Tre Artis
He/Him
I am pansexual and I am a biology and biomedical science PhD Candidate.//
I research how misregulation of epigenetic mechanisms drives the pathogenesis of blood diseases. I aspire to one day use my training and knowledge to develop more epigenetic targeted therapies for human diseases. Each time I get to say this, I’m reminded of how privileged I am to be in such a position; one I never thought possible at a young age. Graduating from high school is considered a great achievement where I’m from. I’m a first generation black and queer male from the hood in New York City. I only dreamt of making it this far. Now that I’m here I still face many barriers. Regarding my queerness, I still have reservations about openly sharing that with people in STEM. I see science as very much still a heteronormative institution. Most queer scientists are afraid to expose such part of themselves for fear of discrimination. It feels like we are still hiding in the shadows, even if we are out in our personal lives. And this is all surface considering the people who have faced tangible discrimination for their queerness in science. I hope we can continue work towards making science a more inclusive enterprise for the LGBTQIA+ people and I believe it starts with representation and sharing our stories.
Twitter: @trepigenome; Instagram: @myarthestic