Janessa Sochima Aneke

ABOUT ME

Janessa Sochima Aneke Public Health Scientist

I am a public health microbiologist with a passion for scientific collaboration and diplomacy. My interests center on increasing vaccine confidence to enhance biosecurity and pandemic preparedness agendas.

In addition to my scientific endeavors, I enjoy creating digital art, playing the violin with local orchestras, and creating spaces for community engagement.

BIOSKETCH

Education + Experience

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Emory University and a Master's of Health Sciences in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In 2018, I began my professional career as a microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention performing diagnostics for vaccine-preventable diseases, and in 2020 I became a laboratory inspector, specializing in biosafety and regulatory compliance. In 2022, my career aspirations expanded internationally when I served as an Embassy Science Fellow strengthening scientific diplomacy and cooperation for the US Department of State at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, and subsequently moved to France to earn a Master's in Data Science from Université Paris Cité. Over the years, I have dedicated my professional pursuits towards advancing scientific knowledge and fostering creative solutions to global health challenges.

POPULAR WORKS

STE(A)M

With years of experience honing personal expression at the intersection of science and art, I have taken several diverse avenues over the years spanning writing, illustration, and documentary production. I aim to enhance scientific communication through the utilization of artistic mediums to increase accessibility.

Invisible Weight, 2024 (Documentary)

In 2024, I produced, directed, and wrote "Invisible Weight" in partnership with Mods Production Group. "Invisible Weight" is a short documentary that asks and answers how the intersection of social isolation, masculinity, and systemic racism contribute to the alarming public health crisis of loneliness among Black men in the United States. Submitted for the World Health Organization's Health for All Film Festival 2024.

Vaccine Hesitancy and Empathy as a Public Health Intervention, 2023 (Essay)

Vaccination, a historic lifesaving medical innovation, faces challenges due to declining public confidence rooted in mistrust in public health institutions, exacerbated by both historical injustices and contemporary factors. Without empathetic acknowledgment and reconciliation for past atrocities, vaccine hesitancy threatens to render our greatest public health tool useless amidst future pandemics. Selected as a Top 100 Essayist for the St. Gallen Symposium 2023.

The Resistance: Vol. 1 - Botulism, 2019 (Comic)

Botulism, a rare but severe illness caused by a nerve-attacking toxin primarily from Clostridium botulinum, can lead to breathing difficulties, paralysis, and death. Interestingly, this toxin is utilized commercially in products like Botox. In "The Resistance" comic series, Volume 1 focuses on Cytokine Storm, a superhero who tackles disease outbreaks. In this installment, she employs epidemiological and molecular methods to uncover the cause of a mysterious illness, showcasing her versatile skills in data analysis, diagnosis, and prevention. Presented at Emory/Georgia Tech's Science.Art.Wonder. 2019 showcase and Free Comic Book Day 2019 at the Carter Center.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Connections.

Community engagement is at the core of my ethos. For years, connecting audiences to information and processes that improve health and well-being has been a passion of mine. I aim to enhance public health and well-being through community building.

The Love Club, 2022

The Love Club, founded in 2022 at the Learning Planet Institute, aims to create community focused on increasing empathy and understanding to form a more peaceful, loving world. In this group, we discuss the meaning of love of self, love in friendships, romantic love, love of community, and love of our planet. This is a space that encourages self-knowledge, self-esteem, and self-actualization in the effort to cultivate communion. In 2023, The Love Club expanded to the founding of Liink, an enterprise with the aim to connect the disconnected.

Vaccine Town Hall, 2019

Six months after starting my career as a microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018, I had a unique experience where I found myself in a room of people that were grossly mistrustful of vaccines. Inspired by this event, I organized a Vaccine Town Hall where I invited co-workers and community members to engage in a moderated discussion in a respectful space. I was invited to speak about vaccine safety at a community health fair that fall, and I felt rewarded by the opportunity to build these bridges.

Thanks for stopping by!