Student Updates
September 2026 Faculty Promotions – Chobanian & Avedisian SOM
Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their September 2026 appointment or promotion.
Professor
Markus Bosmann, MD, Medicine/Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep & Critical Care Medicine and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, is an immunologist whose research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms underlying infection-associated inflammation and tissue injury in pneumonia, acute lung injury and sepsis. Dr. Bosmann leads a multidisciplinary research team that collaborates with academic and industry partners and employs advanced molecular biology and immunology approaches, including transgenic in vivo models, human biospecimens, and transcriptomic and proteomic analyses supported by advanced bioinformatics.
Associate Professor
Pria Anand, MD, Neurology, is a neurologist, educator and writer. She cares for patients at Boston Medical Center, where she serves as director of the adult neurology residency program. Her clinical and scholarly work focuses on neuroimmunology, the neurological complications of infectious diseases and the care of underserved populations. Dr. Anand’s writing explores the intersections of neuroscience, medicine, culture, and the human experience of illness. Her first book, The Mind Electric, won the 2026 PEN America E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and was named one of the best books of 2025 by Publishers Weekly, Barnes & Noble, The Observer, and others.
Deborah Gurewich, PhD, Medicine/GIM, is a health services researcher with expertise in organizational behavior and the social drivers of health and health care access. She works out of the Center for Healthcare Optimization & Implementation Research at VA Boston Healthcare where she focuses on health-related social needs (HSRNs) among individuals in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system. Dr. Gurewich uses mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as user-centered design approaches to understand and improve care delivery for Veterans at-risk for HSRNs. This includes designing and implementing healthcare-based social care interventions and examining existing systems and practices that disadvantage Veterans with social needs, to target them for intervention.
July 2026 Faculty Promotions – Chobanian & Avedisian SOM
Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their July 2026 promotion.
Clinical Associate Professor
Jessica Brick, MD, Pediatrics, is a clinician-educator known for innovation in care delivery, teaching and mentorship. She founded and directed the Music Project, an innovative program embedded within pediatric primary care that provided free music classes to promote early childhood development and parent-child bonding while addressing barriers to access. She has been a core faculty member in the Academy of Medical Educators since 2019 and leads small-group sessions in clinical skills, clinical reasoning and physical examination for first- and second-year students. In addition, Brick serves as a longitudinal advisor to first- through fourth-year students, as well as a clinical coach for students requiring additional support. She precepts medical students as well as pediatric residents from the Boston Combined Residency Program. Brick recently was nominated to be a Massachusetts Medical School Collaborative Scholar and will participate in the Massachusetts Medical Schools Collaborative VitalTalk Faculty Development Program focused on teaching serious illness communication.
Robert Helm, MD, Medicine/Cardiovascular Medicine, is an academic cardiac electrophysiologist whose clinical and research interests include atrial fibrillation and advanced cardiac pacing. As director of the Cardiac Device Clinic at Boston Medical Center (BMC), he has expanded arrhythmia services across BMC’s regional affiliates, including Sturdy Health, while improving the safety and accessibility of perioperative care and magnetic resonance imaging for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices. His research examines cognitive outcomes and health disparities in atrial fibrillation, innovative pacing techniques, arrhythmia detection and anticoagulation management. Current projects include developing a mapping system to facilitate left bundle branch area pacing, investigating anodal biphasic pacing to improve diastolic function and serving as site principal investigator for the NIH-funded REACT-AF trial of Apple Watch-guided anticoagulation. Helm contributes to national consensus statements and physician certification programs through the Heart Rhythm Society and American College of Cardiology.
Jill Kasper, MD, Pediatrics, is a clinician-educator who serves as interim chief of the division of pediatric primary care, where she leads a group of more than 20 providers, mentors faculty, and advances clinical and academic initiatives across the division. In addition, she serves as medical director of Supporting Our Families through Addiction and Recovery (SOFAR), a multidisciplinary medical home for children affected by parental substance use disorder, as well as a continuity clinic preceptor for residents in the Boston Combined Residency Program and teaches medical students in the pediatric clerkship.
