Public Health Professional & Junior Software Engineer
Dedicated to developing technology to improve our lives, our communities, and society.
Hi, I’m Winton.
I’m a proud Jamaican immigrant who got the opportunity to come this country at a very young age. My experience as an immigrant growing up in the inner city among many different people and cultures has taught me how to see things in a way others don’t.
I attended Rutgers University on full scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. That allowed me to get a job as a research assistant at the number one cancer center in the world at the time, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences. I quickly advanced up the ladder to research coordinator while working on studies dealing with breast cancer, reconstructive plastic surgery, lung cancer, and smoking cessation. At the same time I earned my Masters in Public Health with a focus on Community Health Education from Hunter College, CUNY University.
Health Meets Tech.
It was at Sloan-Kettering where I decided to transform love of the web and graphic design into Simian Web Development and Consulting; a company with a mission to highlight business and initiatives that helped foster ideas towards health, social justice, racial equity and a commitment to improving communities. My goal would be to build a system that used the methods of traditional marketing to influence behavior for social and public good and that kept the bottom line in mind, but wasn’t driven by it.
My first major project was the development of qportfolio.org for Memorial Sloan-Kettering. This was the website for a new patient survey that measured satisfaction with breast reconstruction pre and post mastectomy due to cancer. I was also a research assistant on the project tasked with conducting interviews, entering and analyzing data. It is no longer under my management, but I am excited to see what the researchers have done with the project; advancing its use case to cover many other forms of reconstructive plastic surgery such as cleft palate and facial reconstruction.
If It Doesn’t Break You.
That time in my life was one of optimism and anticipated success. Unfortunately, it would not last. A little over two years into my entrepreneurial venture my life would take a turn that put me on an entirely different path.
In 2010 I was assaulted, arrested and wrongfully charged by the Washington DC Police Department for trespassing and assaulting officers. If not for video evidence to the contrary I would have faced 2 years in federal prison; leaving my then pregnant girlfriend to raise our first child.
Although the case was dismissed my life was never the same. I did not know it then, but I suffered from PTSD and depression which left me unable to perform at my job and it was not long before I was asked to resign. The next few years would be the most difficult time in my life.
In recent years the dysfunctional relationship between police and the Black community has become, for more and more people, very clear. There’s a seemingly endless list of those whose lives have been cut short or taken away by the justice system. My experience mirrored many of their stories, thankfully I am around to tell mine.
That very traumatic experience has left me with even more determination and has fueled a passion to challenge injustice anywhere I should find it. Since then I have concentrated on helping more people who want to do good for others, challenge the status quo and serve, first and foremost, the people.
A New Path.
If life has taught me anything it is that you have to speak for those who do not have a voice. That even if you are not the one calling all the shots you still have an obligation to speak for the speechless. You still have to help others find that voice and broadcast it as far and wide as possible knowing that the right ones will hear it and respond.
The projects listed below represent my dedication to doing just that.
After reviewing the portfolio please reach out to me by completing the contact form.
13+ Years Web Development Experience
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Q Portfolio | 2009
While working as a research assistant at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center I developed the original website for the BREAST-Q a patient survey that measured satisfaction in women pre and post reconstruction for mastectomy as a result of breast cancer.
The BREAST-Q has seen great success and is translated in many different languages and used to measure patient satisfaction around the world.
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Mukti's Kitchen | 2013
Mukti left the every day hustle and bustle as a botanist and molecular biologist to follow her passion of bringing healthy Indian cuisine to the masses. Her classes not only teach the fine art of Indian cooking, but how spices and certain foods are natural medicine for the mind and body.
She contact me in 2013 to assist in setting up an online presence that would showcase her offerings.
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High Tides Consulting | 2017
High Tides Consulting helps employees transition into entrepreneurship and their true passion. They help craft strategies around an individuals financial, social and community goals and combines that with small business strategy and a clear action plan.
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One Final Blog | 2018
One Final Blog is a website I developed for Dr. Partha Banerjee, human rights activist, writer, educator, public speaker, media critic, and musician. His work centers on helping immigrants and the working class.
I developed his website to bring attention to his important work.
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HIV Planning Council of New York | 2019
It is the mission of the HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council of New York to ensure that people living with HIV have access to and maintain appropriate, quality services across the continuum of care, resulting in the best possible health and quality of life.
In 2019 I won a contract to redesign the Planning Council’s website. I’m very proud of this project because I know that it helps the Council reach more people who are in need of life saving HIV services.
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Humanity College | 2020
The vision for Humanity College is to create an interactive, democratic, and participatory multimedia platform to promote education and critical thinking, while providing independent insight into news and issues excluded or neglected in mainstream media.
This project’s ambitious goal is to build a global community where different audiences can come to report the news, share ideas, and discuss how corporations, their media and political parties impact our lives, our children’s lives, and the world.