News & Posts
PRIDE Month Recommended Reads
RAFFLE CLOSED Congratulations to our raffle's winners: Michaela Carrier, Elissa Everton, Meagan Lauber, Yamini Adusumelli, James Merrington and Senegal Carty! Happy reading! All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto By: George M. Johnson Detransition, Baby: A Novel By: Torrey Peters Felix Ever After By: Kacen Callendar Red, White, and Royal Blue: A Novel By: Casey McQuiston The Hours: A Novel By: Michael Cunningham We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation By: Matthew Riemer
LGBTQ+ Resources from BU and Beyond
In honor of Pride month, we compiled a list of resources for supporting our LGBTQ+ community, both from Boston University and outside organizations. Please email srowan@bu.edu if you have a resource you would like to add to the list! BU Out List The BU Out List is a collaboration between the BU LGBTQIA+ Faculty & Staff Community Network and Q; the Queer Activist Collective. Their objective is to promote visibility, connectedness, and sharing of resources among LGBTQIA+ faculty, staff, students, and the larger Boston University community. BUSM Out And Ally List This is a public list of clinicians, faculty, practitioners, researchers, staff, students, and trainees across BUMC and BMC who identify as LGBTQ+ or as allies for the LGBTQ+ community. The primary mission of the OUT & Ally List is to serve as a resource for BUMC LGBTQ+ students seeking mentorship, guidance, or academic and non-academic support. Additionally, the List enables BUMC community members to build connections... More
Student Spotlight: Ryen Wilson
Ryen Wilson is a Masters' student in the Oral Health Sciences program, who hopes to become a general dentist and work with queer, trans, and nonbinary survivors of partner abuse. Ryen is graduating in September of 2021. What drove you to pursue a career in science? I’m originally from Fredericksburg, Virginia. I went to the University of Virginia and I majored in Theater. I started getting interested in science during my fourth year, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with that. I knew I wanted to act and do something “sciencey” on the side. I ended up moving to Boston right after I graduated in 2017 and I got a job as an ophthalmic technician at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston (OCB). I thought it was interesting and fun, but I didn’t see myself working towards being an ophthalmologist or an optometrist in the end. I considered nursing, I considered... More
Is Science for Me?
On a mission to empower the BU student community to share their own pathways to science, two Graduate Medical Sciences students teamed up to create: Is Science For Me? M.S. Candidate Raissa Zuim Dantes de Souza and PhD Candidate JoColl Burgess, both in the department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, are gathering short-memoirs about students' socioeconomic status (SES) as it relates to their decision to study science. "Although educational experiences are restricted to individual differences, research has illustrated that SES can influence one's educational attainment and further disparage an individual's academic success," reads the project description. "This project aims to engage in an open dialog between students who are thinking or actively pursuing a science or medicine career to define what barriers they encountered or overcame due to SES.” Responses in the form of personal memoirs are being accepted through April 12. These memoirs will be shared (anonymously) on the Is Science for... More
AAPI Student Resources
In light of recent events and horrific acts of violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, we have compiled a list of resources to support AAPI students in our medical campus community and help fight against anti-Asian racism. Boston University Resources: BU Today: Be an Ally: How to Help Fight Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia Boston University Chinese Student Association: Instagram Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAO) Support Programs & Offices for Students CRC: Scarlet Safe Walk (9pm to Midnight) BUSM Crime Prevention & Campus Safety BUMC Public Safety External Resources: Mental Wellness Activity Book for Asian Americans APALA | Covid-19 Information How to Protect Your Mental Health While Fighting Racial Injustice Mental Health Resources for Young People of Color Mental Health and Wellness Resources for Students of Color Asian American Organizing Project Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit Resources — The AAPI COVID-19 Project Asian American Discrimination and Substance Abuse Asian Americans Against Violence: Stand Against Hatred Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under... More
Student Spotlight: Kiloni Quiles-Franco
Kiloni Quiles-Franco is a PhD student studying Molecular and Translational Medicine at GMS. She is currently the co-host of Vitamin PhD, a podcast produced at Boston University for anyone who is pursuing a doctorate, has a doctorate, or supporting others on their doctoral journey. The podcast's fourth season is focusing on conversations with student organizations, faculty members, and staff from across BU schools and colleges about diversity and anti-racism. Co-hosts Kiloni and Khadija El-Karfi (Romance Studies) discuss how these individuals and groups engage in social justice work within their departments, labs, programs, and colleges. We chatted with Kiloni about her vision for the podcast's fourth season, tips for handling social justice fatigue, her hopes for upcoming diversity initiatives and more: How did you first get involved in Vitamin PhD? I was an invited guest on Season 3 for a roundtable discussion. I’ve also been involved in a lot of Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, racial... More
2/18/2021 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Medicine and Science
On Thursday, February 18th, from 4:00pm - 5:00pm, the GMS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office held a discussion panel titled: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Science and Medicine This interactive panel discussion was held with African American alumni across disciplines to discuss Imposter Syndrome – the overwhelming feeling of self-doubt and attribution of luck in spite of persistent talent and ability. The panel discussed what imposter syndrome is, and strategies to empower ourselves against these doubts. Panelists included: Jacobi Cunningham, PhD – 2010 Pharmacology Graduate. Associate Director of Pharmacology and Scientific Operations Frederick Powell, MD, PhD – 2009 Anatomy and Neurobiology/2011 MD Graduate. Anesthesiologist and Critical Care Physician Sasha Curry, DDS, MS, MSPH – 2015 Oral Health Sciences Graduate. Dentist and Public Health Advocate Pilar Tucker, MA – 2016 Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine Graduate. Health Professional & PsyD candidate
11/17/2020 – Microaggressions & Their Impact on Professional Development in the Academy
GMS DEI participated in the Department of Medical Sciences & Education monthly "Educators Collaborative Lunch" where BUMC educators share and exchange ideas for best practices in pedagogy for graduate biomedical education over lunch. The topic was Microaggressions & Their Impact on Professional Development in the Academy . Please click the link to view the video (Access Passcode: v7mFzpH@).
10/6/2020 – Allyship in the Scientific Enterprise: Performance or Progress?
Tuesday, October 6th from 1-2:30 PM GMS partnered with the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences for a discussion on “Allyship in the Scientific Enterprise: Performance or Progress?”. This event was a virtual panel discussion with nationally recognized faculty engaged in both STEM and diversity, equity & inclusion scholarship, where we explored strategies to move from statements to actionable next steps in support of underrepresented students, faculty, researchers, and staff.
ART DAYS- Antiracism Theme
Art Days has filled Hiebert Lounge with artwork of all kinds (paintings, photos, poetry, sculpture, needlework, etc.) from BUMC students, faculty and staff for 30 years. This annual all-campus event is sponsored by the Provost’s office, with the exhibition mounted by the Creative Arts Society. The recent horrific deaths of Stephon Clark, Aura Rosser, Atatiana Jefferson, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd have heightened our awareness of racism and social injustice. Furthermore, COVID-19 has exposed inequalities in our healthcare system, with meetings and presentations on both the Medical and Charles River Campuses’. We have chosen ANTIRACISM for the theme of this year’s Art Days to promote further thought and discussion of these issues. Art Days will be in the spring semester as usual, but we are providing the theme well in advance, especially as some may have more free time now for creative endeavors. (Non-theme submissions will be acceptable, but the thematic works will... More