Michael Perloff, MD, PhD, Neurology, is a clinician-scientist who specializes in interventional pain, headache and pharmacology. His scientific work has impacted the way we investigate and treat patients with neurologic pain syndromes. His ongoing projects include studying lumbar puncture efficacy and reducing morbidity, cross-sectional epidemiology studies on low back pain and body mass index, and imaging analysis of spine-based pain. Perloff has served as the department’s chief of pain medicine since 2019.
Rachel Thompson, MD, Pediatrics, is a clinician-educator with a focus on undergraduate medical education and an attending pediatric emergency medicine physician at Boston Medical Center. As the department’s director of pediatric medical student education and the core clerkship from 2013 to 2023, she led a comprehensive redesign of the pediatric clerkship and fourth-year pediatric advising program. Thompson serves as director of fourth-year medical student education in pediatrics. She has developed numerous innovative curricula, including a redesigned, case-based pediatric core curriculum; the Pediatric Internship Preparation Course; collaborated on a virtual reality curriculum addressing social drivers of health; and assisted in developing numerous national workshops on medical student education and advising. Thompson serves on the board of the Committee on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP) and as a faculty advisor for local and national student programs, including FuturePedsRes, an organization that helps guide medical students across the country through the residency application process.
GSDM July 2026 Faculty Promotions
Congratulations to the following Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine faculty on their July 2026 promotion.
Professor
Paola Divieti Pajevic, MD, PhD, Translational Dental Medicine, focuses on osteocyte biology, bone mechanotransduction, skeletal homeostasis and the interaction of bone with hematopoietic, metabolic and mechanical systems. Her work has continued to define important mechanisms by which osteocytes regulate bone remodeling, marrow function, adipose tissue, aging-related bone loss, and responses to mechanical unloading, including spaceflight-related skeletal changes. Dr. Divieti Pajevic serves as the co-director of the NIH-funded P30 Core Center for Musculoskeletal Research based at Mass General Hospital; a branch of the Center was established at GSDM as a Bone Cell Core to serve BU and the greater Boston research community. Dr. Divieti Pajevic also serves as co-director and organizer of the interdisciplinary Musculoskeletal Health Affinity Research Collaborative (MHet ARC) housed within the Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research at Boston University.
Clinical Associate Professor
Mayumi Onoe-Miyamoto, DDS, CAGS, General Dentistry, is a clinician-educator with a research focus on prosthodontics and implant-related clinical studies. She has been continuously involved in clinical instruction since 2005, supervising students in the predoctoral treatment center and providing direct patient care guidance across multiple clinical courses. Her long-standing role in quality control for restorative cases highlights her commitment to maintaining high standards in student clinical work and laboratory communication. Dr. Onoe-Miyamoto gives treatment planning case presentations and lectures in the Fixed Prosthodontics II course, in addition to mentoring junior and senior students in clinical reasoning and interdisciplinary care. She served as chair of the section on prosthodontics within the American Dental Education Association 2025-2026 following prior roles as chair-elect and secretary.
June 2026 Faculty Promotions – Chobanian & Avedisian SOM
Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their June 2026 appointment or promotion.
Professor
Colin Duckett, PhD, Virology, Immunology & Microbiology, is a scholar, immunologist and molecular biologist who joins the BU community as the University Provost and Chief Academic Officer. He previously served as executive vice dean for basic and preclinical science at Duke University School of Medicine. His research focuses on apoptosis and cancer biology. He is a leader in understanding inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), regulatory proteins that serve to prevent programmed cell death and maintain cell survival, which play key roles in innate immunity and cancer. Duckett’s group published landmark papers describing the role of IAP in copper homeostasis and apoptosis, and his scholarly work has highlighted their importance in cellular signaling and development. These accomplishments were recognized with an appointment as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Lori Lerner, MD, Urology, specializes in Holmium laser enucleation of prostate (HoLEP), a surgery for men with symptomatic benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). She was one of the first urologists to perform HoLEP in the United States after learning the technique during her clinical fellowship in New Zealand and has since taught and presented this technique around the world. Lerner serves as chief of the section of urology and associate chief of surgical service at VA Boston Healthcare System. She also is chief surgical consultant of VISN 1 (New England region) of the national VA Healthcare System.
