Faculty on Fire
Danyell Wilson-Howard
Dr. Danyell Wilson-Howard is our faculty liaison at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, she attended Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania and later, the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Dr. Wilson-Howard teaches Chemistry, however her main research areas are cancer health disparities among minority and rural communities, STEM education and training. Cancer health disparities specifically interest her because, “Translating what we know in the lab and cancer prevention to communities who do not have access to this information … helps with informed decision-making about healthy behaviors, including obtaining the proper cancer screenings, eating habits, and increased physical activity.”
She gives credit to faculty members, science mentors and administrators for feeding her interest in STEM education and training adding, “Believe it or not, administrators like Ms. Shelly Johnson (Lincoln University), Dr. Patricia Ramsey (Bowie State University), Dr. Anne Donnelly (University of Florida), and Ms. Wenda Williams (Bethune-Cookman) are the backbones to my success. Dr. Wilson-Howard pays this same mentorship and support forward as the Florida-Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance coordinator at Bethune-Cookman. In this role, she provides mentorship, opportunities for experiential learning and research opportunities.
She believes, “We are all capable of doing great things related to our field of study … But life lessons come without a guidance book and it takes those who support you and have been where you're going to provide the directions as to how to navigate life” adding that mentors help “organize any thoughts in your mind that may take you away from your goal.” These are the foundational reasons Dr. Wilson-Howard decided to go into teaching and research because they are her “passion and God’s intention” and the best part about teaching are her students and her colleagues. When she is not teaching or mentoring, Dr. Wilson-Howard’s time is consumed is in her research labs at both Bethune-Cookman University and at the University of Florida’s STEM Translational Communication Center (STCC) where her interest is T1-T4.
Dr. Wilson-Howard is currently conducting research with the STCC to incorporate technology into health decision-making among underserved communities and to enhance science communication. She explains, “we have developed a Virtual Healthcare Assistant that can be accessed using a smartphone, tablet, or computer, named ALEX. ALEX provides information about the FIT Kit and encourages the patient to order the at-home colorectal cancer screening kit. This project will help my students learn about translational research and virtual reality.”
Not one to rest on her laurels, Dr. Wilson-Howard also hopes to one day develop a Translational Research Center (TRC) at an HBCU. Out of approximately 100 HBCUs, there are currently only about a dozen TRCs. According to UCDavis.edu, “Translational research is the process of applying knowledge from basic biology and clinical trials to techniques and tools that address critical medical needs. Unlike applied sciences, translational research is specifically designed to improve health outcomes. It uses an integrated team of experts who are focused on translating useful information from laboratories to doctors’ offices and hospitals.”
Other achievements that Dr. Wilson-Howard is proud of include an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) travel award and as a postdoc when she gave the keynote address to 500 high schoolers and served as a Scientist for the Scientist-Citizen Program as part of AACR.
