DOM DEIA Week Schedule Announced!
Learn more about DEIA Week here!
Monday, March 10th
Poster Showcase | Hiebert Lounge (Lunch will be served) | 11:30AM-1:30PM
Posters created by DoM faculty, staff, and trainees to illustrate the ongoing DEIA work in the areas of research, education, programming, patient care, and beyond.
Tuesday, March 11th
Panel + Discussion | Hiebert Lounge (Breakfast will be served) | 8AM-10AM
Wednesday, March 12th
Mindfulness Event | Location and time TBD
Thursday, March 13th
DEIA Week Celebration | Hiebert Lounge | 4:00PM-6:00PM
Friday, March 14th
Grand Rounds | Keefer Auditorium | 12:00PM-1:00PM
NP Week and APP Spotlights!
Congratulations to the 2024 Evans Days Awardees!!
Join us in congratulating all 2024 Evans Days Awardees!
Outstanding Citizenship Award
Laura Lowery, PhD – Hematology & Medical Oncology
Adam Lerner, MD – Hematology & Medical Oncology
Clinical Quality Improvement Award
Hospital reAdmission Reduction Program (HARP) Team
Clinical Innovation Award
Andrew Wilson, MD – Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep & Critical Care Medicine
Junior Faculty Mentoring Award
Jean Liew, MD, MS – Rheumatology
Research Mentoring Award
Alan Fine, MD – Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep & Critical Care Medicine
Special Recognition Teaching Award
Craig Noronha, MD – General Internal Medicine
Clinical Excellence Award
Nana Addo-Tabiri, MD, PhD – Hematology & Medical Oncology
Faculty Diversity Award
Natalia Morone, MD, MS – General Internal Medicine
Evans Clinician
Claudia Hochberg, MD – Cardiovascular Medicine
Elizabeth Klings, MD – Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep & Critical Care Medicine
Naomi Ko, MD, MPH – Hematology & Medical Oncology
Susan L. Phillips, MD – General Internal Medicine
Catherine A. Rich, MD – General Internal Medicine
Vaishali Sanchorawala, MD – Hematology & Medical Oncology
Omar Siddiqi, MD – Cardiovascular Medicine
David Coleman, MD Junior Faculty Prize
Jean Liew, MD, MS – Rheumatology
APP Excellence in Education and Mentoring
Teri Linardos, MPA, MSN, FNP-BC – General Internal Medicine
APP Clinical Care Excellence
Dylan Clemens, PA-C – Infectious Diseases
Meg Perkins Ames, FNP-BC – General Internal Medicine
Kelly Wulff, FNP-C – Cardiovascular Medicine
APP Patient Care Innovation & Quality Improvement
Ludwine Paul, MSN, ACNP-BC, AACC – Cardiovascular Medicine
Kathleen Neimann, MSN, AGPC-NP – General Internal Medicine
Maria Antoinette Evans Award
Jen Murphy, MBA – Department of Medicine
David “Aaron” Freed Award
Casaundra Knight – Hematology & Medical Oncology
Evans Center/IBRO Outstanding Research Collaborator Award
Ioannis Ch. Paschalidis – Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research Awards:
2024 Clinical Oral Presentation Winners
1st Place: Augusta Alwang
2nd Place: Amulya Shastry
3rd Place: Wissam Ghusn
2024 Basic Science Oral Presentation Winners
1st Place: Elise Armstrong
2nd Place: Adam Lazowski
2nd Place: Hirofumi Kiyokawa
2nd Place: Jeffrey Sheridan
2024 Clinical Poster Winners
1st Place: Sophia Rosan
2nd Place: Aditya Chowdhri
3rd Place: Lingyi Xu
2024 Basic Science Poster Winners
1st Place: Zhan Xi
2nd Place: Harshita Pattam
3rd Place: Andrea Alber
3rd Place: James Decker
Shoumita Dasgupta, PhD’s Book Release! “Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins: Lessons on Belonging from Our DNA”
A geneticist and internationally recognized anti-racism educator provides a powerful, science-based rebuttal to common fallacies about human difference.
Well-meaning physicians, parents, and even scientists today often spread misinformation about what biology can and can’t tell us about our bodies, minds, and identities. In this accessible, myth-busting book, geneticist Shoumita Dasgupta draws on the latest science to correct common misconceptions about how much of our social identities are actually based in genetics.
Dasgupta weaves together history, current affairs, and cutting-edge science to break down how genetic concepts are misused and how we can approach scientific evidence in a socially responsible way. With a unifying and intersectional approach disentangling biology from bigotry, the book moves beyond race and gender to incorporate categories like sexual orientation, disability, and class. Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins is an invaluable, empowering resource for biologists, geneticists, science educators, and anyone working against bias in their community.
Emelia Benjamin, MD, ScM, Named Jay and Louise Coffman Professor of Vascular Medicine
We are delighted to announce that Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, ScM, will be named the Jay and Louise Coffman Professor of Vascular Medicine effective Oct. 1. A professor of medicine at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and professor of epidemiology at BU School of Public Health, Dr. Benjamin has been a Framingham Study investigator since 1988 and a Boston Medical Center attending cardiologist since 1990.