Jose Rafael Romero, MD, Neurology, is a vascular neurologist with clinical and research interests in cerebrovascular disease from subclinical to clinical stages. He has invested his career in the prevention of stroke, vascular cognitive impairment and dementia, and promotion of recovery after stroke. Through his ongoing funded research for over 15 years, he has advanced understanding of cerebral small vessel disease using neuroimaging in the epidemiological study of cerebrovascular disease and its consequences, including as leading investigator in the Stroke program in the Framingham Heart Study. He has served in various roles for advancement of cerebrovascular research and clinical care, including as chair of committees at the American Stroke Association and American Heart Association and as a member of NIH study sections. Dr. Romero is an attending neurologist in the stroke unit at Boston Medical Center, where he also directs a stroke prevention clinic, and is site principal investigator for stroke prevention clinical trials.
Clinical Professor
Steve Feske, MD, Neurology, is a clinician-scientist with specific expertise in stroke and cerebrovascular disease and critical care neurology. He is a clinical researcher in stroke pathophysiology and epidemiology and therapeutic trials relevant to stroke. The vice chair of education for the department, he is widely known for one of the most utilized textbooks in neurology, Samuel and Feske’s Office Practice of Neurology. He also serves as the leader of the department’s vascular neurology division and Boston Medical Center’s Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center.
Associate Professor
Sona Chikarmane, MD, Radiology, is a diagnostic radiologist who serves as section chief of breast imaging at Boston Medical Center (BMC). She oversees clinical operations and leads efforts to deliver high-quality, patient-centered breast imaging services across the BMC Health System and its affiliated health centers. Prior to joining BU and BMC, Chikarmane was on the faculty at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where she served as division chief of breast imaging and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School. During her time at Brigham and Women's Hospital she held several leadership roles, including associate director for the Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program and associate chair of professional development for the department of radiology.
Anica Law, MD, MS, Medicine/Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep & Critical Care, is a pulmonary and critical care physician, clinical epidemiologist and health services researcher with a focus on understanding determinants of outcomes after critical illness. The goal of her research is to better inform decision-making during critical illness and the optimal delivery of care after acute critical illness. She is PI on the R01, "Quantifying Uncertainty to Inform Time-Limited Trials of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation" (scored in the 1st percentile at NIH/NHLBI), which seeks to improve patient and family engagement in early prognostication for mechanically ventilated patients. An attending pulmonologist at Boston Medical Center, Law also serves as deputy editor at CHEST Critical Care and on the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Project Review Committee. She previously served as chair of the ATS Critical Care Assembly Planning Committee, and has received ATS Fellow designation as a mark of distinction.
Maureen K. O’Connor, PsyD, Neurology, is a neuropsychologist whose foundation-, NIH- and VA ORD-funded research focuses on developing and implementing interventions designed to improve patient functioning and reduce caregiver burden for aging adults and those with neurodegenerative diseases. O’Connor leads the research education component of the BU Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, focused on training next generation dementia researchers. She serves as director of neuropsychology and director of the neuropsychology training program at the Bedford VA. She has mentored more than 100 trainees. She also provides patient care through the Bedford VA memory diagnostic clinic, dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of older veterans with suspected neurodegenerative disease, which also serves as a training site for BU medical students. In addition, O’Connor is an active research investigator within the VA New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center.
Beth Cohen, MD, Medicine/Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, is an endocrinologist who specializes in gender-affirming hormone therapy and care for transgender and gender diverse individuals. Her additional areas of interest include the evaluation and treatment of hypogonadism (estrogen or testosterone deficiency) and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome or PMOS (previously polycystic ovarian syndrome/PCOS). She serves as medical director of the GenderCare Center and ambulatory co-medical director of the Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition and Weight Management Clinic at Boston Medical Center (BMC). Cohen developed the PISCES curriculum on gender-affirming care for first-year medical students, directs the fourth-year medical student Gender Care elective, and contributes as a lecturer and subject-matter expert for the school’s Student Gender and Sexual Diversity Track. Cohen also provides education and clinical support on gender-affirming hormone therapy to clinicians at Boston University’s Student Health Services and mentors medical students and trainees across BMC.
