Hannah-Marie
Santos
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Major: Neuroscience and Women's and Gender Studies, with a minor in Chemistry
Research Interest: Fluoroscopy, pharmaceutical drugs, and medical distrust in the context of neuroscience and marginalized communities
“When I saw my vision for college, I wanted to be surrounded by a community where I would be constantly supported, and CSS was the epitome of that sight.
WHY did you decide to join the CSS Program and come to Carolina?
My values align with CSS’s mission statement: to promote inclusivity and diversity, especially in research. As a woman of color, my perspective is one that has been historically underrepresented and erased in STEM. STEM fields need to systematically incorporate more diversity into its regiment and routine. In research, white, male, and cisgendered folks are considered the standard, creating data and ongoing practices that often don’t suit the needs of other groups. CSS not only uplifts BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people in research but also pushes against a culture that presumes whiteness, maleness, and straightness to be the norm against which all other groups are measured. CSS acknowledges that the STEM community must confront its unsavory history, and the program provides a platform for BIPOC to excel and represent the cultural, sexual, racial, and ethnic diversity of the UNC student body. When I saw my vision for college, I wanted to be surrounded by a community where I would be constantly supported, and CSS was the epitome of that sight.
WHAT are you most looking forward to doing during your undergraduate years?
I am most looking forward to learning more about research, making an impact on the student organizations around me, and growing as a person.
what is a research topic you are interested in exploring?
I often compare my research interests to a daddy long-legged spider: my interests are spread out but centralized in a main idea. I would like to research fluoroscopy, pharmaceutical drugs, and medical distrust in the context of neuroscience and marginalized communities.
WHAT are your future goals?
In the future, I want to pursue an MD-PhD with my medical specialty being in neurosurgery.