Dr. Benjamin is an international leader in cardiovascular medicine. Her research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1998 for studies of atrial fibrillation, vascular function, inflammation and chronic pain. She has more than 850 publications and an H-index of 215. Her citation ranking internationally is #98 in medicine and #7 for women scientists; nationally her ranking is #71 in medicine and #5 for women scientists.
Dr. Benjamin has held many leadership roles for the American Heart Association since the 1990s and was the recipient of the 2022 American Heart Association Distinguished Scientist Award. She has devoted substantial effort to mentoring, faculty development and coaching of diverse individuals in health sciences and medicine. Her many accolades include the 2020 Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine Diversity and Inclusion Award and the 2024 American Heart Association Louis B. Russell, Jr. Memorial Award for Diversity. Dr. Benjamin is the department of medicine’s inaugural vice chair for faculty development and diversity and the inaugural Medical Campus associate provost for faculty development.
Please join us in celebrating Dr. Benjamin and her achievements as a scholar, mentor, and clinician. Her many contributions to our institution and to the field of cardiovascular medicine make her a deserving recipient of the prestigious Jay and Louise Coffman Professorship of Vascular Medicine.
DoM Bridge Funding Awardees!
The talented awardees all have inspiring and innovative research areas of focus, in key areas that impact our patients’ health and well-being.
Please join us in congratulating the following people:
Dr. Karen Jacobson, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Disease. Dr. Jacobson’s expertise is in studying tuberculosis transmission and outcomes. Dr. Jacobson’s research, which spans national and global work, has a particular emphasis on understanding how substance use impacts on tuberculosis transmission and response to therapy.
Dr. Naomi Ko, Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology-Oncology. Dr. Ko’s research has a translational focus directed to understanding the disconnect between scientific discoveries in cancer treatment and delivery of evidence-based treatment to marginalized, racial/ethnic minority women with breast cancer. She is actively investigating how tumor biology, poverty, communication and treatment influence breast cancer outcomes in diverse breast cancer populations.
Dr. Maureen Dubreuil, Department of Medicine, Section of Rheumatology. Dr. Dubreuil’s research focuses on comorbidities and pharmacoepidemiology of spondyloarthritis. (note: Dr. Dubreuil’s bridge funding award is co-funded by BMC and the Department of Medicine)
Dr. Emily Hurstak, Department of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Hurstack’s conducts clinical research around improving outpatient systems of care for patients who have been economically and socially marginalized, with a focus on individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) and chronic pain syndromes. Dr. Hurstak participates in both clinical care and research with a focus on health communication, health literacy, and improving care for patients with SUDs in primary care settings.
Dr. Titi Ilori, Department of Medicine, Section of Nephrology. Dr. Ilori’s research includes mechanistic and interventional studies on the etiologic factors and modifiers of chronic kidney disease (CKD), with a special emphasis on the effect of diet (dietary nutrients and dietary patterns), biomarkers, and genetics on CKD progression in both low resource and high-income countries. Her current work is in gene by environment interactions in APOL1 nephropathy and her lab recently discovered that dietary potassium interacts with the APOL1 genotypes.
DoM 2024 Research Publications, New Research Grants & Foundation Awards of Note!
Research Publications: Our faculty continue to receive significant mainstream media coverage for their exceptional published research.
- Kimberly Bertrand’s study in the journal Environmental Research reported long-term use of chemical hair relaxers by postmenopausal Black women was associated with increased risk of uterine cancer.
- Elizabeth Pearce’s study in JAMA Network Open found hyperthyroid patients treated with surgery had a lower risk of death and a lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events than patients treated with medication.
- Tuhina Neogi’s study in in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology found calcium crystal deposits in the knee contribute to joint damage.
New Research Grants: Here are our Academic Year 2024’s largest new/renewal grants:
| PI | $ millions | Title (All NIH funded) |
| Rosenberg | 14.5 | Lifetime stressors and Alzheimer's Disease genetic variants and biomarkers in relation to cognitive decline among Black Women's Health Study participants. |
| Kotton | 14.0 | Developing Pluripotent Stem Cells to Model and Treat Lung Disease |
| Farrer & Sherva | 13.7 | Genetic Studies of Alzheimer's Disease in Jewish and Arab Populations |
| TCW | 3.9 | Microglia targeted interventions in prodromal Alzheimer's disease stage |
| Goldstein, Mez & Alosco | 3.9 | Validation of Lens Beta-Amyloid as a Novel Biomarker for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease at the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research |
| Hamburg | 3.7 | Endothelial Cell Health Across the Spectrum of Cardiometabolic Disease |
| Lenburg | 3.2 | Integrating imaging and biopsy-derived molecular markers for the pre-surgical detection of indolent and aggressive early-stage lung adenocarcinoma |
| Wilson | 3.1 | Mechanistic studies of the genetic contribution of desmoplakin to pulmonary fibrosis in alveolar type 2 cells |
| Mizgerd | 3.0 | Fibrin in the Infected Lung |
Foundation awards of note:
- The American Lung Association and LUNGevity Foundation contributed $1 million to Avrum Spira, MD, professor of medicine, pathology and bioinformatics, to intercept lung cancer through immune, imaging, and molecular evaluation.
