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Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) is an area of study within the Division of Medical Sciences, a unit based at Harvard Medical School that coordinates biomedical Ph.D. activities at the Longwood Medical Area. The Ph.D. Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) offers training in the biosciences, built outward from core training in contemporary genetics, biochemistry, and molecular, cellular, and mechanistic biology. BBS provides a rigorous, nimble biomedical education, equipping trainees with tools to bring about scientific breakthroughs and to launch entrepreneurial paths in academics, industry, and education.

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News & Highlights

Topics: Education & Training , Five Questions

When the Breakthrough is Only the Beginning

Five questions with physician-scientist aswin sekar on the long arc of translational science..

Aswin Sekar , MD, PhD, hit the science jackpot early. As a grad student in geneticist Steven McCarroll’s lab at Harvard Medical School, he helped unlock a key genetic mystery in schizophrenia. The finding was hailed as a breakthrough with the potential to inform development of new drugs for schizophrenia based on an understanding of its biology.

For Sekar, a physician-scientist whose goal is to turn scientific discoveries into treatments that help people, the experience drove home an important lesson: The finding is just the beginning, and the arc connecting bench to bedside can be a long one.

Sekar now studies precancerous stages of leukemias and lymphomas in Benjamin Ebert’s lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and sees patients as an attending physician in the lymphoma division, a career track driven in part by his mother’s diagnosis with leukemia when he was in high school.

Sekar likens the long slog of MD/PhD training to a game of Chutes and Ladders. Among its many ups and downs, the transition from clinical training to postdoctoral research at the bench stood out as particularly challenging. We caught up with him recently to talk about his experience taking our Models of Disease course (aka MoD boot camp) in 2020, a time during which he was immersed in that transition.

As a grad student in 2013, you were part of a team that discovered a major finding in schizophrenia genomics. Looking back 10 years later, what have you learned from that experience?

One thing I’ve learned is that the arc of drug discovery and development is quite long. It also gave me a better appreciation for what is involved in translating a basic science finding into a drug. In academia, to arrive at a finding like we did can feel like a milestone, but in reality it’s just the beginning of a lot more work to see if that finding can be clinically actionable.

It definitely felt rewarding to be able to arrive at a finding that we think could help us understand the biology of the disease, and to be part of a multidisciplinary collaboration across many labs. None of us could have achieved it individually. But it’s not the end point. It’s the starting point.

You started your MD/PhD training in 2008. That’s 15 years of post-college training so far, with a year or two of research fellowship remaining. What drove you to embark on this journey?

Part of it was personal motivation. I can trace the roots of my interest in medicine back to high school, when my mother was diagnosed with leukemia. I realized I wanted to be a doctor earlier than when I realized I also wanted to be a scientist.

The scientist part came from exposure to lab research in college, where I worked in a lab part-time starting the summer after my freshman year. That was enough to get a sense of what laboratory research is like. But it wasn’t until I took a year off between college and medical school to work in a lab full-time that I became convinced that this was something I could see myself doing and enjoying as a primary part of my career. Having that immersive experience was key.

“In some ways, physician-scientist training can be like a game of Chutes and Ladders. You go through one aspect of training and just when you’ve reached a certain level of maturity in that, you switch.”

You took another year off from academic studies 10 years later, between residency and fellowship, this time to work at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. What was your motivation for wanting exposure to industry?

During my PhD training I studied the genetics of schizophrenia as well as lupus. It was exciting and rewarding to be able to see firsthand what we can learn about disease biology from genetic insights and large-scale analyses of genetic data. At the same time, what was less clear to me was how a basic discovery in biology or disease pathogenesis gets translated into something that benefits patients. What is the process from point A, the finding, to point B, having a drug that meaningfully improves a patient’s life? How does one prioritize which discoveries should be translated?

I realized that spending time in industry was the best way to understand what happens after the research finding. I knew I would return to academia to pursue my clinical and postdoctoral fellowship, and I wanted to approach the rest of my training and career with that perspective in mind.

Around that time, Vertex developed a fellowship program. Its intention was to enable individuals to get precisely the kind of exposure I sought. I’m grateful for having had that exposure relatively early on because it helped me understand the ways in which the academia and industry settings can be similar, different, and complementary.

You then returned to academia to start your fellowship training in hematology/oncology and attended Models of Disease Boot Camp a year later, in 2020. What attracted you to the course at that time?

In some ways, physician-scientist training can be like a game of Chutes and Ladders. You go through one aspect of training and just when you’ve reached a certain level of maturity in that, you switch. You go from the first two years of medical school to entering grad school and then back to medical school for the last two years. Then there is a transition from medical school to internship and residency. All these different points can feel like chutes or ladders.

Ultimately, I think the transition that felt the most challenging was finishing clinical fellowship and going back to the lab. Up until then, the next step in your training is clear. Then the number of options becomes vast, and you have to choose an area in which to focus. That choice can impact your research life for at least the immediate future and possibly the rest of your career.

In that sense, I felt like this transition was more than just the “next transition.” It was about the potential impact it was going to have for the next five, ten years or more.

What stands out for you from your boot camp memories?

It was not just about learning new hot topics or techniques, although that was certainly a part of it. It was being able to hear from scientists and speakers who could rekindle that interest and excitement about going back into the lab by showing what’s possible. For example, we heard from scientists who have successfully navigated the bench-to-bedside arc, such as Stu Orkin, whose basic science discoveries contributed to the first CRISPR-based treatment for sickle cell disease, and [Harvard Medical School] Dean George Q. Daley, or people who had moved from academia to industry like Jay Bradner [chief scientific officer of Amgen].

“Techniques can become obsolete very quickly; the process of how to do science well does not.”

