Shoumita Dasgupta

Shoumita Dasgupta is the daughter of Bengali immigrants, a woman of color in STEM, and a scientist educator and geneticist. Her first job as a teenager was as a swim instructor at the local YMCA, and she has been drawn to teaching for as long as she can remember. Though the subject matter of her teaching has evolved, her happy place continues to be the classroom (and the swimming pool). Dr. Dasgupta is a Professor of Medicine and an Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion at Boston University with a demonstrated history of working in diverse and inclusive higher education environments. Her passion for genetics, genomic medicine, diversity and inclusion, and mentoring serve as the foundation for her supportive and creative leadership in the field. Dr. Dasgupta served as a US Department of State Fulbright Specialist at Ain Shams University in Cairo where she learned about an entirely new system of education and worked with an amazing group of educators. She is also a member of the inaugural cohort of faculty affiliates at the Ibram X. Kendi Center for Antiracism Research, and Past President of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics. In addition, she works with the National Human Genome Research Institute, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and others to promote initiatives in education, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Dr. Dasgupta the author of Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins: Lessons on Belonging from Our DNA, to be released on February 18, 2025 by the University of California Press. She is thrilled for the opportunity to welcome you into the types of conversations that she has with her students in her classroom where they work towards equity by debunking common myths about human difference through science. When Dr. Dasgupta is not thinking about DNA, she enjoys reading literature (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; Life of Pi; Unaccustomed Earth; Tell the Wolves I’m Home; The Buddha in the Attic; Swamplandia!; Homegoing; Bewilderment; Now Is Not the Time to Panic; Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow; and Chain-Gang All-Stars are a few favorites), traveling internationally, and spending time with her family and cats.