- The American Cancer Society awarded $792,000 to Jessica Petrick, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, to study modifiable causes of colorectal cancer in black women
Department of Medicine Announces New Section Chief of Gastroenterology!
The Department of Medicine is delighted to announce that Dr. Christopher S. Huang will become the next Section Chief of Gastroenterology, effective September 1, 2024. Dr. Huang will also be appointed to the Franz J. Ingelfinger, MD Professorship in Gastroenterology. He has served as the interim Section Chief of Gastroenterology since December 2023.
Dr. Huang is a graduate of Cornell University and New Jersey Medical School (now Rutgers Medical School). He completed internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital before joining our training program in gastroenterology in 2001. Dr. Huang joined the BUCAMED faculty in 2004 and was promoted to Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in 2018. He has served as Boston Medical Center’s Director of Endoscopy Services since 2019.
Dr. Huang has dedicated his career to excellence in patient care and education, with a particular interest in endoscopy education. As a member of the Training Committee of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), he taught at and co-directed several national endoscopy courses and co-authored publications on developing core curricula for endoscopic procedures such as colonoscopy, endoscopic ablative techniques, endoluminal stenting, and endoscopic ultrasound.
Dr. Huang is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and is recognized as a “Top Doctor” by Boston Magazine. He has published numerous review articles and book chapters on inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer screening, and endoscopic and imaging procedures.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Huang on his new role. He brings tremendous clinical and leadership skills to the Section Chief position, and we are confident in his ability to bring the Gastroenterology Section to new heights in education, research, and clinical care.
DoM STARDoM July Awardees!!
Join us in congratulating this month’s STARDoM awardees, Jean Donald Juillet and Raquel Silveira!
Jean Donald "Don" Juillet
"He makes the clinic run smoothly and always with a smile on his face. He is tireless and will go the extra mile to help our patients. He embodies all that is BMC - care excellence, compassion, and humility."
Job Title: Team Lead ( Medical assistant)
How many years have you been at BUSM/BMC?
5 years
Describe your role within the Department of Medicine:
Aside from doing my Medical Assistant work, I manage and delegate the team's roles and responsibilities to ensure the clinical floor flows properly.
What do you like best about your job?
I appreciate the opportunity to constantly learn & grow.
Favorite thing to do outside of work?
I definitely love spending time with my family asides from watching sports and listening to podcasts…
Raquel Silveira, MBA
"Raquel is an outstanding member of our team who is constantly finding ways to help our team to be our very best."
Job Title: Administrative Manager
How many years have you been at BUSM/BMC?
2.5 years
Describe your role within the Department of Medicine
I like to describe my role as the go-to person for finding the answers and resources that people need. Whether it's information, support, or connections, I am dedicated to helping others by providing the right solutions and tools.
What do you like best about your job?
I take great pleasure in stepping in to assist my colleagues, organizing and supporting them whenever needed. Additionally, I find it immensely rewarding to enhance current processes and procedures, striving to make them more efficient and effective.
Favorite thing to do outside of work?
I cherish spending quality time with my son
Little known fact:
I have dedicated the past 13 years to working in the healthcare field.
DoM Faculty Appointments and Promotions – June 2024
Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their recent promotion.
Associate Professor
Nhan Do, MD, MS, Medicine, specializes in medical bioinformatics focused on effective development and delivery of knowledge tools in the clinical and research workflow. He is the director of the Boston VA Cooperative Studies Program Informatics Center, and he has been instrumental in developing the infrastructure to support research under a learning health system framework, including a large data repository, knowledge repository and software applications to deliver actionable knowledge. One of the informatics center’s projects focuses on improving the efficiency of and facilitating the screening and enrollment of veterans into clinical trials for investigators locally at VA Boston Healthcare System as well as nationally. Prior to joining BU and VA Boston, Dr. Do led the first personal health record for the military and the first health information exchange between the military and its civilian partners at a time when healthcare organizations were reluctant to share data outside of their boundaries. Dr. Do was also the first chief medical information officer to serve on the battlefield to evaluate the health outcomes of military tactics.
Sarah Kimball, MD, Medicine/GIM, specializes in immigration-informed medical care, where she has helped to research and build health systems that are responsive to the needs of immigrant patients. She is the director of the Immigrant & Refugee Health Center at Boston Medical Center, a comprehensive medical home that addresses the barriers that immigrants face to being holistically healthy. Her studies of the critical health care needs of immigrant and refugee health populations have influenced national best practices. For her work in this field, she is known as a national expert in immigrant and refugee health, serving on the board of directors of the Society for Refugee Health Providers and as an associate editor for the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. In addition, Dr. Kimball has designed and taught a year-long curriculum for general internal medicine residents focusing on care for immigrant and refugee patients, for which she won a teaching award from the GIM residency office in 2022.