Proud to be a 2026 #SACNISTAgrad ! SACNAS was a very big influence in my STEM career. I am happy to continue to serve students now that I've made it to the other side! #phd #stem #scicomm #sacnas
Mel Ortiz-Alvarez, PhD
@moadlc.bsky.social
Neuro-microbiome Scientist🦠🧠, Science Writer for @microbites.bsky.social ✍️& Artist 🎨 @AaasMassMedia.bsky.social Fellow 2026 for El Nuevo Día Portfolio: www.microbephd.com Co-Founder of CienciaPaTodes.org #CienciaPR 🇵🇷 #BlackinMicro #InclusiveSciComm
Hoy en primera plana, mi historia sobre el aumento en diabetes tipo 1 en Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 Pueden leerlo en linea también: www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/loc... ¡Seguimos concientizando! 🙌🔥
Allow me to re-introduce myself: Hi, I'm Dr. Ortiz Alvarez de la Campa 😎✊🏾🔥🔬🇵🇷🎉 On May 24th, I graduated with a Ph.D. in Pathobiology from Brown University and gave a speech during the Doctoral Commencement! 🎓 You can listen to the speech here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=reRo... 🇵🇷De PR pal mundo!
I will be speaking at @brown.edu 258th Commencement, during the Doctoral Ceremony on May 24th, 10:30am! Tune into the livestream if you wish to listen to my speech. As a first-gen #PuertoRican, I am honored to represent my community 🇵🇷😭🫂 Seguimos!🔥 livestream.brown.edu/doctoral #phd #scicomm
Honored to be selected by my peers! Can't wait to walk on that stage in May 💐🥺🫂🇵🇷✊🏾🔥
Brown University@brown.edu · 3mo agoAs Brown celebrates its 258th Commencement, Kenia Collins and Melanie Ortiz Alvarez de la Campa will address their peers in separate master’s and Ph.D. ceremonies on College Hill.
Seven Proteintech products were used in this exciting publication! Scientists at Zhejiang University found that vesicles produced by gut bacteria can carry inflammatory molecules (LPS) across the blood-brain barrier and activate microglia. Read more: https://bit.ly/4kUBD51
My first children's book! 📚 Written, illustrated and printed in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 An Afro-Caribbean girl finds her joy for science by exploring her island + easy experiments kids can try at home 🔬 Pre-order: www.cienciapatodes.org/libro 1 book sold = 1 donated to low-income children in PR #booksky
Happy New Year!! Start 2026 off right with a look at these great opportunities for aspiring PhDs, MDs and in betweens! If you like these resources, make sure to subscribe to my free #substack to get more monthly 🥰 microbephd.substack.com/p/january-op... #gradschool #stem #phd
January Opportunities for Aspiring PhDs, MDs and all in between!
Are you an undergrad or grad student interested in STEM careers? Check out these opportunities!
microbephd.substack.com
Dr. Nonterah's new book is full of practical, realistic and motivational advice for someone looking to pivot into a non-academic role. I can't wait to start putting her recommendations to work as I transition from my #PhD into my own #medcomms and #sciencewriting career. #gradschool #bookreview
I had fun writing about this interesting #humanities article that looked into how we talk about the #microbiome and the promises that language makes! If you enjoy think pieces of #stem narrative, definitely check it out! #microbites #science #scicomm #sciencewriting #socialscience #nature
MicroBites@microbites.bsky.social · 8mo ago📣 New MicroBites! Is the Microbiome Overrated? 🦠 A medical humanities perspective on the way researchers talk about the microbiome. 👇
The Caribbean scicomm organization that I co-founded, Ciencia Pa' Todes, was featured today in #TheMicrobiologist by @amiposts.bsky.social We have done so much as a small group and I'm proud of the impact we continue to have every day 💜 Check out our work at: cienciapatodes.org #scicomm #stem
We couldn’t get people interested in science - until we started speaking their language
In 2020, Puerto Rico faced a misinformation crisis. Melanie Ortiz Alvarez De La Campa reveals how five STEM undergraduates created a sci-comm organization that helped pass legislation, educated thousa...
the-microbiologist.com
#Gradschool will drive you crazy, especially if you only focus on the negative. In this week's #Substack I opened up a bit about my experience navigating self-doubt & imposter syndrome during my PhD. If you feel similarly, I encourage you to read it 🫂💕 #academicsky #BlackinMicro #Stem #scicomm
Documenting achievements isn't bragging
Why I always write about my achievements in grad school and how it's saved my mental health
open.substack.com
November is full of opportunities for aspiring scientists and doctors! Check out a list of them on my #Substack newsletter! open.substack.com/pub/microbep... #gradschool #funding #academicsky #stem #science #scicomm
November Opportunities for Aspiring PhDs, MDs and all in between!
Are you an undergrad or grad student interested in STEM careers? Check out these opportunities!
open.substack.com
It's again time for my monthly wrap up! If you're a scientist looking for ideas on how to get more involved, check out what I've been up to in October as a PhD candidate 🥰✊🏾🔬🦠 #scicomm #stem #gradschool #substack #sciencewriting
Monthly SciComm WrapUp: October 2025
A brief summary of what fun sci-comm things I did in the month of October!
open.substack.com
There's perks to going straight to a PhD, like becoming a doctor at 27 😎 This also means I've spent almost my entire 20s in school. But, it's been a wild ride! Countdown begins...! #gradschool #stem #phd #diml #phdlife #academicsky #boricua #phdcandidate #microbephd
New #Substack out today!! Read more about why I think the Mr. Puerto Rico costume for Mister International 2025 was a fantastic choice and some of the fun science behind bats in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 🔬🧡🎉 open.substack.com/pub/microbep... #mrinternational #scicomm #sciencewriting #bats #puertorico #stem
Why did Mr. Puerto Rico dress as a bat?
