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 2026 – 2027
President: Chris Cummings
Vice President: Catie Duys
Academic Affairs Liaison: Sarah Ruth Shick
Treasurer: Phoebe Fechtmeyer
Administrative Coordinator: Katherine Hui
Union Liaison: Jack Nelson
BPSO Events
Happy summer! As we transition to a new leadership team, we’d like to encourage all BPSO members to reach out with any ideas or suggestions for the upcoming academic year. 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!
GMS Events Calendar Highlights
Research! America Learning Lunch Series | Session 2: Bringing Community and Research: Communicating Science Effectively
August 19, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Hear from a dynamic panel who will not only explore an array of career paths, but also their navigations of identity and perspective while on their career journeys. Register for the Zoom here!
Jumpstart to Teaching Skills
Apply here to take part in a program designed to provide graduate students and postdocs with foundational knowledge and skills related to teaching and teaching-intensive faculty roles in the future!
Leveraging LinkedIn for Graduate Students
This workshop will give you the tools to optimize your LinkedIn profile and confidently network with professionals on the platform. Hosted by the Center for Career Development. Register for the Zoom here!
Writing at the Graduate Level
This workshop discusses the demystifies key elements of academic writing for graduate students, so that you can feel prepared to navigate this genre successfully! Hosted by the Educational Resource Center. Register for the Zoom here!
Town Hall: New USDHS Rules For International Students & Scholars
Join the ISSO, Office of General Counsel, Federal Relations, and a Boston-based immigration attorney to learn about new USDHS rules that will restrict academic program changes and set fixed expiration dates for international students. Register for the Zoom here!
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
THANK YOU FOR READING,
YOUR BPSO EBOARD
PRESIDENT: CHRIS CUMMINGS (CHRISBC@BU.EDU)
VICE PRESIDENT: CATIE DUYS (CDUYS@BU.EDU)
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS LIAISON: SARAH RUTH SHICK (SHICK@BU.EDU)
TREASURER: PHOEBE FECHTMEYER (PFECHTME@BU.EDU)
ADMIN COORDINATOR: KATHERINE HUI (KATHUI@BU.EDU)
UNION LIAISON: JACK NELSON (JACKNEL@BU.EDU)