The Cohort Sistas Podcast

There are many variables that impact the doctoral and postdoctoral experience. One of these is undoubtedly location. Today's guest, Dr. Anna Hood, has unique insight into higher education both here in the US, and in the UK, having completed her Ph. D. at Washington University, and now working as a lecturer in psychology at the University of Manchester. During this conversation, she shares the...

While we have made great strides toward racial and gender equity over the last century, disparities still remain in fairness and equal opportunity. Unfortunately, one of the sectors where these disparities are the easiest to spot is in STEM. Today on The Cohort Sistas Podcast, you’ll hear from Dr. Carlotta Berry, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rose-Hulman I...

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Cohort Sistas Podcast. Here today to share her journey is Dr. Bianca Goodrum, a licensed counselor and assistant professor at Our Lady of the Lake University. Dr. Goodrum’s dissertation focused on the stories of grief counselors’ self-care and wellness practices and, in today’s episode, she shares her findings with us, along with how she has integr...

As Gettysburg College’s first black administrator, and the only black woman to ever be a full professor at the college, Dr. Jennifer Bloomquist has many stories to share from her 20 year career. Although there have been challenges of being immersed in all-white spaces at the college, Jennifer has always felt that the institution has invested in helping her achieve success, and she in turn, has mad...

Welcome to another episode of the Cohort Sistas Podcast. Here today to discuss her work on Black girlhood and Black joy, and how she slowed down the doctoral journey to focus on fertility, is tenured professor Dr. Monique Lane. During this conversation, she shares how she published her dissertation in a book called Engendering #BlackGirlJoy. How to Cultivate Empowered Identities and Educational Pe...

Doing a single postgraduate degree is hard enough under normal circumstances, and a real challenge during a pandemic. Dr. Tonia Burgess not only completed her Ph. D. during this time, but it was also her third degree in less than 10 years. Join us today as we discuss where she found the inspiration to start a master's and a Ph. D. after a nearly 30-year career with the California Government,...

Today’s guest started out her college educational career in the field of chemistry, but when she was exposed to the lack of focus on non-traditional end users in the field of engineering, she decided to pursue a PhD which looked at how to improve the methodology of design. Dr. Malena Agyemang’s PhD journey had a few bumps in the road, and in today’s episode she explains the factors which pushed he...

Today’s guest, Dr. Ayeesha Hankins, obtained her PhD in educational psychology from the University of Carolina. Tune in to hear her thoughts on how to interpret and process a doctoral application rejection, what it was like to finish a doctoral degree in three years due to funding constraints, and navigating the challenge of not having clear research interests while you’re pursuing doctoral studie...

On today’s conversation, Dr. Beatrice Ncho tells the story of how she left Cameroon to start her studies at a community college in the United States, before eventually achieving a PhD in chemical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. You’ll hear why she is passionate about helping Black women to excel in academia through mentorship, and what her current role entails, working as an R&...

Knowing that you want to do your Ph. D. when you are in high school is pretty remarkable, and it requires focus and dedication from a young age. This is the position today’s guest, Dr. Niambi Brewer, was in. Niambi received her Ph. D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also doing her postdoc at the Genetic Diagnostic Laboratory. In today’s episode, Niam...

Today’s guest, Dr. Wenimo Okoya, has a foot in both health and education, having worked as a classroom teacher in Harlem and the Bronx, received a Masters degree in public health and an EdD in health education. In this episode, she shares the details of her dissertation on why community schools hesitate to adopt trauma sensitive practices, and describes some of the elements that contribute to crea...

Working at the intersection of clinical practice, consulting, and academia. Dr. Isha Metzger wears many hats. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, Assistant Professor at Georgia State University, and Director of The EMPOWER Lab, which looks to help communities heal from trauma and deal with anti-Black racism. In this episode, we hear about Dr. Metzger's journey and what sparked her intere...

On today’s episode, we speak to Dr. McKenzie Stokes, a community psychologist and first-generation college student whose work examines the protective effects of racial socialization on Black youth in mono- and multiracial Black families. You’ll hear about her own experience growing up in a biracial family, which has driven her research into the impact of parental communication within similar homes...