Hanni Menn-Josephy, MD, Medicine/Nephrology, specializes in themanagement of complex autoimmune renal diseases. Since 2017, she has served as director the Lupus and Autoimmune Multidisciplinary Clinic at Boston Medical Center, bridging the gap between nephrology and rheumatology to ensure patients receive coordinated, high-level care. As a site PI, she leads cutting-edge clinical trials including a Phase 1 study of CRISPR-Cas9-engineered T cells and a Phase 2 trial of CAR-T therapy for refractory lupus nephritis. Notably, her site recruited the first patient globally for the rapcabtagene autoleucel (CAR-T) study in January 2025. In addition, she serves as associate program director for the nephrology fellowship at BMC.
Umit Tapan, MD, Medicine/Hematology & Medical Oncology, is physician-scientist who is an attending thoracic oncologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC) whose clinical interests are non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, immunotherapy and targeted therapy/precision medicine. His research interests center on reducing disparities in lung cancer treatment, improving access to new treatments. He has served as site PI at BMC for 16 therapeutic trials and currently manages seven active protocols funded by the National Cancer Institute and industry partners. Since 2019, he has served as co-director of the Thoracic Oncology Program within the BU-BMC Cancer Center, and in 2020 he was appointed director of inpatient medical operations for the section of hematology and medical oncology.
May 2026 Faculty Promotions – Chobanian & Avedisian SOM
Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their May 2026 appointment or promotion.
Professor
Michael Alosco, PhD, Neurology, is a clinical neuropsychologist who serves as co-director of clinical research at the BU CTE Center and leader of the clinical core at the BU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). His research focus surrounds three areas: the development of in vivo biomarkers for AD and AD related dementias (ADRD) including CTE; the contribution of cerebrovascular disease to the clinical and neuropathological expression of CTE and AD/ADRD; and the relationship between repetitive traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) with cognitive and neuropsychiatric decline, and neurodegenerative disease(s). His research has set the stage for biomarker discovery of CTE, including identification of structural brain MRI signatures of autopsy-confirmed CTE and novel insights into the usefulness of tau PET and fluid biomarkers for the detection of CTE during life. He has extended the infrastructure to provide care, research and resources to people concerned for CTE to sites across the U.S. In 2020, he co-founded a Memory and Aging Clinic at Boston Medical Center, which provides clinical care to older individuals who are part of the BU ADRC and BU CTE Center in addition to people from the community.
Weining Lu, MD, MS, Medicine/Nephrology, is a physician-scientist focused on studies of kidney and urinary tract development, disease and novel therapeutics. He has served as the lead academic PI in a highly productive collaboration with Pfizer to develop therapies targeting the SLIT/ROBO pathway. This academic–industry collaboration led to an international multicenter Phase 2 clinical trial and the first licensing agreement between Pfizer and BU/BMC. In recognition of this work, Dr. Lu was named the University’s 2019 Innovator of the Year, an award honoring faculty who translate world-class research into inventions and innovations that benefit humankind. Dr. Lu is chair of the Core Oversight Advisory Committee in the department of medicine, co-director of the BU Clinical & Translational Science Institute R01 Proposal Writing Workshop, lead director of the BU Biomedical Innovation Technologies Affinity Research Collaboratives and the B4D-ARC program, and a voting member of the BU Institutional Biosafety Committee. He is a fellow of the American Society of Nephrology and the International Society of Nephrology, a professional member of the American Heart Association, an academic editor for PLOS ONE, and a member of NIH grant review study sections.
Associate Professor
Nicholas Livingston, PhD, Psychiatry, is a PI within the VA’s Behavioral Science Division of the National Center for PTSD and a staff psychologist at VA Boston Healthcare System’s Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program. His research focuses on complementary areas of substance use disorder (SUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comorbidity, treatment access and outcomes, and predicting and preventing adverse events (e.g., overdose death, suicide). Dr. Livingston also studies the disproportionate risk of suicide, overdose and alcohol-attributable death among vulnerable veteran populations. He is a thought leader on the subject of mental health disparities among LGBTQ+ individuals and veterans, in particular.