We also heard from physician-scientists only a few years ahead of us in training, which was really motivating and enjoyable. Multiple sessions included people who had just gotten their first K grant or had just secured an assistant professor position. To meet individuals who have recently navigated this transition successfully and see what’s possible afterward was encouraging. In the midst of a daunting transition, that gave us optimism.

In my case, my graduate work was in a different field than what I’m now doing during my postdoc, which is studying pre-cancer states that precede leukemias and lymphoma. So my transition to postdoctoral research involved switching fields and learning about approaches and experiments that were new to me.

Even so, for me the boot camp–and really, scientific training in general–was less about specific techniques or analytical approaches and more about learning to do science well: thinking critically and creatively, choosing the right questions, and figuring out what experiments or analyses will address those questions in the most rigorous and definitive way. Techniques can become obsolete very quickly; the process of how to do science well does not.

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Congratulations to the 2024 Hackathon winners

The 5th edition of the Health Systems Innovation Hackathon took place in 8 cities around the world and 20+ winning teams were selected by each local Innovation Hub. The winning teams received two weeks of mentoring by members of the Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab on how to refine their innovation and improve their pitch.

The final winners have been selected, and they will partake in a month-long Venture Incubation Program .

We want to congratulate the winning teams on their innovations:

Winner: SNIFF

2nd: ZophIA.tech

3rd equal: SweetAudio and AI Pathology

Who are the Health Systems Innovation Hackathon winners of 2024? 

S.N.I.F.F. (Smart Neoplasm Identification by Fume Fingerprinting) is a non-invasive test that aims to revolutionize breast cancer surgery by decreasing the rate of incomplete surgical excision of positive margins. The test utilizes multiple parameters derived from gases emitted by the electrocautery device during tissue ablation. These parameters are used to discriminate between malignant and benign tissue in the resection zone using artificial intelligence algorithms. The test is a Point of Care Test that provides real-time intraoperative feedback to the surgeon about the margin status in the area being excised, enabling immediate modification of the surgical plan and wider excision if indicated.

The S.N.I.F.F. team consists of five medical students from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, two of whom are pursuing parallel studies in engineering and one of whom has a degree in chemistry.

ZophIA.tech

ZophIA.tech is a support tool for diagnosing and evaluating mental disorders through speech. It uses AI enhanced by Geometric Analysis to reach into the hyperspectrum of mental health data. The solution aims not to replace mental healthcare professionals but rather to equip them with assertive screening tests to improve diagnosis accuracy. Through speech recognition, ZophIA.tech uses geometric and physical analysis methods in addition to classical AI. This allows it to characterize speech patterns assertively even with little data collected.

ZophIA.tech is the result of the combined efforts by team members affiliated with the Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil with expertise in Medicine, Mathematics, and Statistics/Informatics.

SweetAudio is a groundbreaking, non-invasive method for glucose monitoring utilizing voice analysis. Leveraging the power of AI and the correlation between vocal biomarkers and blood glucose levels, the platform offers a personalized, accessible, and affordable solution that simplifies diabetes management worldwide.

SweetAudio team members include professionals and students at Harvard and MIT with expertise in biomedical engineering, biotech, AI/ML, medicine, public health and epidemiology.

AI Pathology

AI Pathology Tech harnesses innovative AI technology to address the growing incidence of skin cancer. Nevo, their flagship web application, facilitates early skin lesion screening using smartphone photography. Tailored to accommodate diverse ethnic backgrounds, it focuses on the broad range of skin tones found in Brazil. The application employs a deep learning model to analyze skin lesion images, thus streamlining the screening process and fast-tracking consultations with dermatologists.

The AI Pathology team includes pathologists, developers, an AI specialist, and a lawyer, all dedicated to tackling this significant health issue in Brazil.

Authors: Nour Sharara and Caroline Bulstra

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Participating schools and institutions

A list of graduate and professional schools and institutions that will be represented at the 2024 Graduate and Professional School Fair.

On this page

Many of these institutions have indicated that their representatives will be able to talk about many programs, not just the program they are specifically representing.

This list may change at any time.

Albany College: Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Albany Medical College: MD Program

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Graduate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Science Careers

American Dental Education Association: ADEA GoDental

Augusta University: Biomedical Science PhD Programs

Baldwin Wallace University: Master of Public Health

Baylor College of Medicine: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Baylor College of Medicine: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

Boston College: Woods College of Advancing Studies

Boston University: Graduate Program for Neuroscience Boston University: School of Public Health (MPH, Online MPH, MS, PhD, DrPH)

Brown University: Computational Biology Graduate Program Brown University: Graduate Programs in Biology Brown University: School of Public Health

Campbell University: College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine: Graduate Programs Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Case Western Reserve University: The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: School of Biological Sciences

Columbia University, Irving Medical Center: PhD and MD/PhD Programs Columbia University: Mailman School of Public Health

Cornell University: Biomedical & Biological Sciences (BBS) PhD Program

Dartmouth College: Geisel School of Medicine Dartmouth College: Integrative Neuroscience

Duke University: Department of Population Health Sciences Duke University: School of Medicine

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)

Emory University, Laney Graduate School: Academic Masters' and Doctoral Program Emory University: Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Emory University: Rollins School of Public Health

George Mason University: College of Humanities and Social Sciences George Mason University: College of Public Health Graduate Programs George Mason University: Graduate Programs in Biodefense

George Washington University: Integrated Biomedical Sciences George Washington University: Physician Assistant Program George Washington University: School of Medicine and Health Sciences, M.D. Program

Georgetown University - George Mason University: GeorgeSquared, Advanced Biomedical Sciences Georgetown University: Biomedical Graduate Education Georgetown University: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Interdisciplinary Health Programs Georgetown University: M.S. Health and the Public Interest- Georgetown University: Master's in Epidemiology Program