Fearlessness and an inquiring mind are two ingredients with the power to carry students a long way. In this episode, we speak to Dr. Daphney Chery, a scientist and doctor who received her Ph. D. in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia. In today’s episode, she tells the unique story of how she started her doctoral journey without applying, how she was introduced to biomedic...

As we celebrate the 30th episode of the Cohort Sistas Podcast we take a moment to examine one of the most common threads that come up in nearly every single episode: mentorship. Regardless of whether our guests have shared positive or negative mentorship experiences during their doctoral journey, it can't be denied that mentorship is one of the most important elements of success along this pa...

In this week’s episode of the Cohort Sistas Podcast, we get together with Dr. Chrystelle Vilfranc to discuss her Ph. D. journey and the difficulties of finishing a doctoral degree during a pandemic. Dr. Vilfranc is the most recent graduate we’ve interviewed, having received her Ph. D. in April of this year. She earned her Ph. D. in Cancer and Cell Biology from the University of Cincinnati. She is...

You may not have heard of today’s guest but, if you’re active on social media, you’re likely to encounter her work. Dr. Dominiqua Griffin is the Co-founder and CEO of Black Women PhDs, which bridges the formal and informal spaces for Black women along their doctoral journey. There’s plenty of focus on the challenges of pursuing doctoral and post-doctoral studies, but in today’s episode, we zoom in...

Everyone wants to wake up in the morning with a strong sense of purpose, but carving out a career path that matches both your skillset and your area of interest can be incredibly challenging. Today’s guest, Dr. Kilan Ashad-Bishop, is a biomedical scientist who received her Ph. D. in cancer biology from the University of Miami. In this episode, we speak about the power of growing up with female fam...

While pursuing a career as a medical doctor is a common and effective way to provide people with the care that they need, it is certainly not the only way to do so. In today’s episode, we speak with Dr. Morine Cebert-Gaitors, who completed her Ph. D. in Nursing from Duke University School of Nursing and is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Cebert-Gaitors, who...

There are plenty of different approaches to building a career. What should come first, academic pursuits or real-world experience? Today, our guest is Dr. Linda Baffo, a health equity evaluator and public health analyst with over a decade of experience in the field. In this episode, Dr. Baffo talks about how her two years of teaching with Teach for America propelled her into the field of public he...

In today’s episode, we speak with Dr. Tega Edwin, who received her Ph. D. in Counselor Education from Penn State University. She first worked as a school counselor and initially pursued a Ph. D. to become a district supervisor. Dr. Edwin kicks off our episode by telling us how she assessed her varying degrees of love for research, teaching, and service to determine whether she should pursue an aca...

With the words “You can have it all, but not at the same time,” Shonda Rhimes gave thousands of women permission to reevaluate the unrealistic expectations they had been imposing on themselves. Our guest today is all too familiar with the consequences of this dilemma. In today’s episode of the Cohort Sistas podcast, we meet up with Dr. Latoya Watson. She is the mother of two young girls and curren...

Black people have been marginalized and disadvantaged throughout history, but instead of allowing this to make you feel like you are not capable or worthy of greatness, let it instead fuel you and inspire you and motivate you to face up to every challenge that is thrown at you. That is the message that Dr. Monét Roberts has to share with us today. As a student who struggled with math, with a schoo...

As a graduate student, it’s easy to become fixated on a rigid set of expectations, especially when it concerns what one’s academic trajectory should look like. In today’s episode, we speak with Dr. Lauren Mims who has learned to accept that the academic path is often unpredictable, even in the face of the most dedicated planning. During her doctoral degree, she seized an unexpected opportunity, ta...

Dr. Ijeoma Kola goes solo in this episode and shares the different questions and considerations she is battling as she prepares for a postdoctoral research fellowship. Dr. Kola explains why she decided to pursue a post-doc in the first place, despite the low financial incentive. She also discusses how academia ignores the destabilizing nature of the culture of moving constantly for academic jobs,...