Announcing the Chair of the Department of Medicine, Vicki Jackson, MD, MPH – Starting in September

We are pleased to share that Vicki Jackson, MD, MPH, has been named Chief and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, beginning Sept. 2, 2025.

Dr. Jackson joins us from Massachusetts General Hospital, where she has served with distinction for more than two decades. She currently serves as the Blum Family Endowed Chair in Palliative Care and the Chief of the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Jackson is also a Professor in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Co-Director of the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, and the founding Director for the Harvard Palliative Medicine Fellowship.

A nationally recognized leader in palliative care, Dr. Jackson is a co-investigator and mentor on numerous studies funded through the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute investigating the effect of early, integrated palliative care for patients with advanced cancer. In 2019, she received Harvard Medical School’s prestigious A. Clifford Barger mentoring award. She is the co-author of the book “Living with Cancer: A step-by-step guide to coping medically and emotionally with a serious diagnosis” and “What’s in the syringe? Principles of early Integrated Palliative Care.” Nationally, Dr. Jackson serves as the Immediate Past President for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Dr. Jackson completed her residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at Cambridge Hospital. She received training in research methods through the Harvard general medicine fellowship and completed a master's in public health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She also completed training in palliative care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

As a compassionate clinician and a visionary leader, Dr. Jackson brings a patient-centered approach, a strong academic foundation, strategic insight, and a deep personal commitment to equitable care that will greatly benefit the Department of Medicine and the broader BMC and BU communities.

We would like to thank the search committee, headed by David Henderson, MD, Chief and Chair of Psychiatry, for their thoughtful leadership throughout the selection process. We are also grateful to Sushrut Waikar, MD, for leading the Department of Medicine as interim Chief and Chair while continuing in his role as Section Chief of Nephrology.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Jackson to Boston Medical Center and BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine later this year.

2025 DoM Evans Days Abstract Submissions Are Now Open!

Key Dates

Abstract Submission dates:         June 3 – July 1

Poster submission dates:             August 6 – September 12

Poster presentation date:            October 16

Please note: By submitting an abstract, you are committing to submit a poster through ePosterboards online platform.

Click here to submit your abstract!

Abstract Submission Guidelines

Instructions for Completing the Online Abstracts Form

  1. In order to submit an abstract, we request some information about you. Please provide the following.
    1. Your name
    2. Section/Department
    3. Your Mentor
    4. Research Collaborators
    5. Preferred email and phone number
    6. Home mailing address
    7. Recent Headshot
    8. Include a brief bio of yourself (where did you go to school, research interest, etc.)
    9. Is this research Basic Science or Clinical?
    10. 3 Keywords

Once step one is complete and reviewed you will then be able to submit your abstract(s). Abstract submission will be open on Tuesday, June 3; it must be submitted by Tuesday, July 1 by 11:59pm EST.

  1. Evaluation of abstracts will be based on the following considerations. You will be asked to address each of these items in separate text boxes. The total character limit is 1470 for the four boxes combined.
    1. Objective: Research rationale, objectives and/or hypothesis are well defined and clearly stated.
    2. Methods: Research methods are appropriate for the study objectives/hypothesis and describe what was done concisely.
    3. Results: Results are clearly presented and directly address the objectives and convincingly support or refute them.
    4. Conclusions: Conclusions are supported by the data, indicate the novelty and/or impact of the research and address the limitations and/or future directions.
    5. Image Size: No larger than 2in high x 4in wide for publication purposes.

 

  1. The abstracts receipt deadline Tuesday, July 1, by 11:59pm will remain firm and any abstracts received after the deadline will not be accepted.

 

  1. Everyone is encouraged to submit an abstract and all will be considered for presentation on Evans Day. However, previous winners of the trainee Evans Days Oral Presentation & Poster Awards within the past three years will not be eligible for an award this year unless the subject of the abstract is completely different than the previous award-winning submission.

