Dr. Howard and Alexis Williams took matters into their own hands by identifying significant problems and creating lasting solutions. We also are in a time when children are seeing a colorful array of people in a variety of professions; giving them a chance to consider astronomical possibilities for their futures. This early exposure can potentially encourage the younger generations to have a natural inclination towards STEM, given that it is truly a world of possibility on its own.

Despite the divisive adults that run things, children today are being raised in a world that is actively working toward honoring diversity for the gift and privilege that it is. A few years down the road, creating inclusive environments for all to thrive will be second nature. 

Looking Ahead: A Communal Effort 

By working together, we can ensure that all who are marginalized receive the opportunities, justice, and respect that they deserve.  We must stay committed to amplifying each others’ voices and ensuring better opportunities; we will only be stronger for it.

Beets, Sutures, and a New Generation of Medicine

Dasia Taylor is a young woman who began to define her career in STEM just shy of her senior graduation. Back in 2019, Dasia spent months developing a “novel suture additive” to help doctors and patients detect infection sooner. As she perfected the sutures, Dasia’s invention catapulted her across several regional and national competitions. In 2020, she landed among the top 40 finalists of the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest, most notable science competition. The next stop on her journey is obtaining a patent for her novel work.

So, How Did She Do It? 

Dasia spent several months testing her sutures in beet juice. She noted that the liquid would change from bright red to dark purple, indicating a change in patient pH and likely an infection.  

But, why beet juice?  

There have been recent efforts to produce biotech sutures with a similar purpose. But with features like pairing up to smartphones, these high-tech sutures would be intricate and costly to produce. Beets are naturally more accessible and cost-effective. 

Considering healthcare needs on a global scale, biotech sutures that connect to smartphones would likely be a challenge for most people to obtain. 

With infections developing at much higher rates in countries outside of the U.S., Dasia’s invention can bring the benefits of high-tech sutures to a much wider range of people. In doing so, countless lives and billions of dollars can be saved annually by using Dasia’s beet juice and cotton blend sutures. 

 

All Of This at 17? What’s Next?

Since her debut in the science world, Dasia has created a local kids' science program in her home state of Iowa, inspiring younger generations of problem solvers. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood and navigating a predominantly white field have empowered Dasia to continue to be seen and heard. Along the way, she carefully weaves important narratives about Black history and culture into local spaces and dialogues. In her quest for knowledge, she informs others through thoughtful work and storytelling. 

In her preliminary studies, Dasia’s passion for accessible healthcare was born from her concern for the life-threatening socioeconomic and healthcare challenges facing women throughout Africa, in particular. Naturally, her equitable nature is intended to improve healthcare globally, for all people.   

Education and equitability are at the heart of her passionate strides toward accessible healthcare for those who need it most. Dasia is nothing short of phenomenal, as she works toward getting a patent, she continues to bring her community along with her. We look forward to seeing more of Dasia Taylor’s journey as she breaks barriers in STEM.