Clinical Associate Professor
Natalija Bogdanovic, MD, Psychiatry, is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist who serves as medical director of child and adolescent psychiatry. She treats childhood psychiatric disorders and is passionate about providing care for the underserved while teaching the next generation of psychiatrists. She is the child psychiatry clerkship site director and pediatric neurology site director for the child and adolescent psychiatry rotation. In addition, she supervises clinicians from various Boston HealthNet Community Health Centers, BU Danielsen Institute and provides clinical coverage for BEST (Boston Emergency Service Team).
Elizabeth Levey, MD, Psychiatry, joined BU/Boston Medical Center (BMC) in September 2025 as director of BMC’s SEED Program for Early Childhood Mental Health. She specializes in trauma care and provides care to children, adolescents and adults. A trained psychoanalyst, Dr. Levey sought additional training in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and infant parent mental health, which has provided her with a uniquely specialized training base to treat children and families with a wide range of mental health-related diagnoses. She provides on-call coverage for child & adolescent psychiatry and participates in the education and training of BU medical students and LMHC students. She has also taken on the role of director of psychotherapy training for BMC psychiatry residents.
Amber Moore, MD, MPH, Medicine/GIM, has been named vice chair of clinical operations for the department of medicine. She joins BU/BMC from Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was director of inpatient medicine for the department of medicine, and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. As director, she led major operational, capacity and throughput initiatives, partnering closely with hospital and departmental leadership to implement innovative care models that enhanced both patient care and clinician experiences. Her leadership led to measurable improvements in length of stay, strengthened resident education, and fostered greater interdepartmental collaboration. Throughout her tenure at MGH, Dr. Moore also provided exceptional clinical care as a physician in the Hospital Medicine Unit.
Ivania Rizo, MD, Medicine/Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management, specializes in obesity medicine, diabetes, and cardiometabolic health equity. Her research focuses on obesity medicine, post-bariatric weight regain, cardiometabolic health equity and the social determinants of health. Following a national search, Dr. Rizo was appointed director of obesity medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC) in 2021. In 2025, she was named co-medical director of the Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management Clinic. She also serves as diabetes clinical co-lead for BMC's Health Equity Accelerator, where she develops programs to improve equity in diabetes care in high-risk populations at BMC. In addition, Dr. Rizo is the endocrinology lead for Heart of Communities, a collaboration among BMC, Mass General Brigham and Mattapan Community Health Center focused on improving cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic health in the Mattapan community.
GSDM May 2026 Faculty Promotions
Congratulations to the following Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine faculty on their May 2026 promotion.
Clinical Professor
Mohammad Hossein Dashti, DMD, CAGS, Restorative Science & Biomaterials, is a prosthodontist whose work encompasses smile design, oral rehabilitation, implant-supported crowns and bridges, nightguards and endodontically treated teeth. He served as the Course Director for "Contemporary Prosthodontic Literature Review" for over 10 years from 2013 to 2023. As a board-certified diplomate, he has utilized his knowledge and experience in mentoring residents for American Board of Prosthodontics candidacy. Dr. Dashti was honored with the acclaimed McCahan Faculty Recognition Award for Teaching Excellence at GSDM in 2021. He received multiple Teaching Excellence Awards in Postdoctoral Prosthodontics from the Classes of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2024, and residents' Appreciation Awards from the Classes of 2023 and 2025. He served on the American College of Prosthodontics (ACP) education committees including the Prosthodontic Review Course Committee/ACF webinars (2022-24) and Residents' Mentorship Committee (2021-23).
Clinical Associate Professor
Ali Abdallah, CAGS, DScD, Restorative Science & Biomaterials, is a clinical prosthodontist and director of the PG Prosthodontics program. He strives to improve the program quality through streamlining the contents, eliminating redundancies while keeping abreast with advances in restorative sciences. He also is course director of nine courses and lectures in key areas encompassing occlusion, fixed prosthodontics, implantology, practice management, contemporary literature review, prosthodontic techniques and dental photography. He serves as president of the Massachusetts Section of the American College of Prosthodontists and as a member on the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Products, Sub-TAG 9: CAD/CAM in Dentistry (2022-24) and as a reviewer for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry since 2025.