Submission Rules

  1. Abstracts submission portal will open on Tuesday, June 3, and will close after Tuesday, July 1 at 11:59 PM, EST.
  2. Character Count: Abstracts are limited to 1470 characters, not including spaces. Image size should be no larger than 2in high x 4in wide for publication purposes.
  3. Make abstracts as informative as possible, including a brief statement of the purpose of the study or why it was done, the methods used, the results observed, and the author(s)' conclusions based upon the results. Actual data should be summarized. It is inadequate to state "the results will be discussed" or "the data will be presented." Abstracts must be written in English.
  4. You will be asked to partition your abstract into four section: Objective, Methods, Results and Conclusions. The total limit for all four sections combined is 1470 characters.
  5. NO REVISIONS to abstracts will be allowed after the deadline.
  6. Authorship on multiple abstracts permitted (1st authorship is permitted on one abstract only).
  7. All Department of Medicine faculty, fellows, house staff, post-docs, and graduate students may submit abstracts.
  8. Submissions are accepted from any BUMC member but ONLY DOM Trainees, Students, and Post docs will be eligible for competitive awards.
  9. Work done at another institution can be accepted as long as It was done in collaboration with a DOM faculty member.
  10. Upon completion of your submission you will receive an email confirmation.
  11. Please be prepared to submit a poster in PDF or Powerpoint format to accompany your abstract. We will reach out to you once the abstract submission deadline has closed with more information on how to prepare your poster. The deadline for poster submissions will be September 12.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Christine Choi at choikp@bu.edu.

Announcing DoM Mentoring & Mission Career Development Professorship Recipient!!

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Shana Burrowes, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, has been selected as the recipient of the Department of Medicine Mentoring & Mission Career Development Professorship.

This endowed professorship was established to support an outstanding Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine who has distinguished themselves through their research, teaching, and/or mentoring, particularly as leaders in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). Dr. Burrowes exemplifies the mission and spirit of this professorship through her scholarship, mentorship, and steadfast commitment to equity in academic medicine.

Dr. Burrowes received her MPH in Global Communicable Diseases from the University of South Florida and her PhD in Molecular Epidemiology from the University of Maryland Baltimore. She completed postdoctoral training at Boston University in the Social Innovation on Drug Resistance (SIDR) program and currently serves as a faculty member in the Section of Infectious Diseases and the Evans Center for Implementation & Improvement Sciences (CIIS).

Dr. Burrowes brings expertise in both quantitative and qualitative methods to her research, which spans a broad range of topics including HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain (with a focus on migraine), sickle cell disease, antibiotic use, and infectious diseases with a particular emphasis on health disparities in the Caribbean, minority, and immigrant communities in the U.S. She is especially interested in understanding barriers to care and the influence of social and cultural norms on health-seeking behaviors. Her current research centers on examining how cross-cultural communication barriers in the outpatient setting impact non-prescribed antibiotic use in the Latin American and Caribbean community. The professorship will continue to support her work in this area as she expands her focus to non-prescribed antibiotic use outside of the healthcare setting.

In addition to her scholarly accomplishments, Dr. Burrowes is a dedicated mentor and advocate for underrepresented students in STEM. She fosters an inclusive and supportive environment, providing research opportunities and holistic mentorship that spans academic, career, and personal development.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Burrowes on this well-deserved recognition. We are proud to support her continued work and look forward to all she will accomplish in this new role.

DoM Faculty Appointments and Promotions – April 2025

Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their recent appointment or promotion.

Clinical Associate Professor

Marcin Trojanowski, MD, Medicine/Rheumatology, specializes in the treatment of systemic sclerosis. He directs the Scleroderma Program, overseeing scleroderma clinical trials, a biorepository and a clinical research database. He oversees the Scleroderma Clinic at Boston Medical Center, which is New England’s largest scleroderma program. Dr. Trojanowski is also recognized as an expert in macrophage activation syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal complication of inflammatory autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

Research Associate Professor

Britta Lassmann, MD, Medicine/Infectious Diseases, is an infectious diseases physician and healthcare technology innovator with expertise in building applications at the intersection of clinical care, public health, analytics and technology. Her research also integrates advanced analytical methods and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize disease surveillance and outbreak response. She is a co-founder of BEACON, the Biothreats, Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network, a first-of-its-kind, open-source global surveillance platform built to detect emerging infectious diseases in near real time, worldwide. The platform merges the power of AI with a global network of human subject matter experts to provide fast, verified alerts to potential outbreaks. BEACON is housed at BU’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

2025 Annual School Award DoM Recipients

Join us in congratulating the following awardees!!!!

