Dr. Shana Stoddard, associate professor of chemistry at Rhodes College, has been selected as part of the 2025 cohort of Trailblazers by the American Chemical Society.
The American Chemical Society spotlights Stoddard in a special issue of its news outlet, Chemical & Engineering News, published Sept. 15. The issue features the work of scientists with disabilities and the ways they adapt their workplace to do science. Stoddard, who said she has both a seizure disorder and is a neurodivergent individual having the combined form of ADHD, uses tools that assist in performing her research activities effectively.
In the introduction, the editor writes: “As a mentor, educator, and chemist with a disability, Shana V. Stoddard brings a powerful and multifaceted perspective to scientific research and higher education. At Rhodes College, she leads a dynamic research team that studies protein and small-molecule drug targets for conditions such as autoimmune disorders and cancer. [Graduate student] Alyssa T. Paparella talked to Stoddard about her experience navigating the challenges and triumphs of academia and what it means to lead with resilience, purpose, and authenticity.”
An outspoken advocate for students with accessibility challenges, Stoddard has worked to adapt her lab and chemistry courses to ensure equitable access for students in the classroom.
“From day one of attending Dr. Stoddard’s chemistry course it was evident that she's a champion of her students and is passionate to see them succeed inside and outside the classroom,” said Dr. Liam Goldman ’20, a former student of Stoddard and now a neurosurgeon at Dell Medical School - University of Texas at Austin.
Cabria Shelton ’23 now a graduate student in neuroscience at Washington University said, “I’m deeply grateful to have had Dr. Stoddard not just as a professor but as a mentor. During my first semester of college, I struggled with anxiety and studying for exams. Dr. Stoddard was the first person that supported me and never judged me for my struggles. I attribute this to the fact that she was always open about her own chronic illness and neurodivergence, so I saw myself in her and she saw me too. With her support, I was able to receive academic accommodations that changed my college experience. She even spent many nights studying with me for classes she didn’t even teach! I still use what she taught me to this day in my current master’s program, and I carry her reminder that I do belong in the room. Dr. Stoddard’s impact has been so profound that I often find myself looking for pieces of her in every professor and PI I’ve met since graduating.”
Stoddard earned an M.Ed. in 2017 from Freed-Hardeman University. “One reason I earned my master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in special education was to have the knowledge to adapt curriculum to different students’ needs in my classrooms and to be able to be a resource to equip other faculty interested in doing the same,” Stoddard said.
Stoddard added that she hopes her presence and willingness to be vocal about the challenges and strategies need to succeed provides inspiration to others who have similar struggles and shows that it is possible to find one’s space.