Gerstner Sloan Kettering: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Harvard Medical School Harvard University - Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MD/PhD Program Harvard University: Harvard Integrated Life Sciences Harvard University: T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Gilliam Fellows Program

Howard University: Graduate School

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: MD program Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: MD/PhD Program Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience

Illinois Institute of Technology: All Graduate Programs

Indiana University School of Medicine: Biomedical Science PhD Programs Indiana University School of Medicine: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

Jackson Laboratory: Postbac, PhD and Postdoctoral Programs

Johns Hopkins University: Bloomberg School of Public Health Johns Hopkins University: Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics PhD Program Johns Hopkins University: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Johns Hopkins University: School of Nursing Johns Hopkins University: Whiting School of Engineering

Johnson & Wales University: Graduate Programs

Kennesaw State University: Peach State Bridges to the Doctorate Program

Lincoln Memorial University: College of Dental Medicine

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans: School of Graduate Studies

Marshall University: Graduate Biomedical Research

Mayo Clinic: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, PhD and MD-PhD Programs

Medical College of Wisconsin: Doctor of Medicine Medical College of Wisconsin: Graduate School Medical College of Wisconsin: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Medical College of Wisconsin: PhD/MS program in Biostatistics and Data Science

Medical University of South Carolina: PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

Michigan State University: College of Osteopathic Medicine, Physician-Scientist Training Program

Morgan State University: Public Health Program

New York Medical College: School of Health Sciences and Practice

New York University, Grossman School of Medicine: Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences

NIH - Karolinska Institutet: Collaborative Doctoral Program in Neuroscience NIH - National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics: Fellowship Program NIH - National Institute of Mental Health - University College London: Joint Doctoral Training Program in Neuroscience NIH - University of Oxford - University of Cambridge: Scholars Program NIH: Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) NIH-Johns Hopkins University: Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) in Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology and Biophysics NIH-University of Pennsylvania: Immunology Graduate Partnership Program (GPP)

Northwestern University: Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences Northwestern University: Master of Science in Law Northwestern University: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

Oakland University: William Beaumont School of Medicine

Ohio State University: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Ohio State University: Neuroscience Graduate Program

Pace University: Graduate Admission

Pennsylvania State College of Medicine: Graduate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences Pennsylvania State College of Medicine: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Ponce Health Sciences University, St. Louis

Purdue University: Biomedical Sciences and Public Health Purdue University: Interdisciplinary Life Science Program Purdue University: Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering

Rockefeller University: Graduate Program in Bioscience

Rosalind Franklin University: Graduate School

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine

Rush University Medical College: Division of Translational Science

Rutgers University, Newark: School of Graduate Studies

Saba University School of Medicine: Global University Systems (GUS) Medical & Veterinary

Salus University: Health Science programs

St. George's University: School of Medicine

State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University: School of Graduate Studies State University of New York, Upstate Medical University: College of Medicine and College of Graduate Studies

Stevenson University: Online, Master and Certificate Programs

Stony Brook University: Center for Inclusive Education Stony Brook University: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

Stowers Institute: PhD in Biology program

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

The Chicago School: Doctor of Psychology

Thomas Jefferson University: Graduate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences

Tufts University: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy Tufts University: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Uniformed Services University: Emerging Infectious Diseases Graduate Program Uniformed Services University: F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine Uniformed Services University: MD/PhD Program Uniformed Services University: Medical & Clinical Psychology Graduate Program Uniformed Services University: Molecular & Cell Biology Graduate Program Uniformed Services University: Neuroscience Graduate Program

University at Albany, State University of New York: The Graduate School

University of Alabama at Birmingham: Heersink School of Medicine

University of Alabama at Birmingham: Vision Science Graduate Program

University of Arizona: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of California, Berkeley: Vision Science PhD Program

University of California, Davis: MD/PhD Program

University of California, Irvine: School of Medicine, Graduate Studies (PhD) and Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of California, Los Angeles: Graduate Programs in Bioscience University of California, Los Angeles: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of California, San Diego: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of California, San Francisco: Graduate Division University of California, San Francisco: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of Chicago: Biological Sciences Graduate Programs University of Chicago: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) University of Chicago: Pritzker School of Medicine

University of Cincinnati: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of Colorado, Anschutz: Graduate School

University of Florida: College of Pharmacy

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign: Health Technology University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign: Master of Public Health

University of Iowa: Biomedical Science Graduate Program University of Iowa: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy: PhD Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences and PharmD Program University of Kentucky: MD/PhD Program

University of Louisville: Public Health Graduate Programs

University of Maryland, Baltimore: Office of Professional Programs University of Maryland, Baltimore: Graduate School University of Maryland, College Park: School of Public Health University of Maryland, School of Medicine: Graduate Program in Life Sciences University of Maryland, School of Medicine: MD, MD/Masters University of Maryland, School of Medicine: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) University of Maryland, School of Medicine: MPH Program University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy: Doctor of Pharmacy University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Graduate Programs University of Maryland: Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) Program

University of Massachusetts Chan: Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS)

University of Medicine and Health Sciences: MD Program

University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine: Biomedical Programs University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine: MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Miami: Graduate Programs in Public Health

University of Michigan Medical School: Health Infrastructures & Learning Systems (HILS) M.S./Ph.D. University of Michigan: College of Pharmacy University of Michigan: Medical School University of Michigan: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) University of Michigan: Oral Health Sciences University of Michigan: Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS)

University of Minnesota: Graduate Program in Neuroscience University of Minnesota: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of Missouri-Kansas City: School of Medicine

University of Nebraska Medical Center: College of Public Health University of Nebraska Medical Center: Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences

University of Nebraska, Omaha: Graduate Programs in Biomechanics

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: MD/PhD Program University of North Carolina, Charlotte: Graduate Programs in Bioinformatics and Genomics

University of Pennsylvania: Biomedical Graduate Studies University of Pennsylvania: Graduate Division, Arts and Sciences University of Pennsylvania: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) University of Pennsylvania: Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Programs University of Pennsylvania: Perelman School of Medicine: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Learner Experience Program in Medical Education (IDEAL MEd), MD Program

University of Pittsburgh - Carnegie Mellon University: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine: Graduate Studies University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine: MD Program

University of Puget Sound: Graduate Admission

University of Queensland - Ochsner Clinical School: MD Program

University of Rochester: 12 PhD programs in biomedical & health sciences University of Rochester: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) University of Rochester: MS Genetic Counseling Program

University of Southern California: Leonard Davis School of Gerontology University of Southern California: Programs in Biomedical and Biological Sciences

University of Tennessee Health Science Center: College of Graduate Health Sciences

University of Texas Medical Branch: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

University of Texas Southwestern: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. Programs University of Texas Southwestern: O'Donnell School of Public Health Graduate Programs University of Texas Southwestern: Perot Family Scholars Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of Utah: Department of Population Health Sciences Graduate Program University of Utah: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) and Biosciences PhD Program

University of Virginia: Doctoral Programs in Biomedical Research

University of Washington: Biochemistry & Biological Physics, Structure and Design Ph.D. Programs University of Washington: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences University of Washington: Genome Sciences Ph.D. University of Washington: Molecular & Cellular Biology University of Washington: Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease (M3D) University of Washington: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

University of Wisconsin, Madison: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) University of Wisconsin, Madison: Neuroscience Training Program University of Wisconsin, Madison: Predoctoral Training Program in Genetics (PHD)

UTHealth, Houston: McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics UTHealth, Houston - University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences UTHealth, Houston - University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) UTHealth, San Antonio: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences UTHealth, San Antonio: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

Van Andel Institute, Graduate School: PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology

Vanderbilt University: Biomedical PhD Programs Vanderbilt University: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Vanderbilt University: School of Medicine, MD Program

Virginia Commonwealth University: graduate school in pharmacotherapy Virginia Commonwealth University: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Virginia Commonwealth University: School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Engineering Graduate Programs

Virginia Tech: Carilion School of Medicine Virginia Tech: Molecular and Cellular Biology graduate program Virginia Tech: Neuroscience Graduate Program Virginia Tech: Translational Biology, Medicine, & Health Graduate Program

Wake Forest University: Graduate Programs in Biomedical Science Wake Forest University: School of Medicine MD Program

Washington University School of Medicine: Office of Diversity Programs Washington University, Saint Louis: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Washington University, St. Louis: School of Medicine, Grad Programs in Data Science and Clinical Research Washington University: Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences

Weill Cornell - Houston Methodist Academic Institute: Graduate School of Medical Science, Physiology, Biophysics, and Systems biology (PBSB) Weill Cornell - Rockefeller - Sloan Kettering: Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program Weill Cornell - Rockefeller - Sloan Kettering: Tri-Institutional PhD Programs; Chemical Biology and Computational Biology & Medicine Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences: PhD Programs

West Liberty University: Graduate Studies

West Virginia University: Health Sciences Graduate Programs

Western Michigan University: Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine

Yale University: Biological and Biomedical Sciences Yale University: Graduate Program in Chemistry Yale University: Integrated Graduate Program in Physical and Engineering Biology Yale University: MD-PhD Program

Reach out to us at [email protected] with questions.

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• Program Specialist

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• Dissertation Advisory Committee
• Introduction

Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.

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Dissertation Advisory Committee; Thesis Acceptance Certificate

The Dissertation Advisory Committee formally approves the dissertation by signing the Thesis Acceptance Certificate . In PhD programs that are not lab-based, this committee also guides the student in writing the dissertation. The committee should work cohesively in supporting the student to produce their best work. The signatures of these faculty members on the Thesis Acceptance Certificate indicate formal acceptance of the student’s scholarly contribution to the field.  

In some fields, especially in the sciences, the Dissertation Advisory Committee described below is known locally as the “Dissertation Defense Committee.” In these programs, a separate additional committee (also called the Dissertation Advisory Committee) that includes the student’s primary advisor, will guide the student’s progress until submission for formal review by the DAC/defense committee. The members of the DAC/defense committee give formal approval to the finished work, but the student’s work will be understood to have occurred under the guidance of the primary advisor. The changes to the DAC/defense committee as described below do not in any way affect the essential structure of dissertation advising that already exists in lab-based PhD programs. 

The following policy applies to every Harvard Griffin GSAS Dissertation Advisory Committee formed on or after July 1, 2024. Any Dissertation Advisory Committee approved before July 1, 2024 is subject to the rules outlined below, see “Grandfathering.”  