Stanley L. Robbins Award for Excellence in Teaching

Christine Phillips, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine

Excellence in Faculty Mentorship, Senior Faculty

Craig Noronha, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine

Community Service & Engagement

Kaku So-Armah, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine

Above and Beyond Staff Award

Laura Anastasi
Administrative Director, Geriatrics Section, Department of Medicine

DoM’s Pulmonologist Darrell Kotton Is BU’s Innovator of the Year!

BY Jessica Colarossi

Darrell Kotton and his team imagine a future where they can use a patient’s own cells to fix lung damage caused by disease—reprogramming cells in a laboratory dish and transplanting them back into the patient. The new lung cells would replicate, like regular cells do, replacing the damaged and diseased areas of the lung. By refining their work using sophisticated stem cell technology, Boston University pulmonologist Kotton and his team are inching closer and closer to realizing that vision.

For this cutting-edge work, which could eventually help cure diseases like pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis, a disease caused by a genetic mutation, and reverse lung damage from conditions like emphysema, Kotton has been named BU’s Innovator of the Year.

“This is an unexpected honor,” says Kotton, the David C. Seldin Professor of Medicine at the BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. “I’m grateful to our team that helped innovate, and for an environment like BU where I have complete support from colleagues and leadership.”

An attending physician and scientist, Kotton is a founding director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, BU’s primary teaching hospital. The type of cellular engineering taking place in Kotton’s lab is at the forefront of regenerative medicine and research.

“Darrell has identified gaps in diagnostics and treatments for pulmonary diseases and creative ways to use tissue stem cells to define how diseases develop, plus find targets for treatment,” says Karen Antman, dean of BU’s medical school and provost of the Medical Campus. “He has been equally creative in assembling a team of investigators in this cutting-edge science, getting them funded and creating a space conducive to efficient, collaborative research. He has been innovative both in science and management—a really effective combination.”

At the beginning of Kotton’s career, reprogramming stem cells—undifferentiated cells of the human body that transform into specialized cells and have the ability to replicate indefinitely—to cure disease was considered “extremely esoteric,” he says. But he and his team pushed forward anyway. “We loved the mission and the questions so much that even if nothing worked, it was still fascinating and enough for us,” he says.

At the time, Kotton and his team focused on basic science questions, studying how pluripotent stem cells, which are only found in embryos, grow and transform to become specialized cells in the body. Then, in 2006, Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka figured out how to revert adult skin or blood cells back into an embryonic stem cell–like state, meaning that adult cells could be turned into any cell type in the body, including lung cells. Those engineered cells, called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, won Yamanaka the Nobel Prize in 2012, and opened the door to an entire new field of genetic engineering—propelling Kotton’s research from esoteric to mainstream, he says.

“That discovery meant that the same recipes and protocols we had been developing were suddenly applicable to the new engineered iPS cells, and we were extremely well positioned to apply a lot of our hard work and new knowledge immediately to this new type of cell,” Kotton says. Now, instead of making lung cells out of embryonic stem cells, they could create them from a person of any age with their own cells, making it more likely that new implanted cells would be accepted.

“Like many of the world’s leading scientific innovators, Dr. Kotton is driven by an altruistic ambition to discover cures for currently incurable diseases,” says Thomas Bifano, BU vice president and associate provost ad interim for research, and a previous Innovator of the Year winner. “His pioneering work using induced pluripotent stem cells as building blocks to regenerate lung tissue has significantly advanced research into debilitating conditions such as cystic fibrosis. Beyond his groundbreaking contributions to lung regeneration, Dr. Kotton is widely recognized for his unwavering commitment to open-source biology—freely sharing ideas, databases, cell lines, protocols, and expertise to accelerate scientific innovation and discovery.”

In 2023, two studies published in Cell Stem Cell detailed how Kotton and his colleagues engineered lung stem cells and successfully transplanted them into injured lungs of mice. Two lines of cells targeted two different parts of the lung: the airways, including the trachea and bronchial tubes, and the alveoli, the delicate air sacs that deliver oxygen to the bloodstream. The findings could eventually lead to new ways for treating severe cases of COVID-19, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, and cystic fibrosis.

The Innovator of the Year award was announced at a special event that highlighted how BU faculty work with industry experts to address challenges associated with developing treatments for lung disease. For example, Kotton’s team recently started collaborating with United Kingdom–based biopharma giant GSK to use CReM-developed lung cells to better understand pulmonary fibrosis and to identify new drug targets to halt or slow the progression of the currently incurable disease. Kotton is CReM’s second Innovator of the Year winner: codirector Gustavo Mostoslavsky, a BU medical school professor of gastroenterology earned the title in 2017.

