A local biomedical scientist has become an advocate for inclusion in the world of health and social change.
During the last few years, Dr. Kilan Bishop’s been focused on helping the city deal with the shocks of climate change in Miami. She was inspired to work in the world of science, after dealing with grandfather’s death.
“When I was really young, my grandfather got real sick. I did not understand what happened. I could not understand," Bishop said.
Bishop went on to earn her Pd.D in Cancer Biology at the University of Miami. Her current Post-Doctoral research at the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development is focused on improving the environmental health and well-being of different South Florida neighborhoods.
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“They put me on game, if you will, about the struggle about black and brown communities," she said. "But, also in the future as our climate change and sea level rise as the city starts rethinking how we need to start to operate.”
She also serves as vice chair to Miami's Climate Resilience Committee. Bishop says her role has been to elevate the concerns of social economically challenged communities.
“I make sure that our issues are being heard. And, I also make sure I bring an equity lenses to a conversation," Bishop said.
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In addition to her advocacy work, she finds time to volunteer with students in Miami-Dade County. She helps provide children access to STEM Education through her group STEMNoire, a research and wellness community for Black women in STEM.
In the summer of 2021, Bishop is working on a first-of-its-kind research conference and holistic wellness retreat for women of the African diaspora in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
STEMNoire will convene hundreds of women and provide resources and a community to contribute to diverse talent retention and success in STEM. For more details, click on this link.
