Spotlights
Students, Faculty & Alumni
Student Spotlight: Jhonatan Henao Vasquez
Jhonatan Henao Vasquez is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM). Henao Vasquez entered Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS) through the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS). He currently works in the Pulmonary Center, researching MIWI2 positive multi-ciliated cells. Fourth-year PhD candidate Jhonatan Henao Vasquez is keeping his options open, but he knows that he sees himself returning to industry work. Originally from Colombia, Henao Vasquez and his family immigrated to New... More
Alumni Spotlight: Gabriel Chavez (OHS ‘22, GSDM ‘26)
Gabriel Chavez is a May 2022 graduate of the MS in Oral Health Sciences program at GMS. He is currently a first-year dental student at the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, where he was recently elected president of the D1 class. Gabriel is also a peer mentor through the DentMent program, which helps current OHS students adjust to the rigor of the program and life in Boston. Tell me a little bit about your... More
Two Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Faculty Awarded Career Development Professorships for Promising Scholars
Two Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty -- Jean-Pierre Roussarie, PhD and Daniel Dempsey, PhD -- were awarded Career Development Professorships for Promising Scholars by Boston University. They were two of eight junior faculty honored across BU. Roussarie is an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, and Dempsey is an assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology. The BU Provost's Office awards these professorships to junior faculty nominated by the deans and colleagues... More
Faculty Spotlight: Jean-Pierre Roussarie, PhD
Jean-Pierre Roussarie, PhD, is an assistant professor of anatomy & neurobiology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. His lab studies the molecular events leading to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Roussarie is also a Community Catalyst Center mentor for the gGLOBAL and gPLUS affinity groups. Tell me about your journey to Boston. What brought you here? I was born in the U.S. but spent most of my life in France. My dad was... More
Oral Health Science Faculty Works to Eliminate Dental Disparities in Latinx Community
Raul Garcia, professor at Goldman School of Dental Medicine and faculty in the GMS Oral Health Sciences program, is working hard to increase access to quality dental care within underserved communities. His work was recently featured in a BU Today article highlighting seven Latinx researchers making a difference with their scholarship and science. Garcia discussed his identity and experience as a Latino living in the United States, which, according to the article, has had a "fundamental impact... More
Daniel Cifuentes, PhD, Studies RNA Regulation with Zebrafish and Viruses
This summer, Dr. Daniel Cifuentes, an assistant professor of biochemistry at Graduate Medical Sciences, received one of several $75,000 BU Ignition Awards aimed at helping promising research initiatives find a potential pathway to commercial success. The Cifuentes Lab works on a variety of projects that study the fundamental mechanisms of RNA regulation, a universal process for all life on Earth. RNA carries from the DNA the information necessary to create new proteins in the body, and faulty... More
GMS Faculty Spotlight: Dan Tzizik, PA
Dan Tzizik is the associate director of didactic education for the Physician Assistant Program. He has been a member of the New Hampshire National Guard for over two decades and joined the BU PA Program as a faculty member in 2020. Tzizik is also a faculty mentor for the GMS Community Catalyst Center gMAV affinity group. We spoke to Tzizik about his time in the National Guard, his role at BU, and his recent Innovative... More
Dan Tzizik, PA, Participates in Innovative Readiness Training Mission with New Hampshire National Guard
Dan Tzizik, associate director of didactic education for the Physician Assistant Program, participated in a two-week-long Innovative Readiness Training mission with the New Hampshire National Guard, where he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has been a member of the NH National Guard for 19 years and joined the BU PA Program as a faculty member in 2020. Tzizik is also a faculty mentor for the GMS Community Catalyst Center gMAV affinity group, which seeks to... More
Faculty Spotlight: Kim Zayhowski, MS, CGC
Kim Zayhowski, MS, CGC, is a cancer genetic counselor and clinical researcher at Boston Medical Center. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Sciences and Education and teaches within BU's Genetic Counseling Program. Much of Kim's current research within genetic counseling focuses on improving care for LGBTQIA+ patients, specifically focusing on the trans community and the intersex community. Are you originally from the Boston area? What did your educational journey look like? I... More
Student Spotlight: Monet Bland, MS’22
Monet Bland is a student in the Physician Assistant Program enrolled in the Cambridge Integrated Clerkship (CIC), as well as an exercise physiologist, diabetes educator and world-class powerlifter. She will graduate in August 2022. Monet Bland (MS’22) has known she wanted to work in medicine since she was a child – and she knew she wanted her career to begin in Boston. Born at Boston Medical Center, Bland moved to Maryland with her family and lived there... More