Jamal S. Lewis, Ph.D. Bringing about metamorphic change from seed to fruit

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I was energized when the management team approved my idea of a feature section in the newspaper called Classic Man. I had observed how our African Caribbean/Canadian/American men were being showcased mainstream. They had pigeonholed them into certain roles that to me did not display the greatness of our culture.

As soon as I read the short write up on this week’s feature, it reminded me of why this feature is so important. I was introduced to Jamal S. Lewis Ph.D. (Associate Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of California, Davis), by one of our readers in the community. He epitomizes everything that is classic, not just because of his radiant smile, but because of what he brings to the table.

He specializes in biomaterials engineering for immuno‐therapy and tissue/cellular engineering applications. In his Ph.D. and postdoctoral study, he developed an immune cell targeting micro-particle vaccine for auto‐immune disease therapy. As an assistant professor in the biomedical engineering department, his lab (https://www.ucdavislewislab.com/) focuses on the development of biomaterial systems that can manipulate the immune system. His unique cross-disciplinary research program in immunology and biomaterials has brought together the laboratories across the campus to enhance their research goals. Under his leadership, Professor Lewis and his team aim to design the next generation of immune therapeutics for applications in immune-related diseases.

What makes Professor Lewis excel, is his ability to translate his research to clinical settings. His research efforts have led to the basis of multiple patents, the formation of a company (OneVax, LLC) and principal investigator ship on several Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants.

One of Professor Lewis’s favourite pastimes is gardening, and what an allegory that is. For him, there is something very rewarding about bringing about that metamorphic change from seed to fruit. It supports his life work, which is to mold the growth of his mentees. As a mentor, he enjoys seeing the growth in his mentees as they learn and progress in their academic and professional careers.

Black professors, students, and staff often feel marginalized in academia, but Professor Lewis has proven that you can navigate through the methodically placed barriers, and provide the next generation of Black scientists and engineers with a “Vision of the possible.”

It wanted to dig deeper into the life of a man who was obviously a genius, to see how his life had been structured. We set up a call, and just like I thought, genius!

“I was born in Guyana,” Professor Lewis begins, “And, I lived there until I was eleven years old.  Many of those years were spent in Georgetown Guyana, where I watched my parents lay the groundwork for my future. At that time, my dad was an agricultural engineer, and my mom was a scientist (IEST). My mom has a PhD, and my dad has a Masters, both of them are well educated.

As a kid growing up, I was very playful. If you wanted me to do something, let me know that I could go play. I was a natural athlete and enjoyed playing cricket, badminton, soccer, and table tennis.

Just before my 12^th birthday, we moved to Jamaica. I lived my formative years in Jamaica, and actually attended a prestigious boys school. I finished high school at the age of sixteen years old, and at that point, I was more interested in playing cricket. I wanted to make the West Indies team. I was pretty good at sciences and math, so my parents had other plans for me. They decided that I would go off to school with my sister.”

He realized that he had a knack for math and science. It was around this time that Professor Lewis was witness to some significant scientific breakthroughs: Dolly the first ever cloned sheep, and Dr Tony (Anthony Atala) one of the most celebrated research surgeons, who grew an ear on the back of a mouse. This really excited him, and he began to think, “Maybe I can do well in the science field.” His parents supported him 100%.

“I started to change my focus to more so academics, and ended up in biometric engineering.”

He went to HCBU, and this was a positive thing for him. It allowed him to transition into the U.S. environment, and get used to the racial climate. The environment was focused on making sure that Black students excelled in their career paths.

Things were not always easy, and he admits to facing some challenges. “There were people who made it clear to me that I shouldn’t be there.”

He received his Ph.D. degree in 2012, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship learning alongside Dr. Benjamin Keselowsky in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of Florida. In 2015 Dr. Jamal Lewis joined the Biomedical Engineering Department at UC Davis as an Assistant Professor.

“I ended up doing my PhD at the University of Florida, it is where things really blossomed for me. I started my company there.”

Professor Lewis turned his focus to Immune Engineering, which allowed him to work on developing new therapies and new vaccines for diseases, specifically Regulatory Vaccine – Treatment and cure for Type 1 Diabetes. “It did well with mice, so we thought we could translate that to humans.” This is how OneVax, LLC was born.”

Since then Professor Lewis received the 2017  National Institutes of Health of Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) for New and Early Stage, as well as being named the 2019 Regenerative Medicine Workshop Young Investigator Faculty Award recipient at UC Davis.

Professor Lewis ended our discussion with some well-stated wisdom.

“Any Black person who is remotely successful, is going to be in situations where they are the only one. You have to embrace that. When you are younger, it can be intimidating, but I believe that you have to face that intimidation. You are there for a reason, you are probably over-qualified than most of the people in there.

We are capable of doing everything, and anything other ethnic groups can do. Our media does not communicate that message. They don’t get to see Black people outside what is portrayed on television.

There is going to be added pressure to demonstrate that you are there for a reason. Confidence is key. Remain calm and show people that you have the goods.

I think for young Black researchers, the formula is pretty straightforward. First figure out if science and engineering is your passion. Once you’re past that step, then you have to commit to science and be disciplined. I would also strongly recommend young scientists to find a mentor (or mentors) who is interested in their success. They should also avidly read current/popular science publications and if possible, join a research laboratory.

The STEM field is the most challenging career choice but a little organization and self-discipline goes a long way in ensuring your success.”