Mr. International Puerto Rico made a great choice for his cultural costume!
open.substack.com
I interviewed a professor at the University of British Columbia about her recent work showing that inflammation during early life can lead to disruptions in the endocrine system and the microbiota. micro-bites.org/2025/09/22/g... #scicomm #sciwri #sciencewriter #microbiome #endocrine
Gut Inflammation Disrupts Hormone Signals and the Brain
Reproductive hormones in male mice are susceptible to gut inflammation during early life.
micro-bites.org
Excited to be a panelist again for this free #scicomm training!! If you are a researcher looking to improve your communication skills, definitely check it out 👏🏾❤️
Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI)@cctsi.bsky.social · 10mo agoWhen you explain your research, do people look bored? Pull out their phones? Register for our Communicating Your Science to the Public course to learn how to tell a compelling story about what you do as a researcher. Begins 11/4. buff.ly/OsjabL5 @projbridgeco.bsky.social, @moadlc.bsky.social
September is ending, so here is a brief wrap-up of what I was up to this past month as a PhD candidate interested in science communication 🎉😍🇵🇷 #substack #scicomm #scipol #gradschool #phd #stem #academicsky
Monthly SciComm WrapUp: September 2025
A brief summary of what fun sci-comm things I did in the month of September!
open.substack.com
I'm back with a new #ReadersDigestion on #Substack! This time, I'm reviewing "Everything is Tuberculosis" by John Green. If you are into brief science book reviews, check it out here: microbephd.substack.com/p/readers-di... #scicomm #johngreen #everythingistuberculosis #bookreview #bookrec
Reader's Digestion: "Everything is Tuberculosis"
What I am reading/listening to as a PhD candidate working on the neuromicrobiome.
microbephd.substack.com
My mentee just published his first peer-reviewed article as a high school senior!🦠🔬 🎊 It's been a privilege to see how much he grew as a research over 9 months. Read it here: ajosr.org/papers/volum... ¡Seguimos! 👏🏾🇵🇷 #teaching #mentoring #research #gradschool #scicomm #sciencewriting #academicsky
📣 New MicroBites! Breaking the Grass Ceiling: CBD Improves Female Depression 👩 A new study shows CBD treatment helped decrease symptoms of depression in mice consuming a high fat diet. 🐭 🦠
Breaking the Grass Ceiling: CBD Improves Female Depression
A new study shows CBD treatment helped decrease symptoms of depression in mice consuming a high fat diet.
buff.ly
Honored to be mentioned among such incredible people! Thanks for the shoutout ❤️🫂👏🏾 #scicomm
Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI)@cctsi.bsky.social · 11mo agoWho’s doing incredible work that deserves more attention? Tag them and tell us why in the comments. Let’s amplify their impact together! @moadlc.bsky.social, @siegenthalerlab.bsky.social, @jabarocas.bsky.social
August is over, which means it's time for a wrap-up! Check out what #scicomm things I was up to in the past month. microbephd.substack.com/p/monthly-sc... #sciencewriting #gradschool #scipol #stem #phd #academicsky #Substack
Monthly SciComm WrapUp: August 2025
A brief summary of what fun sci-comm things I did in the month of August!
microbephd.substack.com
New month, new opportunities!! Check out my list of monthly opportunities for current and aspiring #STEM grads! microbephd.substack.com/p/september-... #gradschool #academicsky #research #opportunities #substack
September Opportunities for Aspiring PhDs, MDs and all in between!
Are you an undergrad or grad student interested in STEM careers? Check out these opportunities!
microbephd.substack.com
📣 New MicroBites! High-Dose Probiotics Improve Mood in Stress Model 🐭 Combined treatment with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium improved stress-related depression and anxiety in mice. 🦠
High-Dose Probiotics Improve Mood in Stress Model
Combined treatment with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium improved stress-related depression and anxiety in mice.
buff.ly
July is almost over, and that means it's time for a scicomm wrap-up!! I got some much done this month, including an exciting announcement 👀 Read more here: microbephd.substack.com/p/monthly-sc... #scicomm #stem #gradschool #academicsky #blackinmicro #latine #teaching
Monthly SciComm WrapUp: July 2025
A brief summary of what fun sci-comm things I did in the month of July!
microbephd.substack.com
I wrote about a really interesting #probiotic paper from Ghana! They saw that combining probiotics improved #mood symptoms in mice just as well or even better than antidepressants 👏🏾 Read more over on #MicroBites! micro-bites.org/2025/07/25/h... #stress #blackinmicro #scicomm #sciencewriting
High-Dose Probiotics Improve Mood in Stress Model
Combined treatment with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium improved stress-related depression and anxiety in mice.
micro-bites.org
I just taught high schoolers in a course I designed! We discussed misinformation & transforming science into accessible media + guest lectures from #GeoLchat & #CienciaPaTodes In 4 days, they made comics, infographics, blogs, videos & websites! ¡Seguimos! 🔥👏🏾🇵🇷 #scicomm #stem #teaching #gradschool
