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Dr. Meggan Lee
Dr. Meggan Lee is a sociologist and postdoctoral researcher at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she works alongside Dr. Ruby Mendenhall. Her research sits at the intersection of race, health, education, and structural inequality โ with a particular focus on how systemic racism shapes both academic outcomes and biological wellbeing for Black communities.
Her 2020 paper on racial microaggressions in STEM education โ now cited nearly 300 times โ is one of the most influential studies in the field of STEM equity. As a CompGen Fellow, she also bridges sociology and genomics to understand how structural violence becomes embodied. At Ancestral Math, Dr. Lee brings this research directly to bear on curriculum design, learning environment, and student support.
Academic Credentials
Ph.D., Sociology
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2021
M.A., Sociology
DePaul University
PostDoc Researcher
Carle Illinois College of Medicine, UIUC
CompGen Fellow
Coordinated Science Lab, UIUC
Contributions to Ancestral Math
Dr. Lee's research directly shapes how Ancestral Math designs learning environments that are safe, affirming, and academically rigorous for students of color.
Research Foundation
Dr. Lee's landmark research on racial microaggressions in STEM education โ cited nearly 300 times โ directly informs how Ancestral Math designs learning experiences that affirm rather than diminish students of color.
Community Health Lens
Her work on Black mothers' health and structural violence in Chicago grounds Ancestral Math's understanding of the whole student โ recognizing that academic achievement is inseparable from community wellbeing.
Genomics & Stress Science
As a CompGen Fellow, Dr. Lee bridges sociology and genomics to understand how structural racism gets 'under the skin.' This science informs Ancestral Math's commitment to reducing academic stress and building psychological safety.
STEM Access Advocacy
Dr. Lee's research on campus racial climate and STEM disparities shapes Ancestral Math's approach to representation โ ensuring every student sees themselves as a mathematician, scientist, and innovator.
Research Areas
Selected Publications
"If you aren't White, Asian or Indian, you aren't an engineer": racial microaggressions in STEM education
Transcriptomic analyses of Black women in neighborhoods with high levels of violence
Black mothers in racially segregated neighborhoods embodying structural violence: PTSD and depressive symptoms on the South Side of Chicago
The neighborhood as social exposome: Black mothers' narratives of chronic stress as a consequence of living in racially hypersegregated neighborhoods
Designing a Community Health Worker (CHW) Certificate Training that Centers Marginalized Youth's Health and Wellness
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