Spotlights
Students, Faculty & Alumni
Congratulations to Our 2025 GMS Educator and Mentor Awardees!
Each year, the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine honors Graduate Medical Sciences faculty who deliver exceptional education and mentorship to graduate students in masters and doctoral programs. The awards are granted based on recommendations from across GMS programs. This year, GMS is pleased to share that Elizabeth Duffy, MA, and Barbara Schreiber, PhD, have been awarded the 2024 Educator of the Year awards, and that Neil Ganem, PhD, has been awarded the Excellence... More
GMS Spotlight: Kanishka Mehra (MHCBM ’25)
Kanishka Mehra is a May 2025 graduate of the Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling & Behavioral Medicine at Graduate Medical Sciences. In her work as a therapist, Kanishka aims to work with adolescents, young adults, and midlife adults through transitional periods that can hold the potential for transformation. Throughout the last two years, Kanishka has also worked as the Marketing & Communications student intern for GMS, where she created content for social media, More
Congratulations to Our 2025 Outstanding Student Achievement Award Winners!
Graduate Medical Sciences has awarded three high-achieving, graduating students with Outstanding Student Achievement Awards in the categories of “Community Service” and “Outstanding Research.” The “Outstanding Research” Award recognizes achievement related to scientific impact, breakthroughs and intellectual contributions during a student’s time at GMS. The “Community Service” Award recognizes initiative and leadership related to service either in fulfillment of graduate school requirements or extracurricular efforts. Each student who won an award has made exceptional contributions to... More
2025 Outstanding Student Achievement Award: Master’s Community Service Category
Marine Chido Nimblette Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program Nimblette is a member of the MS in Medical Sciences graduating class of 2025. Since 2024, she has served as one of 38 mayor-appointed members of the SPARK Boston Council, where she advises Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on programs and policies that affect 20- to 35-year-olds across the city. As council members, Nimblette and her cohort each represent a Boston neighborhood. Nimblette represents the Fenway/Kenmore area, More
2025 Outstanding Student Achievement Award: Master’s Research Category
Gloria Urrutia '25 Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program Urrutia matriculated into the MS in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program in 2023 and is preparing to graduate in May 2025. During her thesis year, Urrutia has worked on several projects addressing overlooked educational and healthcare barriers that disproportionately affect underrepresented communities. For her thesis alongside Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics Marisol Lopez, PhD, Urrutia investigated how technical flaws in physiology multiple-choice question (MCQ) assessments... More
2025 Outstanding Student Achievement Award: PhD Research Category
Todd W. Dowrey '25 PhD in Molecular & Translational Medicine, Program in Biomedical Sciences Dowrey matriculated into the PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS) in 2020 before transitioning to the Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM) following his first rotation year. He currently works in the lab of Assistant Professor of Medicine George Murphy, PhD, who co-founded the Boston University and Boston Medical Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM). Dowrey first joined the lab as a technician... More
CReM Founding Director Darrell Kotton, MD, Named BU Innovator of the Year
Darrell Kotton, MD, founding director of the Boston University and Boston Medical Center Center for Regenerative Medicine, has been named BU's Innovator of the Year. Kotton is a mentor in Graduate Medical Sciences whose research focuses on advancing understanding of lung disease and developmental biology using stem cell biology and gene therapy. The Brink highlighted Kotton's award and research as a leading scientist in regenerative medicine. Read the full story here.
GMS PhD Spotlight: Ellen Suder
Ellen Suder is a May 2025 PhD candidate in the graduate program in Virology, Immunology & Microbiology. Ellen’s dissertation research investigates how filoviruses such as Ebola and Marburg virus regulate their gene expression processes, focusing on the transcriptional activities of the filovirus-specific protein VP30. Ellen matriculated into GMS via the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS). Learn more about Ellen’s journey below! What did you complete your dissertation research on and how did you settle on that... More
GMS PhD Spotlight: Stacy Jankowski (MTM ’25)
Stacy Jankowski is a PhD candidate in the GMS Graduate Program in Molecular & Translational Medicine, through the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS). Stacy’s research in the lab of Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska investigates serine and the synthesis pathway’s impact on cell plasticity through epigenetic modification in oral squamous cell carcinoma. She matriculated into BU after working in industry as a Senior Research Associate and plans to return to industry once she graduates in May 2025. More
GMS PhD Spotlight: Riley Pihl (MTM ’25)
Riley Pihl is a PhD candidate in the lab of Assistant Professor of Medicine Katrina Traber, MD, PhD. Riley matriculated into the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS) in 2020 before transitioning into the Molecular and Translational Medicine program. His research in the Traber Lab focused on neutrophil regulation during acute bacterial pneumonia. Riley defended his dissertation in March 2025 and will graduate in May. Learn more about Riley below! What did you complete your dissertation research... More