Getting to BUMC in 2021
Dear Colleagues, As we prepare for a new school year and some of you plan your return to campus after being away for some time, I’d like to take this opportunity to share a few changes about transportation and commuting programs that will hopefully improve your commute. MBTA Passes The 10th of each month is still the deadline for enrolling in, cancelling, or changing your participation in BU’s 50% subsidized MBTA Pass Benefit. Those not currently enrolled who wish to get a July MBTA pass must be sure to sign up via BUworks by Thursday, June 10th. One change: MBTA passes are now mailed... More
Program Spotlight: Summer Research as Training Scholars (STaRS)
Boston University Summer Training as Research Scholars (BU STaRS) is a summer-long program designed to promote access to graduation education for traditionally underrepresented students in research and medicine. Scholars are provided with the opportunity for research, enhancing skills required for admission to graduate programs. Each STaRS scholar is paired with a faculty mentor to participate in research projects of varied interests not limited to substance abuse disorders, neuroscience, and cancer research. In addition, the STaRS program provides bi-weekly seminars focused on research and abstract writing, career advice, including applying to PhD or MD/PhD programs. The 2021 BU STaRS program takes place from May... More
GMS Faculty Awards Celebrate Excellence in Teaching
To recognize faculty who adapted quickly and successfully during the COVID-19 crisis and continued to provide students with quality education, mentoring and research experiences, GMS recently created new awards for faculty excellence. GMS students nominated faculty members whose efforts really stood out during the pandemic and the shift to remote learning. The award was broken down into four categories: Didactic teaching in GMS master’s programs Mentorship in GMS master’s programs Didactic teaching in GMS doctoral programs Mentorship in GMS doctoral programs Congratulations to the winners: Shoumita Dasgupta, PhD, Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in Genetics and Genomics, in the “Didactic teaching in... More
PRIDE Month Recommended Reads
RAFFLE CLOSED Congratulations to our raffle's winners: Michaela Carrier, Elissa Everton, Meagan Lauber, Yamini Adusumelli, James Merrington and Senegal Carty! Happy reading! All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto By: George M. Johnson Detransition, Baby: A Novel By: Torrey Peters Felix Ever After By: Kacen Callendar Red, White, and Royal Blue: A Novel By: Casey McQuiston The Hours: A Novel By: Michael Cunningham We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation By: Matthew Riemer
PREP Symposium Celebrates ’21 Scholars
On May 27, BU PREP scholars - Chantal Aaron, Autumn Grimins, Hapshepsut Jackson and Moises Ramirez - shared their capstone projects with faculty, staff, mentors, and program alumni at this year's Class of 2020-2021 Zoom Symposium. The students highlighted their research and conclusions in their presentations, answered questions, shared the journeys that led them to the BU PREP community and discussed the next steps in their career journeys. GMS applauds our PREP scholars on their hard work and celebrates their bright futures! We'd like to give a special thanks to the program directors, Drs. Fadie Coleman and Andrew Henderson and Program Administrator... More
Fadie Coleman Wins 2021 Metcalf Award
Teaching her first class last fall at the School of Medicine, postdoctoral associate Marianne Collard naturally had beginner’s jitters. But in Fadie Coleman, Collard found a mentor who’d taught students from college to middle and high school—and was only too happy to teach a fellow teacher. “I met with Dr. Coleman weekly, where she helped me refine my syllabus, plan class lessons, and evaluate students’ learning,” providing guidance that was “exceptional,” Collard wrote in a letter nominating Coleman (CAS’97, MED’16), a MED assistant professor of medical sciences and education, for a 2021 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching, one of Boston University’s highest teaching... More
MD, PhD Graduates Encouraged to ‘Lean In’
Typically MD, PhD and MD/PhD graduates are cheered on with plenty of pomp and circumstance by family and friends who gather to celebrate their achievements. While the setting looked different this year, the cause for celebration and cheer remained the same. A virtual ceremony was held again this year to maintain safe physical distancing. Noting that it was not what the School had planned, BU Medical Campus Provost and BUSM Dean Karen Antman, MD, addressed graduates in a prerecorded ceremony, available here. “Commencement is really only the end of the beginning of your education as a physician. Today your diploma is the credential... More
Dr. Rachel Levy-Bell Named New MHCBM Director
Dr. Rachel Levy-Bell will become the new Director for the nationally accredited Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine program, effective July 1, 2021. Dr. Levy-Bell earned a PsyD degree from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, interned at Cook County Hospital (Chicago) and Temple University Hospital (Philadelphia), followed by a post-doctoral appointment at BMC in the Psychiatry department. As a licensed psychologist and educator, she has been MHCBM faculty since 2002, rising to Associate Program Director in 2017 while emphasizing development of clinical training models and culturally competent supervision needs of students, psychiatry residents and social workers at BMC. She has... More
Is Science for Me?
On a mission to empower the BU student community to share their own pathways to science, two Graduate Medical Sciences students teamed up to create: Is Science For Me? M.S. Candidate Raissa Zuim Dantes de Souza and PhD Candidate JoColl Burgess, both in the department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, are gathering short-memoirs about students' socioeconomic status (SES) as it relates to their decision to study science. "Although educational experiences are restricted to individual differences, research has illustrated that SES can influence one's educational attainment and further disparage an individual's academic success," reads the project description. "This project aims to engage... More
SNAP Benefits For Eligible BU Students
Due to a change in federal law, students who filed a 20/21 FAFSA and had an expected family contribution of zero and/or were determined eligible for Federal Work Study – though not necessarily working – may be eligible for SNAP benefits for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. More information about this recent SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefit change and how college students may be temporarily eligible for SNAP is available here. SNAP is a U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service program that provides eligible recipients with a monthly allocation. It enables you to buy food through an EBT... More