Shaniel Bowen is a School of Engineering Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as part of its Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Engineering Excellence. Her research concerns the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of pelvic floor disorders and, more broadly, improving women’s health and health equity.
Shaniel received her B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut as an NSF Bridge to the Doctorate Fellow and her Ph.D. Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh as a NASEM Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow. Her dissertation focused on effects of age and pelvic reconstructive surgery on female pelvic anatomy and function, and racial diversity in normal female pelvic anatomy that received awards from organizations such as the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons, American Urogynecologic Society, and Sexual Medicine Society of North America. Ancillary analyses of this work led to her foundational studies of the clitoris and its correlation with sexual function in patients after vaginal surgery. As a postdoc, Bowen will continue to study the clitoris and its supporting structures in diverse and high-need populations.
Aside from research, Shaniel has been an advocate for women’s health education and STEM outreach for nearly 10 years and regularly volunteers for outreach and educational programs for underrepresented and marginalized communities across all ages.