Spotlights
Students, Faculty & Alumni
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
Amy Brodeur, MFS, and Matthew Layne, PhD, Receive GMS Educator of the Year Awards
Each year, Boston University and Graduate Medical Sciences honors several faculty members who show steadfast dedication and passion toward graduate and doctoral education. These awards are based on student recommendations from across the GMS programs. This year, we are thrilled to announce that GMS has awarded the 2022 Educator of the Year awards to Amy Brodeur, MFS, and Matthew Layne, PhD. Amy N. Brodeur, MFS Associate Director, Biomedical Forensic Sciences Program Assistant Professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology Brodeur, recognized as GMS... More
Student Spotlight: Tom Morin (PhD ’22)
Tom Morin (PhD ’22), a fifth-year student in the Graduate Program for Neuroscience, grew up in Braintree, Mass. As a kid, Tom always imagined that somewhere out in the world was a literal tree with brains growing out of it. “I couldn’t wait to find this tree, pick my very own brain from among the branches, and see what it looked like,” Morin wrote in an email. “I was wrong about the tree, but now I get... More
Student Spotlight: Greg Cello, MS’22
Greg Cello is a Masters' student in the Medical Sciences (MAMS) program, a U.S. Army veteran and a mentor for the C3 Community Catalyst Center gMAV Network. He will graduate in May 2022. Whether it’s for his family, his soldiers or his future patients, service to others is the entire fabric of Greg Cello’s (MS’22) life. That service is ultimately what drew the May 2022 degree candidate to Boston University two years ago. In just a few... More
Student Spotlight: Darius Haghighat MS ’22
“I’m going to miss the people,” Darius Haghighat (MS’22) said, reflecting on his last two years at Boston University. “It’s a cheesy answer, but it’s the truth. I feel like I’m really lucky.” The May 2022 degree candidate is preparing to graduate with an MS in Genetic Counseling – a program that has allowed him to combine his academic interest in complex genetic technology with his lifelong passion for working with people. But Haghighat’s success at BU... More
Student Spotlight: Caitlin Ridgewell PhD ’22
Caitlin Ridgewell is a PhD candidate in the Behavioral Neurosciences program whose lab studies brain health and cognition in active duty military service members. Her dissertation studied the use of a novel neuromodulatory technique on stress and performance. Caitlin will graduate in May 2022. Which topic did you choose for your dissertation research? How did you settle on that topic? "My dissertation research is on the use of a novel neuromodulatory technique, transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the... More