Jae Choi, CDT, MDC, Restorative Science & Biomaterials, provides hands-on training to postdoctoral residents in digital dentistry and conventional lab works by serving as the department's dental ceramist from 2004 to 2018 and as a dental technologist from 2019 to 2022 before transitioning to his current faculty position. He is course director for three courses: Advanced Laboratory CAD/CAM Restoration (2025-Present), Prosthodontics Laboratory Rotation (2019-Present) and Advanced Prosthodontic Techniques (2019-Present); as well as co-course director for Basic Prosthodontics Techniques (2019-Present).
BUMC Faculty Promotions – April 2026
Congratulations to the following Medical Campus faculty on their April 2026 promotion.
Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Clinical Professor
Jean Francis, MD, Medicine/Nephrology, specializes in the early detection and diagnosis of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), management of BK virus infection, antibody-mediated rejection, recurrent glomerulonephritis and metabolic disorders that occur after kidney transplantation. A UNOS-certified transplant nephrologist, he serves as medical director of the kidney transplant program at Boston Medical Center (BMC), clinical co-director of the ARC on thrombosis and medical director of the Pancreas Transplant Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He founded and co-leads the TMA Team at BMC, establishing an integrated clinical-research model that has improved patient outcomes, which has been adopted by other institutions. Additionally, he co-founded the New England BK Consortium, standardizing BK virus protocols across 14 transplant programs, and serves as its quality director. Dr. Francis also established the Live Kidney Donation Task Force at BMC to address disparities in transplantation through culturally informed education, community outreach and enhanced donor identification. In parallel, he co-leads the IgA Nephropathy Task Force and the Thrombotic Microangiopathic Hemolytic Anemia Program, where he has advanced mechanism-based treatment protocols that have been adopted across the renal section and presented at national forums.
Research Associate Professor
Anica Pless Kaiser, PhD, Psychiatry, focuses on understanding the effects of stress and trauma over the lifespan, PTSD symptom course over time, assessment of PTSD and related disorders, development of interventions for older Veterans, social function in PTSD, the relationship between PTSD and aging, and suicide prevention for older Veterans. She currently serves as program co-director of the Stress, Health and Aging Research Program and as a clinical research psychologist in the Behavioral Science Division of the National Center for PTSD and in the New England Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, both based at VA Boston Healthcare System.
School of Public Health
Clinical Professor
Jennifer Beard, PhD, MPH, MA, Global Health, is an expert in public health writing whose work explores the intersection between population health, the arts and humanities, and journalism. She developed and teaches courses in global mental health and global health storytelling and is always looking for ways to incorporate fiction and creative non-fiction into her courses. In 2022, Dr. Beard’s book “Teaching Public Health Writing" was published by Oxford University Press, providing a roadmap for public health educators to teach practitioners and researchers how to effectively communicate messages to different audiences. She directs the Public Health Writing Program and is the associate editor of Public Health Post, where she mentors student writing fellows and expert guest authors to translate and broaden the reach of their research.
Research Associate Professor
Amelia Wesselink, PhD, Epidemiology, is a an internationally recognized expert in environmental influences on reproductive and gynecologic health. Her work aims to identify social and environmental determinants of gynecologic outcomes, evaluate the effects of climate change on fertility, and advance reproductive equity and justice. To that end, she has led research on environmental exposures and infertility for the Black Women's Health Study, has led work on the reproductive health effects of air pollution and heat within the Pregnancy Study Online, and has focused on exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and gynecologic health within the Study of Environment, Lifestyle and Fibroids. She currently serves as PI of two NIH R01s, and serves as a mentor to many graduate students.
Chobanian & Avedisian SOM March 2026 Faculty Appointments & Promotions
Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their March 2026 appointment or promotion.
Nikolaos Daskalakis, MD, PhD, Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, focuses on the neurobiology, genomics and systems biology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Using a combination of large-scale genetics, deep genomic analyses in human tissues and innovative in vitro, in vivo, and computational models, his work addresses the molecular mechanisms underlying susceptibility to early- and later-life stress in mental illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He has generated the largest brain multiomic datasets for PTSD in the context of various international consortia and developed robust platforms for testing and validating novel biomarkers and therapeutic approaches using iPSC-derived and primary neuronal culture models. Dr. Daskalakis’s expertise in genetics and genomics, spanning experimental data generation and advanced single cell and machine learning analyses, will strengthen the university’s translational bioinformatics ecosystem. Supported by multiple federal and foundation grants, his research program is expanding to encompass additional brain disorders influenced by the gene-by-environment interplay, including substance use disorders, pain–stress comorbidities and neurodegenerative diseases. He joined Boston University from Harvard Medical School, where he served as an associate professor of psychiatry.
