Dr. McLean is a writer, educator, independent research scientist, public scholar and thought leader studying the relationships between human biology, racism, and health inequities. Dr. McLean is a trained eco-evolutionary biologist (Ph.D.), biological anthropologist (BA, MA), and sociologist (BA, MA) who earned his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (EECB) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He is a social and natural scientist and public science communicator with over 13 years of interdisciplinary research experience studying human health, evolutionary biology, sociology, history of science and medicine, science, and technology studies (STS), bioethics, philosophies of science and biology. Dr. McLean’s work advances the study of health inequities by synthesizing Darwinian evolutionary theory, theoretical population genetics, epidemiology, and Du Boisian historical sociology to develop his eco-evo-social theory of disease distribution. His research demonstrates how exploitative sociopolitical and economic relations overexpose racialized peoples to hazardous environmental conditions, putting them at heightened risk of illness and death. Dr. McLean’s research highlights and confronts the unethical use of biology as a legitimating rationale to justify systemic domination and develops ways to study human health and biology without reproducing racism.
Dr. McLean is the founder and director of O’wise•sci, a research company that provides expert consultation, research and advising services for developing transformative anti-racist biology and medicine learning materials and workforce trainings in higher education, biomedicine, public health, and healthcare institutions. Bridging insights from evolutionary theory, theoretical population genetics, human osteology, epidemiology, historical sociology, statistics, and bioethics, Dr. McLean conducts highly rigorous and historically grounded scientific research at O’wise•sci to devise strategic interventions and otherwise solutions to advance health equity.
TOPICS: Writing, STEM, Race, LGBTQ+