Effective July 1, 2024:  

•  The graduate thesis for the PhD shall be accepted, and the Thesis Acceptance Certificate signed, by at least three advisors, who will form the Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC). At least two members of the committee shall be on-ladder faculty members. 
• In FAS-based programs, the Director of Graduate Studies or Department Chair or Area Chair shall sign off on the proposed committee.  
• For programs based outside the FAS, the Program Head shall sign off. 
• A program may petition the Dean of Harvard Griffin GSAS to consider a variation to the above requirement. 
• A Professor in Residence or Professor of the Practice may serve as a non-chairing member of the DAC, as long as the committee composition is consistent with “1.”  
•  Senior Lecturers and other non-ladder faculty may serve on the DAC as the third member when appropriate, as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, Department Chair, Area Chair, or Program Head, as long as the committee composition is consistent with “1.” 
• Tenured emeriti faculty members (including research professors) may serve on the DAC. They may co-chair the DAC with a current on-ladder faculty member from the student’s department or program but may not serve as the sole chair. 
• Non-Harvard faculty of equivalent appointment rank to on-ladder faculty at Harvard may serve as one of the non-chairing members of the DAC.  
• A committee with co-chairs shall require a third member, consistent with ”1.” 
• Additional members may be appointed to the DAC, as long as the core three-member committee is consistent with ”1.” 
• They may continue to serve as a committee member if they have moved to another institution with an appointment rank equivalent to on-ladder at Harvard.  
• Or, if they are no longer serving on the DAC (by choice of the student, the student’s program, and/or the departing faculty member), the advisor must be replaced in accordance with ”1.” 
• If the departing faculty member will remain as chair on the DAC, a co-chair must be designated in accordance with “1.” The co-chair may, in this instance, be the Director of Graduate Studies in the student’s program if a faculty member with field expertise is not available to serve in this capacity. 

Please note:

• “On ladder” refers to faculty members with tenure or who are tenure-track. The phrase “on ladder” is generally not used at HMS, but all HMS and HCSPH assistant, associate, and full professors are considered to be “on ladder” according to HMS Faculty Affairs, and, for the purposes of this legislation, may serve on the DAC/defense committee. 
• With regard to paragraph 3.b.ii, and in keeping with the spirit of this legislation, ordinarily a scholar appointed as a College Fellow would not be ready to serve as one of the three core members of the committee. 
• With regard to paragraph 3.b.iv, individuals who do not fit this category (e.g., a scholar holding a non-ladder faculty position at another institution) may sit on the committee as a fourth member, in accordance with paragraph 3.d.  
• On the rare occasion that a situation requires special consideration, programs are advised to consult with the Dean of Harvard Griffin GSAS.  

Grandfathering

Grandfathering, and rules applying to all dissertation advisory committees, regardless of status prior to July 1, 2024:  

For dissertation advisory committees approved before July 1, 2024 under the former policy ( Two signatories must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS); FAS emeriti (including research professors) and faculty members from other Schools at Harvard who hold appointments on Harvard Griffin GSAS degree committees are authorized to sign DACs as FAS members. Harvard Griffin GSAS strongly recommends that the chair of the dissertation committee be a member of the FAS. If approved by the department, it is possible to have co-chairs of the dissertation committee as long as one is a member of FAS) , the following rules apply:   

Dissertation Advisory Committees approved prior to July 1, 2024 will be grandfathered, except in two situations:  

• An existing DAC chaired by an individual whose faculty appointment does not meet the requirements of the new rules will need to be adjusted. A co-chair should be designated, with the option of appointing the DGS to serve as co-chair, as allowed in paragraph 3.e.iii;  
• An existing DAC with fewer than three members should be updated, and the new member(s) should be consistent with the new policy.   

Thesis Acceptance Certificate

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Congratulations to Our 2024 Outstanding Student Achievement Award Winners!

Graduate Medical Sciences is pleased to award four high-achieving, graduating students with Outstanding Student Achievement Awards in the categories “Outstanding Research” and “Community Service.”

These students have made exceptional contributions to their departments and communities that have set them apart from their peers during their time at GMS. Meet each awardee below:

Katharine Babcock, PhD, ’24

Phd in anatomy & neurobiology.

Katharine Babcock is a January 2024 graduate of the PhD program in Anatomy & Neurobiology. She has been at Boston University for almost 10 years. From September 2014 to September 2016, Katharine worked as a research assistant at the BU Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center Brain Bank, before pursuing her master’s in the same lab until 2018.

From 2018 to 2023, Katharine pursued her PhD, graduating in January 2024. She is now a postdoctoral fellow at the CTE Center, working to publish two of her thesis chapters.

Katharine’s community service project, “BUtiful Brains,” won her the Outstanding Student Achievement Award in the PhD Community Service category.

Read Katharine’s full story here!

Anna Smith ’24

Phd in molecular & translational medicine, program in biomedical sciences.

Anna Smith is a PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM). She has been at Boston University for almost five years, having matriculated into the PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences in Fall 2019.

Anna is completing her dissertation research in the lab of Associate Professor of Medicine Valerie Gouon-Evans, PhD, PharmD. Dr. Gouon-Evans directs the Boston University Liver Biologists (BULB) Program and is the associate director of the MTM program. Anna’s research focuses on finding alternatives to liver transplantation that transplant healthy liver cells instead of an entire organ. She defended her dissertation, “Human Primary and iPSC-Derived Hepatocyte Cell Therapies to Treat Liver Disease,” in March 2024 and will graduate in May 2024.

Anna’s dissertation research won her this year’s Outstanding Student Achievement Award in the PhD Research Category.

Read more about Anna’s work here!

Gwendolyn Strickland ’24

Master of science in genetic counseling / master of public health dual degree.

Gwendolyn Strickland is a master’s candidate in the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program. She matriculated into Boston University in Fall 2022 to pursue a dual MS/Master of Public Health degree at GMS and the School of Public Health (SPH).

Gwendolyn worked with the Boston Medical Center (BMC) Refugee Women’s Health Clinic to implement a group care model focused on case management services for recently arrived pregnant patients from Haiti. The project began as her SPH practicum. Gwendolyn hopes to take what she’s learned from this community service project and apply it to the field of genetic counseling by increasing awareness and access to genetic services for people who hold marginalized identities.

Gwendolyn’s project won her the Outstanding Student Achievement Award in the Master’s Community Service category.

Read Gwendolyn’s full story here!

