Chrystelle L. Vilfranc

Dr. Chrystelle L. Vilfranc

 
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There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
— Maya angelou

A little about me

Hi, I’m Chrystelle (Chrys for short). My pronouns are she/her. I am a Brooklyn native. I am a Cancer and Cell Biology PhD turned public health researcher studying Cancer-related Population Sciences. My hope is that you will learn a bit more about me and my experiences with graduate school, academia, social and scientific research, chronic illness, mental health, and my overall adulting journey.

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The real tea on grad school and academia.

Graduate school was a long, exhausting, and often isolating experience. I plan to be as frank as I can be about the highs and very many lows that I have had in graduate school and currently experience in academia.

 
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This is what a cancer biologist looks like. This is what a cancer epidemiologist looks like.

#DiversifySTEM #WOCinSTEM #BlackInCancer

 
 
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Blog

GiveHerThePhD sans Endo

When I was first diagnosed with endometriosis in 2018, I followed a ton of endo blogs on Instagram, but I did not find very many blogs with folks that looked like me (black), let alone graduate students. I began this blog to share my story as a black STEM PhD candidate who was tired and ready to part ways with graduate school. I am continuing this blog as a way to document my journey post-grad school, as I continue to navigate my professional life while working to maintain my physical and mental health.


 

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Dying to have my period, literally

Although I did not have my period and did not qualify to share period stories with the other girls, I still managed to relate to the stories about painful cramps that I overheard.

For at least a year before starting my period, I remember having monthly and extreme pelvic pain.

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GiveHerThePhD sans endo

My grad school experience has completely changed my life. From the very beginning, it has been a journey full of trials and loops of fire. Dramatic? Yes, but these are definitely the facts. While I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue this degree and potentially uncover novel concepts in my field, I wonder if this journey was worth it. Immediately I would say no, it is definitely not worth it. However, not having completed the entire journey, the 10% optimistic in me says, maybe time will make it all worthwhile.

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About me and my blog mission

First things first, I am a Brooklyn native. Now that I’ve got the obligatory “I’m from Brooklyn” statement out of the way, the following are a few more things about me:

I am a first-generation American, born to Caribbean immigrants.

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You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can’t, but also knowing that [writings are] indispensable to the world... The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even but a millimeter the way people look at reality, then you can change it.
— James Baldwin
 
 
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