Outreach Programs & Initiatives

Outreach to underrepresented groups has long been a priority for the Graduate Medical Sciences. We are deeply committed to increasing access to graduate education for groups traditionally underrepresented in the biomedical sciences.

Every year our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team travels to conferences such as the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) and the  Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans (SACNAS) national conference to promote our programs and connect with diverse scholars.

Programs for Undergraduate Students

  • Summer Training as Research Scholars (STaRS): Graduate Medical Sciences offers a summer research program to academically talented high school students who aspire to become medical or research scientists. This program is funded by the NIH.
  • AID-GC (Alliance to Increase Diversity in Genetic Counseling) Internship  sponsored by the Warren Alpert Foundation: The Boston University Genetic Counseling Program, located at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, will offer two full-time, paid summer internships for undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds and populations who are interested in pursuing a genetic counseling career.
  • BEST BET (funded by NSF INCLUDES): BEST BET draws upon the expertise of five research-intensive institutions that have developed innovative programming in career and professional development for doctoral and postdoctoral trainees in biomedical research. The goal of the project is to expand the scope and leverage the work so as to engage students earlier in their career exploration.
Programs for Post-baccalaureate Students

  • BU PREP: Funded by the NIH, the BU Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) is a year-long program for recent bachelor’s degree recipients that prepares researchers for admission to PhD programs. The program aims to provide an environment that enhances personal and scientific development for students traditionally underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. 
BUMC Community: The Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) has a long-standing tradition of providing service and education to the public. Together with community stakeholders, we have developed STEM initiatives and programs that primarily focus on providing high school students with educational opportunities and career choices in a variety of different public health and medical fields. There are also programs for elementary and undergraduate students.  An overview can be found here.