Melanie Delgado ’24

Master of science in medical science (mams) program.

Melanie Delgado is a May 2024 master’s candidate in the Master of Science in Medical Science (MAMS) program. She matriculated into the MAMS program in Fall 2022.

Melanie works for Michael Levy, MD, PhD, the director of the Neuroimmunology Clinic and Research Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital. There, she oversees a clinical trial investigating a new drug in the treatment of anti-NMDAR encephalitis. As part of her master’s thesis, Melanie also developed a cross-sectional study to better understand the use, dosing and adverse effects of medical marijuana in the symptom management of rare neuroimmune diseases.

Melanie will soon present her data at the 2024 European Committee for Treatment and Research of Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her research also won her the Outstanding Student Achievement Award in the Master’s Research Category.

Read more about Melanie’s research here!

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Better cardiovascular care through AI

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Photo credit: Simon Simard, MIT Spectrum

Professor and physician Collin Stultz, HST co-director, wants to help heart patients everywhere by applying machine-learning techniques to cardiovascular medicine.

Steve Nadis | MIT Spectrum

Although Collin M. Stultz , MD, loved math throughout high school and his undergraduate years, he headed to Harvard Medical School rather than pursuing pure mathematics, he jokes, to please his parents

Two years later, he began working toward a PhD in biophysics, completing his medical degree and doctorate in the same year. During his internship, residency, and fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Stultz was drawn to cardiology because, he says, “it’s a very evidence-based field.”

Stultz, now the Nina T. and Robert H. Rubin Professor in medical engineering and science and a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, joined MIT’s faculty in 2004 and focused his early research on physical chemistry, investigating the proteins involved in various diseases. He showed, for instance, that when collagen—a protein linked to atherosclerosis—degrades and changes shape, it can lead to fatal heart attacks.

Pivoting to machine learning

Stultz, who is also co-director of the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology and associate director of MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science , shifted gears after realizing that the patients he was seeing would not derive near-term help from his basic research (IMES is HST's home at MIT). Over a decade ago, he began investigating how patients with cardiovascular disease could benefit from machine-learning techniques, a class of methods in which computer algorithms search for inconspicuous relationships hidden amid large volumes of data. As he continues to explore this strategy, he sees greater potential, although he stresses that “machine learning is still in its nascent phases” in cardiovascular medicine.

One of the greatest opportunities for machine-learning methods lies in what Stultz calls the “sweet spot”—the group of people who fall in between the elderly patients known to have serious heart conditions and the young individuals with no family history of heart disease. In this group, he explains, only a small fraction will die of heart ailments any time soon, yet the total number of deaths will be highest because it constitutes the largest population.

“This is an important group to focus on,” Stultz notes, and available data are sparse. But there are simple ways of gathering data that can tell us, he says, “whom in this cohort we should focus on and whom we don’t have to worry about.” Smartphones, for example, can monitor the number of steps one takes in a day; smartwatches and other wearable devices can measure the electrical activity of the heart in the form of an electrocardiogram (ECG). “Data from these devices contain a lot of information,” Stultz said. “For example, knowing how your heart rate changes with exercise has been shown to be a strong predictor of cardiovascular health.” While the heart rate is just the number of beats per minute, “the ECG can tell you what is going on within each beat, such as whether the heart is getting enough oxygen,” he added. “With the aid of machine-learning algorithms, we can detect subtle changes in the ECG signal that are imperceptible to the human eye.” By making use of strategies like this, he envisions that trips to a physician will become relatively rare—and hospital visits even rarer.

Tracking health threats with algorithms

His research team has recently trained algorithms that can predict pressures inside the left atria of patients with heart failure; as pressure goes up, the threat of congestive heart failure rises. This method is potentially an alternative to the current practice of threading a catheter into the heart, an invasive and sometimes risky procedure. Preliminary results indicate that these AI-abetted predictions were astoundingly good—almost 90% accurate. Clinical trials aimed at validating these results are underway at both the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where Stultz practices cardiology, and at the Boston Medical Center.

Stultz is optimistic that this is just the beginning. “Machine learning will bring more equitable and fairer care for everyone,” he says. “What we want to do, at a high level, is move the hospital to the home setting. If we can help each patient, regardless of their background or where they reside, get the same level of care that a patient at a tertiary care center like MGH receives, then we will be closer to realizing excellent and unbiased care for all patients with cardiovascular disease.”

* Originally published in MIT Spectrum.

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The medical foundation, chief science officer, hria.

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Health Resources in Action (HRiA) strives to improve population health by catalyzing social change within and among individuals, institutions, and communities. For HRiA, health equity is where population health, policy, research, and practice come together. They work at the junction of these approaches, helping clients and funders in private philanthropy; local, state, and federal government; community organizations; and health care systems address and solve some of the nation’s most fundamental health challenges.

HRiA seeks nominations and applications for a Chief Science Officer (CSO) for The Medical Foundation (TMF) to lead and collaborate with TMF’s grantmaking team; spearhead and maintain the organization’s innovative biomedical research award program services; enhance program impact; and further grow and diversify the organization’s client base.

Along with a Managing Director, the CSO will help lead TMF, a department within the broader Grantmaking Cluster at HRiA which facilitates biomedical sciences grantmaking services. TMF provides strategic advising on the design and administration of investments in biomedical sciences to a range of clients and partners. With a team of nine staff members situated across the country, TMF works with private individuals, bank trusts, and family foundations to provide biomedical and life sciences consulting services, program evaluation, and customized grant programs designed to accelerate medical discoveries. In 2022, TMF facilitated biomedical research grant programs that awarded over $27 million to outstanding investigators across the United States.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Health Resources in Action (HRiA) is a non-profit, public health consulting organization based in Boston, MA, with 260+ staff working throughout the country. HRiA’s mission is to help people live healthier lives and create healthy communities through prevention, health promotion, policy, and research. With an emphasis on community engagement and commitment to racial and health equity, HRiA has earned a national reputation as a leader in the fields of public health and social change. HRiA works with diverse clients who share its vision of healthier communities, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state and local health departments, community-based organizations, hospitals, and private/corporate philanthropic entities.

