3/18/2020 Email From GMS Associate Provost
To: GMS PhD Students
From: Debbie Stearns-Kurosawa, PhD, ad interim Associate Provost and GMS Associate Dean
Date: March 18, 2020
RE: PhD Student Stipends
Dear PhD Students,
As you are well aware, we are working hard to face the challenges of COVID-19. We also know that it is bringing stress and anxiety to our daily lives. As the facts change, we continually need to re-evaluate our plans and do what is safe for the greater BUMC community. As stated in President Brown’s announcement last night as well as Dr. Taylor’s 3/14 and Dr. Antman’s 3/15 memos, we are required to minimize the number of people (staff, faculty & students) on the Medical Campus as of today, March 18. This directly affects ongoing research, but unfortunately is unavoidable.
We want you to know that even though you may not be able to work in your lab all PhD students will continue to receive their stipends. There is research-related work (data analysis, writing, scholarship) that can be completed remotely and we encourage you to do so. We know that students have many concerns but receiving your PhD stipend should not be one.
We want you to know that BU, BUSM and GMS are diligently working to prepare our research labs for slow-down and meet the needs of our research and academic community. We have many students preparing to defend their dissertations in the coming weeks and we have moved these to an online format. Please visit the PhD Dissertation Defense Seminar webpage to support your fellow students and obtain the URL (as they become available). We know these are extraordinary times but be assured we have, and will continue to, have your best interests in mind with each decision we make.
If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Student Affairs (gmssa@bu.edu).
With best regards,
Debbie
Deborah Stearns-Kurosawa, PhD
Associate Provost ad interim
Graduate Medical Sciences
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