BUSM Education, Advising & Mentoring in STEM (BEAMS)



OUR VISION
To recruit, develop, and retain underrepresented (URM) youth* from Boston and other areas of Massachusetts in post-secondary STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine) education in an ongoing effort to diversify the healthcare work force.
*racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse youth
OUR GOALS
- Provide career exploration and mentoring in STEMM and healthcare professions for URM students (high-school, undergraduate, and post-graduate).
- Increase the number of URM students entering college and choosing STEMM majors.
- Increase the number of URM individuals in STEMM and healthcare work force.
WHO WE ARE
BEAMS is a pipeline program created by the Department of MSE with three inter-related student levels: high-school level, undergraduate level, and post-graduate level. Between 2017 and 2020, we partnered with the Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC). In 2021, BEAMS enlarged its scope and is now reaching out to all BPS students in order to provide career exploration and mentoring for all high-school students attending Boston Public Schools in grades 9 through 12. BEAMS provides programming by collaboration with faculty and students from the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS). BEAMS also provides programming by collaboration with students in the BU Kilachand Honors College. In addition, BEAMS has partnered with the Pre-Health Programs at BU College of Arts & Sciences and the College Access & Student Success Office at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, in our efforts to create bridges between high-school students and undergraduate students as well as bridges between undergraduate students and post-graduate students.
WHAT WE DO
On-going High-School Programming: BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
- Through BEAMS, we are offering BUSM-MedSci Program (MSP), virtual programming with innovative sessions that are focused on medicine and basics science research with the aim of sparking interest among high-school students in health-care careers. This program will be open to any student currently enrolled in any BPS high school. Instructors for all sessions will be medical students and graduate students, and there will be opportunity for longitudinal mentoring.
- FALL & SPRING VIRTUAL SESSIONS: For more information about the upcoming program and to apply click here for MedSci Program (MSP).
- SUMMER IN-PERSON SESSION: MSP ran as an in-person program on the BU Medical Campus in Summer 2022 for the first time since the COVID pandemic.
Previous High-School Programming: BAHEC
Prior Programs
Undergraduate Programming: CRC
Maura Kelley, MD, and Elaine Lee, PhD, BEAMS Committee Leaders CRC-BUMC Events
Post-Graduate Programming: BUMC
CRC-BUMC Events
CONTACT