About.

J. Rene Canady is an interdisciplinary scholar who works to improve the health of the Black population. Rene is an advocate for the holistic health of marginalized groups. She takes pride in being part of the Black STEM community and has held several leadership roles for the National Society of Black Engineers. In 2019, Rene secured a position as Undergraduate Fellow for the Pitt EXCEL program for underrepresented minority students. Additionally, she spent two years as a member of the Visualization and Image Analysis lab where she created a finalized CAD model and 3D printed working prototype for the FingerSight project. Her next project is a fusion between bioengineering, sociology, and engineering education.

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Rene attempts to live authentically and practices mindfulness daily. She is a free spirit and beginner bassist who travels frequently as a form of self-care. She enjoys playing soccer and reading poetry. In 2020, she earned her bachelor’s degree in bioengineering with a minor in French. She is a first year PhD student in the Sociology program. Rene is also a fellow of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program and a recipient of the 2020 Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Fellowship for women.

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Rene’s career goal is to make biomedical health more accessible to underserved populations by starting an organization dedicated to (1) working with improving the ethics of race related research, (2) making biotechnology more accessible, and (3) pushing for more fair treatment in healthcare.