To the GMS community,
Congratulations on the completion of another semester at Graduate Medical Sciences! It has certainly been a busy few months of studying, research, classes, events and more. We have been thrilled to share these moments with you and see just how much you’re making a difference in your work and studies every day.
Let’s take a look back at some of this semester’s events:

The Fall 2024 semester began with GMS Orientation at the end of August, where we welcomed over 450 new students — master’s and PhD — to campus. Students had the opportunity to meet with organizations from the Medical and Charles River campuses at the annual Fall Resource Fair that day and connect with new classmates at the following week’s Welcome BBQ, both cohosted by the School of Public Health. During the first week of classes, the Community Catalyst Center hosted several opportunities to explore the South End neighborhood with mentor-led walking tours, as well as a mid-afternoon C3 Suite Open House to introduce students to the resource center and its staff and mentors.

In mid-September, C3 hosted its third-annual Gear-Up Week, with five different events to help students acclimate to many parts of campus life. The week began with “Thriving, Not Just Surviving in Graduate School,” a study skills seminar hosted by Dr. Aaron Young. The week continued with “Swag and a Snack,” an international student mid-day meet-up, a trivia night, a campus resource expo and raffle for a Barnes & Noble or Peet’s gift card, and the popular Fall Kick-off Pizza Party. At this year’s pizza party, we were joined by BU’s beloved campus comfort dog, Bean. Later in the month, C3’s gDAG affinity group hosted a Medical Campus Disability Advocacy Lunch & Chat event.

The final weekend of September brought a flurry of activity to both campuses, beginning with the Inauguration of President Melissa Gilliam, BU’s eleventh president. The Inauguration took place at Agannis Arena, and BUMC hosted a virtual watch party in Hiebert Lounge. From September 27 to 29, we celebrated BU Alumni Weekend, and honored our 2024 GMS Distinguished Alumni Awardees: Dr. Christopher Andry and Dr. Jennifer Luebke. The following week, GMS Student Affairs hosted its annual Fall into Self-Care event to support students’ mental and physical health.

Toward the middle of the semester, the C3 gPLUS affinity group hosted a National Coming Out Day Celebration event in the L-Building Lobby. C3 also hosted Lauren Celano, founder and CEO of Propel Careers, for an interactive seminar on how to evaluate, build and highlight transferable and career-relevant skills. GMS Student Affairs hosted a Midterms Destress Snack Break for students as they entered the semester’s exam season. The Graduate Medical Sciences Student Organization (GMSSO) also hosted a rooftop farm volunteering event at Boston Medical Center, as well as a Halloween Cruise in Salem and several Glamour Gals volunteering events offering beauty experiences to seniors residents of a community assisted living facility. At the end of October, C3 hosted a Halloween Social with pumpkin painting, music, popcorn and apple cider.

In November, Dr. Angelique Harris, associate dean of diversity, equity & inclusion, hosted a students-only seminar discussing the practice of cultural humility as students, scientists, clinicians and researchers. C3’s gFIRST affinity hosted a First Generation lunch event as part of the BU-wide First-Generation College Celebration Week from November 4 to 8. GMS also hosted a Post-Election Conversation to provide a space for students to gather and reflect on the outcome of the presidential election. In the middle of the month, GMS Student Affairs recognized World Kindness Day with uplifting, handwritten notes and sweet treats. The new C3 Non-Traditional Graduate Student Community, launched this semester, hosted its first Meet and Greet just before Thanksgiving.

This semester, we were also excited to welcome Dr. Bénédicte Gnangnon, our new director of professional development. Throughout the semester, Béné hosted several informative workshops for GMS students and researchers, on topics such as CV and resumes, career exploration, professional headshots, online brand development, LinkedIn strategy, networking and more.

The semester wrapped up with our annual End-of-Semester Mix & Mingle, co-hosted by GMS, GMS Student Affairs and C3. This year’s social brought over 200 members of the GMS community to Hiebert Lounge for an evening of appetizers, desserts, beverages, music, games and a raffle. GMS Student Affairs also hosted its annual Recommended Reads for Intersession Raffle, and several student organizations hosted donation drive events in time for the holidays. GMSSO and GMS Student Affairs provided a destress break for students before finals with cookie decorating, lunch, hot chocolate and relaxing coloring activities.
Over the last few months, we highlighted several members of our community in GMS Spotlight articles. We were also thrilled to launch our brand-new GMS Online Store, where you can go to buy GMS-branded swag items like sweatshirts, water bottles, caps and more.
We are grateful to the entire community for your participation in such an engaging semester! Our best wishes for a safe and peaceful Intersession and a happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you back on campus in 2025.