OICR’s Dr. Moyin Odugbemi discusses her experience at BE-STEMM, an annual conference celebrating Black Excellence in STEMM.

Even in Nigeria, where Dr. Moyin Odugbemi was born and raised, she can’t recall being at a conference with 200 other Black scientists.

That’s part of what made attending the BE-STEMM 2024 conference, organized by the Canadian Black Scientists Network (CBSN), so special.

“It was like a typical scientific conference but better,” says Odugbemi, a Project Coordinator in OICR’s Genomics Program with a background in microbiology and biotechnology. “It was nice to see all the cutting-edge research being done by Black scientists from different parts of the country.”

The three-day conference, which wrapped up its third year earlier in August, features a multidisciplinary program emphasizing Black excellence in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine and health (STEMM). It also gives Black people working in STEMM the opportunity to meet, network and discuss issues relevant to their work and their communities.

OICR sponsored Odugbemi to attend the conference in 2024. She recently spoke to OICR News about the opportunity and what she gained from it.

Can you start by telling us about your role at OICR?

As a Project Coordinator, I make sure OICR Genomics projects run smoothly, all the way from set up until when the work is complete. I collaborate with partners all around Ontario to acquire samples to be sequenced, ensure we have reagents and other necessary materials to process the samples, and then deliver clinical reports to researchers. While my role is not lab-based, I am also trained in laboratory science.

What inspired you to go into science in the first place?

I originally wanted to be a journalist, like my mother. Then I started doing science education in school and really enjoyed it. I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, which I completed in Nigeria, and then I completed my master’s and PhD studies at the University of Westminster in the U.K.

I’m a very curious person and I ask a lot of questions. I find that science helps me answer some of those questions and make sense of the world.

Why did you choose to attend BE-STEMM?

I had never heard of CBSN until I learned about it through OICR. I was immediately interested. It was a great opportunity to attend a conference in Ottawa, and I was curious to see how it would feel to be at a scientific conference where I wasn’t a minority.

How was the conference?

It was great. There were professionals from so many different disciplines, from math and physics to neuroscience and biology, and it was nice to see Black people represented in all these areas.

I particularly enjoyed the keynotes, including a presentation and panel discussion on health disparities for Black people. I found it very interesting to discuss ways to address these challenges at the community level and with policymakers.

There was also a workshop on mentorship. I’m participating in the OICR mentorship program, and the session at BE-STEMM raised some ideas I could put in place with my own mentee, who is also Black.

What made the experience unique?

On the first day of the conference, the outgoing CBSN President welcomed attendees and said, “I hope you enjoy just being a scientist here”. That was very powerful to me. Outside of the conference, we are Black scientists. We’re Black before we are a scientist. But at this conference, we were just able to be scientists.

What will you take away from attending the conference?

Above all, it was an excellent scientific conference. I learned a lot about artificial intelligence, for example, and I even had the opportunity to judge poster presentations.

But for me, the most important part was being a part of a community, making friends, networking and laughing with other people.