Introducing Our 2026 GMS Commencement Speakers!
We are less than one month away from our Spring 2026 Commencement exercises, where the Graduate Medical Sciences community will celebrate this year’s graduating master’s, PhD, and MD-PhD students. Today, we would like to introduce you to the four students selected to speak during this year’s ceremonies. Three students were... More
GMS Student Spotlight: Rose Zhao
Rose Zhao is an MD/PhD candidate at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She is pursuing her PhD research in the lab of Neil Ganem, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology, physiology & biophysics and medicine. Her research focuses on understanding the causes and consequences of chromosomal instability in... More
Symposium Showcases Variety, Depth of GMS Student and Post-Doctoral Research
Sharing research is a deep and meaningful experience for trainees and faculty. Originally from Texas, now in her fourth year as an MD/PhD student, Brittny Garcia thought she’d made her peace with New England winters. Despite this year’s relentless snowstorms and bitter cold, which may have made her long for warmer places, More
GMS Student Spotlight: Riley Scherer ‘26
Riley Scherer is a second-year student in the Master of Science in Forensic Anthropology Program at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. During her time at Graduate Medical Sciences, Riley has researched the taphonomic effects of sharks, studying how shark feeding activity could affect bones that are found... More
GMS Alumni Spotlight: Omer Elrayah, DMD, MS ‘18
Omer Elrayah, DMD, MS, is a 2018 graduate of the Master of Science in Oral Health Sciences Program at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Following his graduation from Graduate Medical Sciences, Omer attended Tufts University School of Dental Medicine before taking on roles in community health and... More
GMS PhD Student Wins Boston University Life Sciences Case Competition, Discovering New Career Paths
Sanjana Bhagavatula, a third-year PhD student in the Department of Genetics and Genomics, did not expect that participating in a business school case competition would change how she thinks about her future. After participating in (and winning) the third annual Boston University Healthcare Case Competition in February, however, she discovered that... More
GMS Alumni Spotlight: Jennifer Abovich, ‘25
Jennifer Abovich is an August 2025 graduate of the Master of Science in Clinical Research program at Graduate Medical Sciences. Jennifer works at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where she focuses on oncology early access programs providing investigational treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. Her time in the MSCR program provided her... More
Save the Dates: Graduate & Professional Student Appreciation Week 2026
Graduate Medical Sciences is thrilled to celebrate the invaluable contributions of our graduate and professional student community during this year's Graduate & Professional Student Appreciation Week! From April 6 to 10, join us for a week of events, food and swag pickups, and more to mark the occasion. Check out a... More
New Double Terrier Scholarship Available to BU Alumni Beginning in Summer 2026
Boston University has introduced a new Double Terrier Scholarship, designed to make graduate education more accessible and affordable for BU alumni. This scholarship is available to those have earned their bachelor's degrees at BU. It guarantees a 25% award toward eligible master's programs starting in Summer 2026 or later. No separate application... More
GMS Alumni Spotlight: Ricardo Almiron, MS ‘25
Ricardo Almiron is a 2025 graduate of the master’s program in Biomedical Research Technologies at Graduate Medical Sciences. His research in the lab of Dr. Vipul Chitalia focuses on the effect of the enzyme IDO1 on the buildup of uremic toxins in chronic kidney disease patients. Ricardo next plans to... More
GMS Alumni Spotlight: Sophia Nosek ’25
Sophia Nosek is a 2025 graduate of the Master of Science in Clinical Research program at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Sophia currently works as the Research Program Manager for the post-mortem UNITE Brain Bank Study at the BU Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center, where she also... More
GMS Alumni Spotlight: Ana Vitantonio, PhD, ‘25
Ana Vitantonio is a 2025 graduate of the PhD Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Her dissertation research in the lab of Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology Douglas Rosene investigated how lifelong caloric restriction modulates brain aging. Ana has accepted a postdoctoral position... More
GMS Faculty Spotlight: Sean Tallman, PhD, RPA
