Student Affairs Office
Welcome to BUSM and the Student Affairs Office!
Our goal is to support you on your unique PATH through medical school, help you develop lifelong skills that will sustain your personal and professional growth, and create an overall fulfilling experience at BUSM. Our Office works with students across all years to help you explore your areas of interest, plan your career, and find creative solutions to challenges that you may face.
Our Vision
Provide students with a unique PATH to personal and professional excellence.
Our Mission
To provide advice, guidance and opportunities for creativity, reflection and growth. To support students’ through the process of becoming the physicians they aspire to be.
Student Affairs Deans
Angela Jackson, MD
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Associate Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine
Section of General Internal Medicine
hjackson@bu.edu
Dr. Angela Jackson’s video
More about Dean Jackson
Medical School:
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brasil
Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Residency:
Internal Medicine
Boston City Hospital, Boston, MA
Chief Medical Resident
Boston City Hospital, Boston, MA
Academic Interests:
Primary Care Training
Teaching Teachers
Curriculum Development in Caring for Underserved Patients
Career Development / Mentoring
Advocacy Skills for Students and Residents
Robert M. Beazley, MD, FACS
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Professor of Surgery, Emeritus
Department of Surgery
beazley8@hotmail.com
Dr. Robert Beazley’s video
More about Dean Beazley
Academic Interests:
Mentoring and Advising
Anatomy and History of Medicine
Daniel Chen, MD, MSc
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Associate Clerkship Director—Internal Medicine
Department of Medicine
chenda@bu.edu
Open office hours: Mondays, 2:00-3:00 P.M. *
Dr. Dan Chen’s video
More about Dean Chen
Medical School:
New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
Residency:
Internal Medicine
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Fellowship:
Primary Care Academic Fellowship
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Academic Interests:
Medical Student Empathy
Career Development / Mentoring
Paige K. Curran, MA
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Director, Academic Enhancement Office
Instructor of Medical Sciences and Education
pkcurran@bu.edu
More about Dean Curran
Graduate Education:
Suffolk University, Department of Psychology
Clinical Training:
Duke University Counseling and Psychological Services
Harvard University Bureau of Study Counsel
Academic Interests:
Cognitive aspects of physician-patient communication
Relationship between motivation, achievement and creativity
Development of effective learning strategies
Resiliency in success and failure
Arvin Garg, MD
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
Division of General Pediatrics
Arvin.Garg@bmc.org
Dr. Arvin Garg’s video
Open office hours: Fridays, 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. *
More about Dean Garg
Medical School:
Boston University School of Medicine – Boston, MA
Residency:
Pediatrics
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Fellowship:
General Academic Pediatrics
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine – Baltimore, MD
Academic interests:
Addressing Social Determinants of Health within the Delivery of Primary Care
Ameliorating the Effects of Child Poverty
Incorporating Humanism and Wellness Initiatives into Medical School
Kenneth Grundfast, MD, FACS, FAAP
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
kenneth.grundfast@bmc.org
Open office hours: variable, contact Sophia.Boulas@bmc.org to make an appointment
Dr. Ken Grundfast’s video
More about Dean Grundfast
Medical School:
State University of New York – Upstate, Syracuse, NY
Residency:
Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
Boston University and Affiliated Hospitals, Boston, MA
Fellowship:
Pediatric Otolaryngology
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Academic interests:
Clinical interest in ear and hearing disorders + related genetic disorders
Evaluation for dizziness and disequilibrium
Additional interest in professionalism, medical ethics, medical student competency assessment
John Polk, MD, EdM
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
jipolkmd@bu.edu
Open office hours: Wednesdays, 5:00-6:00 P.M.; Thursdays, 2:00-3:00 P.M. *
Dr. John Polk’s video
More about Dean Polk
Medical School:
Boston University School of Medicine
Residency:
General Surgery
University of California-Irvine, Irvine, California
Fellowship:
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery
Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
Academic interests:
Attributes of Academic Success
Karen Symes, PhD
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Associate Professor of Biochemistry
symes@bu.edu
Open office hours: Wednesdays, 2:30 – 3:30 P.M. *
Dr. Karen Symes’s video
More about Dean Symes
Education:
Ph.D. in Developmental Biology, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, UK
Postdoctorate:
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Academic Interests:
I am interested in supporting students through school as a Dean in the OSA and as an educator in the design and implementation of curricula. As I scientist, my focus was on the molecular control of cell movement during embryonic development and in diseases processes.
Megan Young, MD
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Course Director, Integrated Problems
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine
Section of Geriatrics
Megan.Young2@bmc.org
Open office hours: Tuesdays, 1:30 – 2:20 P.M. *
Dr. Megan Young’s video
More about Dean Young
Medical School:
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine – Chicago, IL
Residency:
Internal Medicine, Primary Care Training Program
Boston Medical Center
Chief Medical Resident
Boston Medical Center, Internal Medicine
Fellowship:
Geriatrics, Clinical Educators Track
Boston Medical Center
Academic interests:
Learning Communities
Clinical Reasoning
Advising
* Unless otherwise noted in Student Affairs. Open office hours are designed for quick questions, exploratory conversations, and emergencies. Students are seen in order of arrival and for no more than 10 minutes. We also encourage students to arrange individual appointments with deans, especially if the issue(s) they wish to discuss require an extended conversation.
Student Affairs Staff
Katie Ferrari, MA
Director of Student Affairs
kferrari@bu.edu
Amanda Kaufman, M.Ed. 
Student Affairs Coordinator
akaufm@bu.edu
Susan Norris
Senior Policy Officer
norriss@bu.edu
Melissa Paz, M.A.
Academic Enhancement Specialist
mpaz@bu.edu
