To the GMS community,
Congratulations on the completion of another busy semester at Graduate Medical Sciences! 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.
Take a look back at some of our events below, and keep scrolling for holiday wishes from the GMS deans:
Fall 2025 kicked off with our annual GMS Orientation, which welcomed 486 new master’s and PhD students to campus. During Orientation, students heard from Medical and Charles River campus representatives and connected with campus organizations at the Resource Fair.
In mid-September, the Community Catalyst Center hosted its fourth-annual Gear-Up Week, which featured three events to help students build community as the semester started. The week began with C3’s “Grad Lab,” an art night where students could create, connect, and relax with peers and affinity group mentors. The next day, Dr. Aaron Young hosted “Thriving, Not Just Surviving, in Graduate School: Guide to Effective Studying,” to share tips and tricks for adjusting to graduate-level academics. Finally, the end-of-week Fall Kickoff Pizza Party brought over 150 students, faculty and staff to Talbot Green for lunch, pizza, music and games.
That week, the Newbury Center also hosted a First-Gen Orientation in Hiebert Lounge for our Terrier F1RSTs community. The following week, GMS Student Affairs sponsored a “Fall Into Self Care” event, where students created their own self-care kits and enjoyed fall-themed donuts. Toward the end of the month, we celebrated BU Alumni Weekend and honored our 2025 GMS Distinguished Alumni awardee, Dr. Vladimir Kefalov.
In October, GMS Student Affairs hosted a Midterms De-Stress Snack Break for students to take a break from studying. The Community Catalyst Center’s gGLOBAL and gPLUS affinity groups also hosted meet ups for students to meet their mentors in each community. At the end of October, Student Affairs and C3 collaborated on “Boo-It-Yourself,” a Halloween-themed, wooden sign painting art night. Throughout the semester, GMS Professional Development hosted several seminars and workshops with collaborators both on and off campus.
In November, C3’s gFIRST and gSOC affinity groups hosted meet-ups for their mentee groups. Students groups such as the Student Wellness Committee, the BU Biotech Club, and the Boston University Science Policy Network (BUSPN) hosted events for their members. Additionally, GMS participated in a “Cans of Kindness” Food Drive leading up to Thanksgiving. GMS Professional Development and C3 collaborated with the Educational Resource Center to host a workshop on public speaking, featuring two ERC graduate student fellows.
During the week of Thanksgiving, the GMS Student Organization (GMSSO) hosted a card-writing event to recognize faculty and staff in GMS. Following Thanksgiving Recess, Student Affairs and C3 co-hosted “Cocoa and Chill,” complete with hot chocolate, popcorn, games and a screening of Home Alone. GMS participated in an annual toy drive, and the Biomedical PhD Student Organization (BPSO) hosted a Winter Wonderland Social. GMS Student Affairs hosted its annual Recommended Reads for Intersession Raffle, as well as a Finals Destress break for students with cookie decorating.
We are grateful to the entire community for your engagement with GMS this 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 2026.
