Stanley Andrisse is inspiring his students with his lectures and journey to the classroom.
The HBCU professor had an untraditional pathway to academia. He overcame a stint in maximum-security prison to become a tenured faculty member at the Howard University College of Medicine.
According to a 2022 profile on Howard’s The Dig, Andrisse was dealt an unfavorable hand as a Black male teenager in the Missouri prison system. With multiple felony drug convictions before he was 30 years old, many counted out his future. However, upon completing his sentence, Andrisse became an endocrinologist scientist with a teaching gig at the HBCU medical school.
Andrisse is an
example of the possibilities after incarceration, not letting his criminal background stunt his academic ambitions. As he teaches to a predominately Black cohort, his presence to Black medical students shows triumph over the often-stifling criminal justice system.“My story represents both possibility and responsibility, and it’s the culmination of years of faith, mentorship, and resilience. But it’s bigger than me,” he told the student news outlet.
“It’s proof that redemption is real — that someone who was once written off as a “career criminal” can stand in front of classrooms, lead research, and shape the next generation of scientists. To my knowledge, I’m the first formerly incarcerated Black man in U.S. history to earn tenure at a medical school.”
Andrisse remembers the feeling of others counting him out. Now, he considers himself a mentor to others who may have fallen astray, reminding them that their dreams remain possible.
He also paves a way in the underrepresented field of medicine, as Black doctors only account for 5.7% of the field according to 2022 AAMC data. As for the sciences, Black people only make up 9% of the STEM workforce, as confirmed by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
He added, “Education gave me access — access to rebuild, to contribute, and to redefine myself.”
His inclination toward healthcare comes from his own familial history. His father died from Type 2 diabetes while Andrisse remained incarcerated. The stolen moment drives his mission today. He has combined his passion for medicine with his advocacy through From Prison Cells to Ph.D. , an organization that helps justice-impacted scholars.His goal is to encourage all, no matter their criminal background, to get an education while eliminating the systemic barriers to the classroom.
“Most institutions treat a criminal record as a permanent reflection of character rather than a snapshot of circumstance. They focus on who a person was, not who they’ve become. But overcoming incarceration requires resilience, grit, and focus — the very traits we claim to value in academia. Second chances aren’t charity. They’re smart investments in human potential.”
Now, his focus on restoring society and the human body remains on full display through his work at Howard.
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