Since its founding in 1957, HRiA has been at the forefront of public health, leading the way to promote healthier and more vibrant communities. Its work recognizes how structural racism and social and economic factors impact health outcomes. Its health equity framework centers on racial equity and guides the work with communities, partners, and clients as well as internal policies and processes. HRiA is also an affiliate member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes with over 40 affiliates located across the country.

TMF was HRiA’s founding name and represents a cornerstone of its history and ongoing evolution. The 10-person team is nationwide, and is a key department situated within HRiA’s grantmaking cluster. Its current clients are predominantly family foundations, bank trusts, and private individuals, and it’s positioned to expand this network with government contracts, hospitals, and other organizations conducting biomedical research. TMF often funds young and rising researchers, historically across Massachusetts, but more recently nationwide. Services for clients span the spectrum, from landscape reviews to Requests for Proposals, application reviews, due diligence, and grants administration. TMF currently serves 15 very diverse partners, the majority of which are long-standing relationships.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING THE CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER

The TMF CSO will have a deep understanding of and experience in navigating biomedical research systems, structures, and landscape that enables them to shape the effective design of philanthropic investments needed to advance health equity and wellness. The CSO will lead and collaborate with the organization’s grantmaking team to spearhead and maintain the organization’s innovative biomedical research award program services, enhance program impact, and further diversify the organization’s client funding base. They will also cultivate and maintain positive working relationships with current clients, grant applicants/awardees, scientific reviewers, other biomedical research funders, and research and medical society leadership. The CSO should have strong skills in developing trusting relationships and the ability to bring stakeholders together to accomplish a common goal.

The CSO will work with staff to lead life sciences and biomedical philanthropy consulting projects including scans of specific research and funding landscapes; evaluation studies to assess award program impact; recommendations for future research investment; and executive coaching. In developing new grant programs, they will engage with clients to design the scientific focus, eligibility, and size of the awards to maximize the impact of philanthropic investments.

The CSO will provide scientific oversight to long-standing grant programs and new investment strategies throughout the pre-award, application review, and post-award process. They also will work with staff to continually improve grants administration in alignment with the needs of the field and translate complex biomedical research reports into lay language for clients and other stakeholders. The CSO will facilitate review panel meetings for funding determinations, present to board members and Trustees from family foundations and bank trusts and serve as a senior leader representing HRiA/TMF and its clients. Finally, the person in this position will further the thought leadership of the organization in biomedical sciences grantmaking and bolster TMF’s role as a leader in the field and across the country. This is a full-time, senior-level position reporting to the Vice President of Grantmaking.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER

Leadership and Management

• Contribute to shaping a vision for the biomedical research grantmaking services portfolio that aligns with the organization.
• Serve as the technical lead on biomedical research grantmaking projects, including project planning, implementation, evaluation, and other related administrative responsibilities.
• Identify and implement departmental goals and objectives in collaboration with the biomedical research grantmaking team.
• Collaborate with staff to implement strategies to advance the organization’s priorities related to health equity.
• Work to identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration between biomedical research and community health grantmaking teams.
• Implement best practices to ensure high-quality grantmaking services.
• Establish new and maintain existing relationships with clients, key stakeholders, and other biomedical funders, ensuring that deliverables align with project activities.
• Work with and advise grantmaking leadership team on internal and external opportunities and challenges.
• Lead, manage, and/or contribute to projects, as needed and/or appropriate.
• Supervise team members, including a Senior Scientific Advisor and the Director of the Charles H. Hood Foundation.

Program and Project Work

• Contribute subject matter and/or technical expertise to projects and teams, including designing investment strategies that advance and innovate research and align with current trends in the field and translating research reports into lay language for board reports and presentations.
• Serve as the lead contact for current and potential clients.
• Manage technical content of multiple grants programs including updating the eligibility sections, application requirements, and review criteria in the application guidelines, identifying new members for the Scientific Review Committees, and ensuring funded projects align with programmatic research goals.
• Collaborate with staff to plan and implement scientific symposia for client grant programs.
• Develop project management timelines and set priorities to meet project goals and deadlines, while ensuring completion of high-quality work and deliverables.
• Work with the staff in preparing in-depth life sciences consulting reports about the current state of specific fields of research, grant program evaluations, and other reports commissioned by clients.

Business Development

• Maintain strong relationships with existing clients including foundations and bank trust departments.
• Identify and secure new clients from the nonprofit and public sectors, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, law firms, and bank trust departments, among others.
• Write proposals and lead proposal development processes for relevant opportunities and contribute to other writing teams where appropriate.
• Develop and negotiate scopes of work and contracting with external consultants as needed.
• Work with senior grantmaking staff to develop, manage, and track project budgets.
• Develop and provide content for websites, newsletters, and/or other methods of marketing HRiA’s work and impact.