Sean Tallman is an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, with secondary affiliations with the Department of Anthropology and Program in Archaeology on the Charles River Campus. He is a biological anthropologist who specializes in forensic anthropology, human skeletal biology, and forensic archaeology. In the Department of... More
From The Brink: CTE Can Cause Dementia, According to New Boston University Study
CTE Can Cause Dementia, According to New Boston University Study The Brink; January 27, 2026 Read full story A recent article from The Brink highlighted a new study from the Boston University CTE Center that found people with advanced chronic traumatic encephalopathy have four times higher odds of getting dementia than those without the progressive... More
MHCBM Student Mairelys Cabrera Displays Artwork in GMS Suite
Mairelys Cabrera, a master's student in the Mental Health Counseling & Behavioral Medicine program, opened an art exhibition in the GMS Suite (L-317) on Wednesday, January 21, displaying paintings weaving together "nostalgia, whimsy, cultural influence, lived experiences, and the natural worlds that inspire their creative process." Check out a sample of... More
Graduate Medical Sciences MS in Genetic Counseling Program Celebrates 20 Years at Boston University
BUGCP is New England’s only genetic counseling program located in an academic medical center with a safety net hospital on campus In 2007, the Boston University School of Medicine (now Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine) graduated its first cohort from the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling program. The five-person... More
Looking Back on Fall 2025 at Graduate Medical Sciences
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, More
Recommended Reads for Intersession
GMS Student Affairs and The Alumni Medical Library present the annual book list of Recommended Reads For Intersession and raffle. We hope you enjoy these titles picked by the staff members of both GMS and the Library! Enter the raffle to be 1 of 20 students to win a book from... More
GMS Spotlight: Chelsey Skeete, PhD ’25
Chelsey Skeete’s passion for science began long before she matriculated into Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine in 2020. Born and raised in Boston, Skeete fondly remembers attending and participating in science fairs throughout the city and gravitating toward science books, even as a young child. As she... More
Boston University and HENAR Kick off Medical Education Workshops
Boston University and HENAR Kick off Medical Education Workshops November 10, 2025 | Full article On October 7-10, more than 150 Armenian doctors participated in the first of 20 medical education workshops—conducted by six Masters’ degree candidates in Health Professions Education (MHPE), a hybrid program offered by Boston University in collaboration with... More
GMS Students “Boo” It Themselves During Halloween Week Painting Events
GMS students channeled their inner creativity this Halloween week at two different painting events on campus. The first, "Boo-It-Yourself," was sponsored by GMS Student Affairs and the Community Catalyst Center and invited students to decorate a Halloween- or fall-themed wooden sign. Students chose from a variety of stencils available or free-handed... More
GMS Students & Postdocs Attend 2025 STEMPeers Conference in Boston
Four PhD students and two postdoctoral candidates from Graduate Medical Sciences attended the 2025 STEMPeers Conference, hosted October 4 at the Boston University Metcalf Trustees Center. STEMPeers is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and mentoring STEM PhDs throughout their career exploration and transition efforts. The conference was sponsored in part... More
Congratulations to Our GMS Distinguished Alumni Award Winner, Dr. Vladimir Kefalov (GMS ’99)!
Vladimir Kefalov, PhD (GMS ’99), currently serves as a professor of ophthalmology, and of physiology & biophysics, at the University of California Irvine, holding the Allergan Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology and serving as Vice Chair for Research in Ophthalmology. He is recognized worldwide as one of the top electrophysiologists in... More
GMS Celebrates Fourth-Annual Gear-Up Week
The Community Catalyst Center's fourth-annual Gear-Up Week brought students together for a week of connection, academic skill-building, creativity and more. Gear-Up Week, hosted this year from Sept. 8 to 12, offered four different activities and events throughout the week. The week began with Community & Belonging Office Hours, hosted by Dr. Karin Schon... More
The Fall 2025 Semester Has Begun at Graduate Medical Sciences!
Welcome to Fall 2025 at Graduate Medical Sciences! This semester, we welcomed 486 students to GMS, including 459 master’s students, five MD/PhD students and 22 PhD students. Our incoming students are joining us from 22 different countries and 39 states, attending a collective 220 undergraduate institutions. Most of our new students arrived... More