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Stanley Andrisse, who was once incarcerated in a maximum security prison, now serves as a tenured professor at Howard University and founder of From Prison Cells to Ph.D., a nonprofit helping justice-impacted people succeed in higher education. His path shows how loss pushed him toward science, how education opened unlikely doors, and how he now helps others rebuild their lives through second chances.
He grew up in Ferguson, Missouri, where people labeled him a career criminal before he turned 21. Those early years shaped how he mentors students today.
“Those early experiences gave me a deep sense of empathy and urgency,” Andrisse told The Dig. “I know what it feels like to be dismissed, underestimated, and denied opportunity. As a mentor, I try to be the voice I needed back then. I try to be someone who believes in potential, not perfection. Many of my students are first-generation or underrepresented in science. I say to them: your background isn’t a barrier; it’s your foundation.”
His turning point came when his father died from complications of Type 2 diabetes while he was in prison. That loss led him to read his first scientific article about the disease. Even inside prison walls, he found purpose in understanding how the human body works. That spark pushed him to pursue a different life once he was released.
Near the end of his sentence, Andrisse applied to six graduate programs. Five rejected him, and one accepted him after a mentor advocated for his application. That opportunity led to a Ph.D. in physiology and an MBA in finance, both completed at the top of his class. He later joined Howard University’s faculty, becoming the first formerly incarcerated Black man known to earn tenure at a U.S. medical school.
Through From Prison Cells to Ph.D., Andrisse helps justice-impacted students navigate higher education. The program has guided over a thousand scholars nationwide, giving them a roadmap he never had. He emphasizes that a criminal record reflects a moment in time, not a person’s full potential.
Today, his work blends scientific research and criminal justice reform. His lab studies diabetes, while his advocacy challenges barriers that keep people from rebuilding. Both efforts focus on healing, whether it’s restoring health or restoring opportunity.
“My lived experience makes me a more compassionate scientist, a more grounded educator, and a more relentless advocate. I’m living proof that science and justice can inform one another, that data and dignity can coexist,” he said.
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