Biomedical PhD Student Organization
BPSO Mission
The Biomedical PhD Student Organization (BPSO) aims to build and strengthen the community among PhD programs at BUMC; to foster personal and professional relationships between students faculty, alumni , and administrators; to promote interdisciplinary research at BU; and to cultivate camaraderie among Biomedical Science PhD students.
Email us at: bpso@bu.edu
Find us on Facebook
BPSO Officers 2025 – 2026
President: Jillian Grassia (jgrassia@bu.edu)
Vice President: Sam Tolton (sgtolton@bu.edu)
Academic Affairs Liaison: Madeline Labbott (mlabott@bu.edu)
Treasurer: Isabella Garza (igarza99@bu.edu)
Administrative Coordinator: Diana Yeritsyan (dyeritsy@bu.edu)
Union Liaison: Jack Nelson (jacknel@bu.edu)
BPSO Events
February is a short month, but its BPSO and GMS schedules are action-packed! As always, please fill out this survey with any ideas you have for events you’d be interested in attending. We look forward to hearing from you!
February BPSO Business Meeting
Wednesday, 4 February 2026, 5:00pm-6:00pm, K103
The executive board will provide an overview of winter events and updates on happenings within GMS. Students will have an opportunity to raise concerns and provide feedback to our Academic Liaison and Union Liaison. FREE food will be provided! Going forward, all business meetings will be held on the first Wednesday of every other month.
Terrarium Building
Tuesday, 26 February 2026, 2:00pm-4:00pm, K103
BPSO will be hosting a Build-Your-Own Terrarium event with provided supplies. Relieve some stress and come build a plant haven to take home!
Alumni Mix and Mingle
Friday, 17 April 2026, 3:00pm-5:30pm, L403 and L405
Mark your calendars for the second annual PhD student and alumni Mix and Mingle Networking event! Food and drinks will be provided! This event will include a panel discussion and structured mingling and conversations with BU PhD alumni with expertise in a wide array of fields. More information and registration will be released closer to the event date!
Spring Formal
Friday, 1 May 2026, 6:00pm-7:00pm, Carrie Nation
Join us at Carrie Nation for the BPSO Spring Formal! This year’s theme is Secret Garden, so break out those leafy greens and fairy lights! Formal attire is encouraged but not required. Each PhD student is allowed one guest. Be on the lookout for RSVP information to come!
GMS Events Calendar Highlights
GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS: Setting the Stage for Successful Grant Applications: You, BU, and Funders
Tuesday, 3 February 2026, 4:00pm-5:00pm, Zoom link
Virtual workshop ideal for graduate students and postdocs considering applying for funding while at BU. Workshop will focus on writing style and skills, goal setting and aspirations, understanding the grant application and award management processes at BU, and creating a funding plan and timeline for strategizing grant applications. Contact Benedicte Gnangnon for additional details (bgnan@bu.edu).
Anatomy of Specific Aims; Q&A with Expert Grant Writers and Reviewers
Tuesday, 11 February 2026, 4:00pm-5:30pm, Zoom link
Virtual workshop in two 40-minute segments. Segment one will inform attendees about NIH grant proposal structures and discuss how to make a case for their ideas in their specific aims. Segment two will include a Q&A discussion from Julia Huntsman from the Proposal Development Office and experienced faculty who have successfully secured grant funding and have
served on study sections. Contact Benedicte Gnangnon for additional details (bgnan@bu.edu).
GMS Professional Headshots
Wednesday, 4 February 2026, 11:00am-3:00pm, L310
All GMS students are welcome to sign-up. Event information here.
First-Generation Graduate and Professional Student Symposium
Friday, 20 February 2026, 1:00pm-5:00pm, Zoom
Join the BU Newbury Center, the Duke University First-Generation Graduate Student Network, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Carolina Grad Student F1RSTS, and sponsor FirstGen Forward for the ninth annual symposium for graduate and professional students. This is a national symposium open to any student who identifies as a current first-generation graduate or professional student in any discipline. Registration and zoom link information can be found here.