“The work by Dr. Kotton and his colleagues meets unmet medical needs by harnessing innovative technology to develop cellular therapies for human diseases,” says Anthony Hollenberg, president of BMC and a BU professor of medicine. “The advances of CReM will allow for novel therapies previously not obtainable. This exemplifies why Dr. Kotton is an ideal choice of Innovator of the Year and why his leadership allows BMC and BU to remain at the leading edge of scientific discovery.”

Original story

2025 April STARDoM Awardees!!

Please join us in congratulating this month's STARDoM awardees, Maddie Bockus and Natalia Gnatienko!!

Maddie Bockus

"One of the things that make her special is the ability to be proactive and innovative in her work. She takes the effort to investigate all options, try out new approaches, and really be thoughtful of the pros and cons for end users. We are extremely blessed to have her in our section."

Job Title: Writing & Communications Coordinator

How many years have you been at BUSM/BMC? 1 year, 3 months

Describe your role within the Department of Medicine: I am a Writing & Communications Coordinator for the Section of General Internal Medicine. In my role, I coordinate internal and external communications, write nomination letters, letters of support, and letters for appointment/promotion, & provide writing/editing support for faculty working on manuscripts.

What do you like best about your job? I love to write, so I really appreciate that I get to work on so many different types of writing projects (original research, letter writing, commentaries, website posts, etc.). I also love working with so many different faculty and staff across the Section & learning about their work!

Favorite thing to do outside of work? Exploring new restaurants in the city with my friends (I’m a major foodie)

Little known fact: I love to travel! I hope to eventually travel to every continent (4/7 so far). I recently took a trip to Argentina, which was my first time in South America.

 

Natalia Gnatienko

"Natalia is an exceptional employee and an outstanding manager who consistently goes above and beyond in her role. She is not only highly knowledgeable but also incredibly supportive, always willing to share her expertise and assist others. Whether answering questions, guiding her team, or stepping in to help wherever needed, Natalia’s dedication and willingness to support those around her make her a true asset to the organization."

Job Title: Clinical Research Director

How many years have you been at BUSM/BMC? 16

Describe your role within the Department of Medicine: I oversee a number of research initiatives within the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit (CARE), mostly focusing on studies that are conducted internationally at the intersection of substance use and HIV.

What do you like best about your job? I love the people! This includes the incredible colleagues and mentors at BMC and collaborators from other countries and institutions. Everyone is really passionate about the research that we do and it is exciting to contribute to this work! I also like the opportunity to work on multiple projects simultaneously. In a span of one day, I can have a call with our Ugandan partners in the morning to discuss an HIV/alcohol/TB project, followed by a study check-in with our team in Ukraine where we work to understand patterns of substance use among internally displaced people, and end the day submitting an IRB application for a new project that would collect data from communities in MA. The variety keeps the work interesting!

Favorite thing to do outside of work? Spend time with my family!

Little known fact: I recently started learning to play the violin (alongside my son) and I love it… can’t say the same for those who have to listen to me practice!

DoM Faculty Appointments and Promotions – March 2025

Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their recent appointment or promotion!

Associate Professor

Gene Kwan, MD, MPH, Medicine/Cardiovascular Medicine, is a global health clinical scientist who studies health services to identify and treat cardiovascular disease in rural low-income countries. He uses implementation science to test strategies for heart failure and hypertension care particularly in Haiti, Rwanda and other countries in Africa. He studies how to improve access to echocardiography by training nurses and mid-level providers to diagnose and treat cardiac disease. Dr. Kwan is a health policy advisor to the governments of Haiti and Rwanda and an advisor to the Lancet Commission on Reframing Non-Communicable Diseases and Injuries for the Poorest Billion. He was invited to the NHLBI-sponsored workshop on Sustaining Global Capacity on Implementing Research for Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, and Fogarty International Center’s Non-Communicable Disease networking meetings. Dr. Kwan is a sought-after research mentor for local and international trainees and has been repeatedly recognized for his clinical acumen, teaching and mentoring accomplishments.

