Usman Hameedi is a Pakistani-American scientist, poet, and educator. Usman earned his BS in Biology with minors in Chemistry, Public Health, and Creative Writing from Brandeis University. He attended Brandeis as a member of the first-ever Posse Foundation STEM Scholar cohort. He then earned his MS in Biomedical Sciences from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During his graduate studies, he did additional work in medical humanities and volunteered in geriatric care at Mount Sinai Hospital. Neuroscience and oncology are his primary areas of scientific interest and expertise. Since 2008, he has competed in and coached for collegiate, national, and international level poetry slams. He was featured on The Huffington Post, Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, and The Story Collider: Storytelling for Scientists podcast. His first full-length collection is forthcoming in 2023 and will be published by Button Poetry. Usman served as a Mass Poetry Artist in Residence and worked with students in Hyde Park and Salem. He has also worked with other educators on how they can incorporate poetry into their classroom communities. Usman is shaping his career around his missions and ideals. His proudest moments are helping others see the genius within themselves. So much of his journey is still to come!
Photo credit: Mike Lovett