Mentoring Conversations Brown Bag Lunch Series
Thursday, 26 February 2026, 11:30am-1:00pm, 755 Commonwealth Ave, Suite 101
Lunchtime, in-person series open to anyone on either BU campus focusing on mentoring skills development. Topic of this first meeting will be Mentoring Skills as Transferrable Skills—Academia, Industry, Nonprofits, and Beyond. Registration and additional information can be found here.
TAX PREPARATION WORKSHOPS:
For international students and scholars: Wednesday, 18 February 2026, 4:00pm-5:00pm, Zoom link
For resident students and scholars: Thursday, 19 February 2026, 4:00pm-5:00pm, Zoom link
Join Robert D. Underwood, CPA, PC for these tax preparation webinars, specifically designed to help graduate students and postdocs file federal and Massachusetts income taxes. Seminars on 18 and 19 February will be geared toward international and resident students respectively. Mr. Underwood will be available after the webinars for any additional questions.
Q&A for accessing relevant financial info: Thursday, 26 February 2026, 4:00pm-5:00pm, Zoom link
The Q&A session on February 26 will be an opportunity to learn more about where to find the right information to be able to file your taxes. No tax advice will be provided, but relevant information will be presented on navigating BU systems so that you have all necessary information for filing taxes.
Harvard Osteoarthritis Surgical Innovation and Science (OASIS) Symposium
Saturday, 28 February 2026, 11:00am-2:30pm, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard’s Aging Initiative has partnered with Boston Pepper Center to host the inaugural OASIS symposium. This event will feature physicians, researchers, and industry experts at the forefront of innovations in osteoarthritis research, therapeutics, and biotechnology. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in medicine, surgery, ortho, biotech, therapeutics, muscle/mobility, cardiovascular health, metabolism, and neurology. Sign up and additional information can be found here.
Upcoming Defense
Jennifer Freire
Pharmacology
Optical Voltage Imaging and Nonviral Gene Delivery for Mechanistic Investigation of Parkinson’s Disease
Mackenzie Gamble
Molecular and Translational Medicine, Program in Biomedical Sciences
From Preclinical Models to Public Health: Mechanistic and Translational Insights into Fentanyl and Polysubstance Effects on Sleep, Respiratory Function, and Overdose
Ivy Hughes
Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology, Program in Biomedical Sciences
Mechanisms of Innate Immune Activation by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1
Sarah Dohadwala, PhD
Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology, Program in Biomedical Sciences
Characterizing the Unique Sperm Glycan Landscape: Determining the Human Contraception Antibody’s Epitope and the Effects of Bacterial Vaginosis Derived Sialidases on Sperm
Congrats Doctor!!!
Are you defending soon? Let us know so we can help advertise your defense!
Union Updates
The Union Security clause in the contract requires bargaining unit members to pay membership dues or a fair share agency fee. In the event that a bargaining unit member after notification of this obligation fails to pay one or the other, they are subject to a one week’s suspension of pay between the fall and spring semesters.
We entered an MOU with BU to move this penalty from Winter Break to after the spring semester for this year only. When is the time to sign membership cards? If you haven’t signed a membership card yet, now is the time to do so!
You can find a link to the card, and important information on paying dues here: https://www.seiu509.org/join/joinhighered/
Feedback or thoughts? Email us at BPSO@bu.edu
FOLLOW OUR GOOGLE CALENDAR
THANK YOU FOR READING,
YOUR BPSO EBOARD
PRESIDENT: JILLIAN GRASSIA (JGRASSIA@BU.EDU)
VICE PRESIDENT: SAM TOLTON (SGTOLTON@BU.EDU)
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS LIAISON: MADELINE LABOTT (MLABOTT@BU.EDU)
TREASURER: ISABELLA GARZA (IGARZA99@BU.EDU)
ADMIN COORDINATOR: DIANA YERITSYAN (DYERITSY@BU.EDU)
UNION LIAISON: JACK NELSON (JACKNEL@BU.EDU)