Ivan Luptak, MD, PhD, Medicine/Cardiovascular Medicine, is a physician-scientist specializing in cardiac metabolism. His research focuses on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiovascular disease, utilizing advanced multinuclear magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy techniques. By measuring the contribution of fuel sources–such as glucose and fatty acids–to mitochondrial energy production and assessing the turnover of energy-carrying molecules like ATP in beating hearts, Dr. Luptak has made significant contributions to the field. His work has advanced the understanding of cardiovascular pathophysiology and yielded important translational insights with potential therapeutic impact.

 

Clinical Associate Professor

Shivda Pandey, MBBS, Medicine/Cardiovascular Medicine, is an imaging specialist with advanced training in nuclear cardiology. A staff cardiologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC), she provides clinical services in the outpatient and inpatient settings, and in the echocardiography and nuclear medicine laboratories. Her advanced training in nuclear cardiology has been critical to the development and growth of this sub-section, which she has directed since 2016. She has played a central role in the advancement of Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Cardiac Amyloidosis Radionuclide Imaging at BMC and is the primary cardiologist performing and interpreting nuclear stress tests.

2025 Evans Days Speakers and Schedule Announced!!!!!

Thursday, October 16

8:15am - 9:15am Oral Presentations | L110

9:30am– 11:00am Basic Science Poster Presentations | Hiebert Lounge

11:15am – 12:45pm Basic Science & Clinical Research Poster Presentations | Hiebert Lounge

1:00pm – 1:30pm DoM Chair of Medicine Interviews Dr. Humpreys | Keefer Auditorium

1:30pm - 2:30pm ARC & D. Coleman Prize Presentations | Keefer Auditorium

2:30pm-3:00pm Coleman Award Recipient Meet & Greet | Keefer Auditorium

3:00pm-4:00pm Wilkins Visiting Professor Lecture | Keefer Auditorium

5:30pm - 8:30pm Reception & Awards Ceremony | Hiebert Lounge

Wilkins Professor

Benjamin D. Humphreys, MD, PhD
Joseph Friedman Professor of Renal Diseases in Medicine
Chief, Division of Nephrology
Washington University

Friday, October 17

12:00pm – 1:00pm Ingelfinger Visiting Professor Lecture | Keefer Auditorium

Ingelfinger Professor

Jean S. Kutner, MD, MSPH
Chief Medical Officer, University of Colorado Hospital
Chief Academic Officer, UCHealth
Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
University of Colorado School of Medicine

2025 DoM DEIA Pilot Grant Awardees!!

The Department of Medicine launched its inaugural Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Pilot Grant program this year, supporting innovative projects led by interdisciplinary teams of faculty, trainees, and staff. Proposals focused on improving clinical care, education, workforce development, community engagement, and research to advance DEIA across the department.

The first annual DEIA Pilot Grant recipients are:

Jessica Fetterman, PhD (Vascular Biology): Tissue is the Issue: Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to Postmortem Organ Donation for Research to Diversify Cardiac Biobanks. A proposed study to understand limited representation of historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups in postmortem organ biobanks. They plan to use surveys and town halls including Framingham Heart Study and BMC patients to achieve this goal. Team members include Deepa M. Gopal, MD, MS, Jesse D. Moreira-Bouchard, PhD, Zachary Milstone, MD, PhD, Anna Zhebrun, Joshua Lepson, Karen Li, Jason Cunha, MS, Nathanial Fisher, MS, Anjali Anilkumar, Hahnbie Kim, Cosette Giroux, and Zoe Trainer.

Elliot Hagedorn, PhD (Hematology & Oncology): Reaching Further with the BU-BMC Summer Science Scholars Outreach Program. The team proposes to expand an existing high school  research training program to include more longitudinal mentoring, cohort collaboration, shadowing, and peer/alumni engagement. Co-directors are Dr. Gwen Beacham and Zewde Ingram.

Lucy Schulson, MD, MPH (GIM): IMPACT-IRHC: Implementation of MedAction Plan in BMC’s Resident Immigrant and Refugee Health Clinic. A proposed pilot the implementation of a multi-lingual transitions of care document written at a 5th grade reading level (MedAction Plan) in BMC primary care clinics after adapting it for BMC immigrant/refugee patients. Co-investigators are Drs. Sarah Kimball and Kirsten Austad.

Join us in congratulating the DEIA Pilot Grant awardees!!