About our President Dr. Carolyn Cousin

Dr. Carolyn Cousin received her B.S. in Biology from Virginia Union University Richmond, Virginia, her M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees in Zoology with a specialty in Cell Biology from Howard University, Washington, D.C. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland and the Biomedical Research Institute in Rockville, Maryland. Dr. Cousin served as Chairperson of the Department of Biological and Environmental Science at the University of the District of Columbia from 1995-2000. She is currently the Director of the Masters Degree Program in Cancer Biology., Prevention, and Control. She is a cell biologist and does research in the area of schistosomiasis, a disease cause by a parasitic flatworm that affects approximately 200 million people in the world. She has concentrated her research on the cercarial stage in the life cycle of the causative agent of this disease, Schistosoma mansoni. Dr. Cousin has recently extended her research to the molecular biology of the invertebrate host, a freshwater snail, Biomphalaria glabrata. She has received grants in excess of 3 million to do research grants in this area. Additionally, she has received grants for work with Vigna, cowpea, from the USDA and for cancer research and outreach from the NCI/NIH. She has numerous refereed publications and presentations in her research field. Currently, Dr. Cousin has several grants: she is PI on the U56 grant from the National Cancer Institute in a partnership with the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, PI on the t36 Conference Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Health, PI on the Bridges Grant to the Doctorate. She is Co-director on the Health Career Opportunities Program (HCOP) a major grant from Health and Human Services. Dr. Cousin presentations have been both local and national scientific meetings. She has served as a distinguished lecturer at several universities throughout the Nation. Dr. Cousin has served on many review panels and advisory committees for such agencies and departments as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, D. C. Public Schools, the Teacher Education Program for the State of Virginia, the United States Navy, the Department of Defense and others. She has taken advanced techniques courses since her terminal degree in new research technologies.

Dr. Cousin is very active at the University, as well as, within the community. At the University she has served on many Departmental and University Committees and made major contributions on both. Because of her outstanding service to the University and her research and other professional accomplishments, she was selected for inclusion into Suma as the most outstanding faculty member in the College of Life Sciences (1986) (the only time this honor was given) and Professor of the Year, 1989 at the University of the District of Columbia, and was given the Presidential Award for the most outstanding faculty member at UDC for the academic year 2003-2004. She is the national executive secretary of the National Institute of Science and is co-PI on a NIH conference grant for the Annual Joint Meeting of NIS/BKX/BSP. Dr. Cousin's community service is extensive. She has volunteered at the Washington Home for Aging Services, done several outreach projects in cancer prevention and control, and helped organize and served as the founding president of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Network of Minority Women in Science. This organization is dedicated to increasing the numbers of minorities in science by working very diligently to provide activities and information to young people that will inform them of the opportunities in science. Annually, this organization has a Science Xmas Store (children grades k-6 to receive science toys) Science Discovery Day (a workshop for junior high school students) Science Fair mentorships, Science Fair Award, etc. Additionally, Dr. Cousin has provided on numerous occasions research opportunities in her laboratory for junior high and high school students, in addition to her college students.