Nicky Tettamanti
She/Her
I am lesbian trans woman and I am a social epidemiology master’s student.//
My story begins with a desire to become a doctor stemming back to early high school. In my undergraduate years, I came out as a lesbian trans woman and briefly dropped out of college to start businesses to support myself. I fell in love with explaining scientific concepts – like soil science and digital technology – to people who lacked a scientific background. As a trans person navigating healthcare, I began to notice how systemic issues affected the care I received. I returned to college – determined to graduate – though my fascination with science waned during the early stages of transition because of my own negative internalization about my identity. However, I happened upon queer community in science which has kept me in the field. This year, I’m starting my public health degree in epidemiology at @ColumbiaPublicHealth with a desire to explore how the social world gets under our skin to influence health. I also started a public health publication @InterveneUpstream. As an out-and-proud queer person in science, I’m moved to share my story with others – adding to the long lineage of queer scientists who seek to understand and change the world.
Twitter: @NickyTettamanti; Instagram: @NickyTettamanti