George J. Murphy, PhD, Medicine/Hematology & Medical Oncology, specializes in stem cell biology at the nexus of regenerative medicine and aging biology. Along with his colleagues Darrell Kotton, MD, and Gustavo Mostoslavsky, MD, PhD, Dr. Murphy co-founded the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM), which has emerged as a leader in the development and application of induced pluripotent stem cell technology. His work, initially on blood cell development and more recently on exceptional longevity, has been continuously funded by the NIH for more than a decade. Dr. Murphy serves as co-chair, research & scholarly activities on the Boston University Faculty Council. He is an American Society of Hematology Scholar Award recipient, a National Blood Foundation Fellow and a National Academy of Medicine Healthy Aging Catalyst Awardee.
Clinical Associate Professor
Linda Afifi, PhD, Anatomy & Neurobiology, is an innovative educator who spans the disciplines of clinical gross anatomy, histology and neuroscience. As an alumna of the department, she is honored to contribute to and uphold the education that shaped her academic foundation. She is deeply committed to course development and is the director of various anatomy courses in the MD program and graduate medical sciences. Her teaching and commitment to her students has led to several honors and awards, her most recent being the Distinguished Faculty of the Month for March 2026. Her research interests include anatomy education, with a focus on active learning strategies, cadaver-based instruction and the integration of clinical concepts into graduate-level curricula.
Yachana Kataria, PhD, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, is a clinician-scientist with a research focus on population health and public health. She serves as medical director of clinical chemistry for the Boston Medical Center Health System (BMCHS), leading efforts to enhance laboratory services and improve patient care across the continuum of hospitals and affiliated health centers. From 2018-25, she held a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) license as laboratory director for Codman Square Health Center and DotHouse Health, community health centers within the BMCHS Accountable Care Organization. Dr. Kataria is a leader in laboratory medicine through her work with the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, where she serves as chair of the Society of Young Clinical Laboratorians. She also plays a key leadership role in Clinical Lab 2.0, advancing data-driven, value-based care models that highlight the clinical and financial impact of laboratory medicine. Dr. Kataria has a sustained record of externally funded research leadership, serving as both PI and collaborative investigator across multi institutional and translational research initiatives.
Susannah Rowe, MD, MPH, Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences, is a clinician-educator whose areas of interest include complex and high-risk cataract surgery, eye care for the underserved, and occupational well-being. Dr. Rowe developed the Exceptional Vision Service, a pioneering program that improves access to cataract surgery for people with autism, intellectual disability and mental illness. She serves as vice chair for safety and quality in the department of ophthalmology & vision sciences. In her role as associate chief medical officer for wellness and professional vitality at Boston Medical Center, she leads institutional efforts to improve occupational equity and well-being, focusing on local and national drivers and on the particular experience of highly mission-driven clinicians. Throughout her academic and clinical career, Dr. Rowe has been driven by a deep commitment to fostering environments – both individual and institutional – that enable people to thrive.
Steven Ness, MD, Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences, is a clinician-educator who specializes in vitreoretinal surgery, retina education and disparities research. He serves as chief of the retina service, director of clinical research in the department and director of the Vitreoretinal Surgery and Disease Fellowship. Dr. Ness also is site PI on four NIH/NEI-funded multicenter Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR Retina Network), protocols. He is the recipient of the 2024 American Society of Retinal Specialists’ Honor Award for his sustained educational and scholarly contributions.
BUMC Spring Shred + Recycle Event, April 7, Talbot Green
In collaboration with BU Sustainability for Earth Day 365, BU Information Security is excited to host the annual Spring Shred + Recycle Event. Bring your sensitive documents and hard drives for shredding, along with any electronics and recyclables. Have questions about Earth Day 365 or keeping your BU account secure? Sustainability and Information Security teams will be on hand to help!
Date: Tuesday, April 7
Time: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location: Talbot Green
Learn more about what you can shred and recycle here.
