When Dr. Acacia White packed up her life to move to Madison this summer, she was sure of one thing: this was the next step in her plan to change the world. This Charlotte, North Carolina native was ready to expand her horizons, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health offered her the perfect opportunity to expand her horizons as a postdoctoral researcher.
White is proud to have been educated in North Carolina schools. The second of 7 children, she earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Winston-Salem State University and her master’s degree in biology from North Carolina Central University. It was at NCCU where she became interested in pharmacology and toxicology. When she chose to pursue her PhD at East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, she chose their Biomedical Sciences program with a concentration in Pharmacology and Toxicology. She graduated in Spring 2025 after completing her research on hypertension and immediately set her path toward UW-Madison.
Pharmacology is the study of the uses and effects of drugs and how drugs act on the body. Toxicology is the study of the effects and detection of poisons, banned substances and prescriptions. White has seen drugs around her for her entire life, whether it is illegal drugs in her neighborhood growing up, the life-saving drugs that have helped people she loves to maintain their health, or the prescribed drugs that loved ones have refused to take because the side effects made it not worth the risk.
Now, White works as a postdoctoral researcher in the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Urology with Principal Investigator Dr. Johanna Hannan, whom she met at East Carolina University. Her present research focuses on erectile disfunction as a side effect of prostate cancer and hypertension. In this phase of the research, they are testing drug formulations in mice and hope to eventually move to human clinical trials.
But White’s interest in health extends beyond prescription drugs. She believes that a healthy emotional, spiritual, and physical life is the best preventative medicine, so she encourages people to eat right, exercise, rest well, pursue joy, and connect with God to maintain good overall health. For those who are taking medications, she wants to minimize side effects so that they can reach the desired health outcomes free from other illnesses or ailments. She is invested in community and believes that her gifts were meant to be shared.
Outside of work, White is an artist in every sense. She loves to paint and sing and is a former flute and piccolo player. She also writes poetry and has won spoken word competitions in North Carolina. She is also a movie buff who loves the original version of The Color Purple. Perhaps surprisingly, she also enjoys horror movies: “I like to see the evil because it allows me to see the good,” she explains.
The summer has been the perfect introduction to Madison for White. She appreciates the outdoors and all the greenspace and natural ambience that the city offers. She is looking forward to spending time on the lakes. And she is even looking forward to experiencing her first Madison winter!
Although the postdoctoral research position is just for a few years, White is determined to maximize her time in Madison personally and professionally. She is learning through her work how to conduct studies so that she can become a principal investigator to direct studies soon. She is attending church and has enjoyed meeting new people around the community to maintain a rich personal life.
For White, changing the world is the goal…and she has the tenacity and spirit to do just that! She has met each of life’s challenges with faith and positivity, looking for the good in all things, and holding her head high as an intelligent woman who continues to do the hard work every day to earn and keep the respect of her professional community, her family and local community, and, most of all, herself. When asked what she would want people to know most about her, she replied, “that I don’t let anything make me give up,” and she encourages others to hold that same confidence to meet their goals.
