Congratulations to Our 2023 Outstanding Student Achievement Award Winners!

Graduate Medical Sciences is pleased to award three high-achieving, graduating students with Outstanding Student Achievement Awards in the categories “Outstanding Research” and “Community Service.”

These students have made exceptional contributions to their departments and communities that have set them apart from their peers during their time at GMS. Meet each awardee below:


Claire Burgess ’23

PhD in Molecular & Translational Medicine
Program in Biomedical Sciences

Claire Burgess will officially graduate in May 2023, leaving behind a tremendous research impact on the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

Burgess, a PhD student in the Graduate Medical Sciences Program in Molecular & Translational Medicine (MTM), is a 2023 winner of the GMS Outstanding Student Achievement Award in the PhD Research category.

Burgess matriculated into the PhD umbrella Program in Biomedical Sciences in 2017, following her graduation from Sewanee: the University of the South that year. She currently works in the lab of Darrell Kotton, MD, the director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) and David C. Seldin Professor of Medicine at Chobanian & Avedisian SOM.

Read Claire’s full story here.


Erika Minetti ’23

Master’s in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program

After eight years at Boston University – first as an undergraduate student, then as a research technician and as a clinical research coordinator – Erika Minetti is now preparing to graduate from the Master’s of Science in Medical Sciences (MAMS) program through Graduate Medical Sciences.

The May 2023 degree candidate is the winner of this year’s GMS Outstanding Student Achievement Award in the Master’s Research category, a clear indicator of the impressive academic work she has accomplished during her time in graduate school.

Read Erika’s full story here.


Rhode-Armelle Jean Jacques ’23

Physician Assistant Program

“Community is a huge part of everything that I’ve done,” said Rhode-Armelle Jean Jacques, the winner of the 2023 Graduate Medical Sciences Outstanding Student Achievement Award in the Master’s Community Service category.

Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jean Jacques and her mother sought refuge in Miami, Florida, due to ongoing political instability in the country. Jean Jacques completed high school and her undergraduate degree in Miami, graduating from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in chemistry in 2016.

She also obtained a Master of Public Health from George Washington University in 2020 prior to starting the Boston University Physician Assistant Program in 2021.

Read Rhode’s full story here.