Student Highlights
M
D/PhD Students Attend 24th Annual National MD/PhD Student Conference in Keystone, Colorado
Nine BUSM MD/PhD students joined approximately 250 other MD/PhD students from across the nation to attend the 24th Annual National MD/PhD Student Conference held at the Keystone Conference Center in Keystone, Colorado July 24-26, 2009. This meeting provided a unique opportunity for MD/PhD students, MD/PhD program advisors and program directors, as well as several prominent and successful physician scientists to meet and interact, to share and discuss scientific research, to explore the multiple career paths of the physician scientist, and to address the various concerns unique to the budding physician scientist.
The students kicked off the conference on Friday with dinner and an inspiring talk on gene therapy delivered by Katherine High, MD, the Director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the William H. Bennett Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania. This was followed by a student poster session and a social hour. Saturday was filled with various student 
oral presentations as well as small group discussions covering topics such as “How to Write a Journal Article,” “Transitioning Back to the Clinic,” “Global Health,” “How to Negotiate for a Career Position,”
“Women as Physician Scientists,” “Career Development and Training Opportunities at NIH,” “Grant Writing Techniques,” and “Time and Stress Management.” In addition, students heard inspiring talks on X-chromatin inactivation and small RNAs, respectively, from Jeannie Lee, MD, PhD, a Professor of Genetics and Pathology at Harvard Medical School and from the 1993 Nobel Laureate, Phillip Sharp, PhD, an Institute Professor at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The students finished the evening with another student poster session and an ice cream social.
On Sunday, several students battled the early morning hours, high-altitude, and rocky inclines to hike the Rocky Mountains. In the afternoon, the students returned to the warmth and comfort of the conference center to learn about career opportunities as physician scientists and to pick the minds of five successful physician scientists from various facets of medicine and research. Afterward, students partook in an inspiring talk from the optogenetics pioneer, Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, an Associate Professor of Bioengineering and Psychiatry at Stanford University. The conference concluded with a final student poster session and a well-received talk about dendritic cells and vaccine development given by Ralph Steinman, MD, the Henry G. Kunkel Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology at the Rockefeller University. Overall, the BUSM MD/PhD students enjoyed the conference for its scientific content, its opportunities to present their work in either poster or oral presentation form, its MD/PhD-specific mentoring focus, and its abundance of savory food. This conference also proved to be an excellent forum to network with other students and professors as well as a well-deserved opportunity to enjoy together, a relaxing weekend away from the bustling roar of Boston.
–Catherine Wei, MD/PhD Student
MD/PhD Physician-Scientist Panel
On April 13th, 2009 the MD/PhD student leadership hosted Steven Bogen MD, PhD (Pathology), Jennifer Rosen MD (Surgery), Linda Heffner MD, PhD (Ob/Gyn), David Seldin MD, PhD (Heme/Onc.), and Jag Bhawan MD (Dermatology) for its first Physician-Scientist Panel. The event provided students an opportunity to meet f
ive leaders in medicine and research at BUMC in different fields and learn about their journeys along the path to becoming a physician-scientist. Using an open question-answer format, the panelists discussed some of the challenges they faced along the way, how to balance both research and clinical careers, strategies for success, and even the importance of maintaining a balanced personal life. The event was incredibly well- received by students who enjoyed the opportunity to interact with with faculty outside of a classroom or clinical setting and learn from the collective experiences of five successful and dedicated physician- scientist role-models.
–Catherine Spina, MD/PhD Student
American Physician Scientist Association
Students Attend the New York Regional Meeting
Saturday, November 22, 2008, fourteen BU M.D./Ph.D. students traveled to the Icahn Medical Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, NY for the American Physician Scientist Association Regional Meeting. The Regional Meeting was organized to facilitate networking among future physician-scientists throughout the Northeast, to provide a forum for discussion of critical issues facing physician-scientists in training and to highlight the career paths and research of several prominent medical researchers serving as role models for those still in training. Networking opportunities were offered throughout the day in the form of an informal lunch, a wine and cheese hour and an informal dinner that allowed attendees to interact with each other as well as the Keynote Speakers. There were several small group discussion sections that focused on a number of different topics important to physician-scientists in training including: Post-Graduation Options, Balancing the Clinic and the Lab in Residency and Beyond, Having a Personal Life as a Physician Scientist and Opportunities for Clinical/Translational Research. The highlights of the day were the four Keynote Speeches delivered by four prominent medical researchers. These included “Drug Design from Enzymatic Transition States” by Vern Schramm, PhD, Chair of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, “Reflections of a Physician-Scientist about a Career in Medical Research” by Leon Rosenberg, MD, Professor of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, “Gene Therapy for Inherited Disorders: From Christmas Disease to Leber’s Amaurosis” by Katherine High, MD, William H. Bennett Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania, and “Regulation: Evolution and Cancer” by Mark Ptashne, PhD, Ludwig Chair of Molecular Biology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Overall, it was an exciting meeting where future colleagues met, informative discussions were had and inspiring research was highlighted. To read more about the New York Regional Meeting visit their website. The American Physician Scientist Association’s website will provide more details about that organization.
–Chad Farris, MD/PhD Student