Thought Leadership

• Bring a high-level understanding of the biomedical research landscape and the systems and structures that contribute to research progress.
• Work with grantmaking senior leadership to identify and implement a strategic vision for the biomedical grantmaking portfolio.
• Be a trusted, informed resource for staff, clients, and broader community.
• Maintain active membership in relevant biomedical research grantmaking networks such as Health Research Alliance, PEAK Grantmaking, and Philanthropy Massachusetts, and attend and present at relevant scientific and medical society meetings as relevant to projects and programs.
• Submit and/or contribute to publications (e.g., journal manuscripts, practice briefs, etc.) and/or conference abstracts, presentations, and workshops.
• Document and share knowledge and best practices across the organization and field to replicate success.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

This role requires a sophisticated generalist understanding of the biomedical sciences and a strong commitment to client service and satisfaction. It also requires the ability to work and collaborate with a broad range of staff and stakeholders. The successful candidate will have many of the following qualifications:

• M.D. or Ph.D. in the life sciences with prior research experience and a solid understanding of the fields of basic, clinical, and translational research.
• At least 10 years of relevant work experience in senior leadership positions in health-related fields and/or research.
• Excellent verbal and written skills, including strong presentation skills and the ability to translate complex technical language for the public.
• Experience in developing, managing, and evaluating biomedical grant programs and grantmaking practices and/or philanthropy strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success in developing, leading, and supervising complex projects and high performing teams.
• Knowledge of emerging trends, challenges, and best practices in biomedical research, knowledge of health equity, philanthropy, and public health.
• Demonstrated experience writing, reviewing, and editing grants, journal manuscripts, practice briefs, and/or conference abstracts and presentations.
• Experience working with and managing diverse clients and meeting or exceeding their expectations in quality and performance.
• Successful experience in donor cultivation, funder/client relations, and securing large grants/contracts from a diverse portfolio of funders.
• Ability to develop and manage budgets and timelines.
• Strength in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Dedication to social justice and a passion for achieving health equity, and a commitment to advancing biomedical research through maximizing the impact of philanthropic support.
• A commitment to valuing diversity of thought, backgrounds, and perspectives.
• Creative thinking and willingness to consider and explore various pragmatic options for achieving an objective or understanding and resolving challenges as they come up.
• Strong entrepreneurial skills and the ability to work and think strategically and creatively to cultivate current relationships and to identify and pursue new opportunities to increase impact.
• Skills to manage, mentor, inspire, and supervise staff.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of people representing various backgrounds, levels of training, and career stages.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple responsibilities, and meet deadlines.

This description is intended to indicate the kinds of work duties that will be required in this position. It is not intended to limit, or in any way modify, the ability of any supervisor to assign, direct, and contract work of staff under their supervision. The use of a particular illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties, not mentioned, that are of a similar level or difficulty.

APPLICATION DETAILS AND HIRING PROCESS

HRiA is actively seeking to build a diverse and experienced staff. The organization encourages multiple perspectives and experiences, supports a multicultural environment, and strives to hire and retain a diverse work force that reflects the populations we work with and the communities where we work. Diversity is a core value of HRiA resulting in culturally competent services, materials, resources, and programs.

HRiA’s hiring and business practices are designed to appreciate the strengths offered through varied backgrounds. As public health practitioners with a social justice focus, HRiA is committed to better understanding and learning from the institutional structures that create disparities among us and our work. HRiA is actively seeking to build a diverse and experienced staff.

More information about Health Resources in Action may be found at: hria.org .

This search is being led by Tamar Datan and Eva Rosenberg of NPAG . Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via NPAG’s website .

This is an exempt, full-time position with the opportunity to work remotely and from HRiA’s Boston office. The salary range for this position is $170,000 – $220,000 commensurate with skills and experience.

HRiA offers strong benefits to its employees, including competitive salaries, health and dental insurance, retirement plan, flexible time, summer hours, vacation starting at 4 weeks, 13 paid holidays, plus office closure time during the last week of December.

HRiA is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.

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2024 Alumni Awards Honorees

Khari Brown  is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Spark the Journey, a 31-year old nonprofit organization that provides mentorship and a community of support to young adults in the Washington, DC area to help them achieve college and career success. Khari began leading Spark in 2001 as Executive Director and became CEO in 2015. Beginning as its only employee, he has grown Spark’s student body from 50 students to more than 600 annually, while also building a broader set of wraparound services and programs to promote student success. By leveraging the power of hundreds of trained volunteers on a daily basis, Spark has been remarkably successful in helping its students overcome the barriers that limit most low-income students. Under Khari’s leadership, Spark has seen 60% of its graduates complete college on time, a rate that is nearly triple that of similar students nationally

Khari Brown, A94, AG01

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Tufts University with degrees in Spanish and Biomedical Engineering, Dr. Shah attended Boston University School of Medicine, earning his Master's degree in Medical Science, with a thesis on MRI technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Shah then went on to earn his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine, graduating at the top of his class as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. He completed his residency training at Tufts Medical Center in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery...

Ameer Shah, A07, M13

Connell Cloyd , originally from Memphis, TN, is a seasoned educator with almost two decades of experience. He holds degrees in Child Development (LA '03) and Education (BA '05) from Tufts University . Currently teaching middle school mathematics at the Henderson Inclusion School for 13 years, Connell believes in showcasing the real-life applications of math, ensuring his students grasp its significance in daily living...

Connell Cloyd, A03, AG05

A 1978 graduate of Tuft School of Medicine, Dr. Robin Dretler is an infectious disease specialist based in the Greater Atlanta area. In 1983, Dr. Dretler established Infectious Disease Specialists of Atlanta, now the largest private practice in infectious diseases in the Greater Atlanta area...

Robin Dretler, M78, A06P

Dr Xiang Gao is the graduate of Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science (PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology in 2005). Currently, he is the Distinguished Professor and Dean of Institute of Nutrition, Fudan University. He is also the Chair of Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Fudan University School of Public Health. Formerly, he was Assistant Professor (2010-2014) at Harvard Medical School, and Associate Professor(2014-2020) and Full Professor (2020-2022) at the Penn State University. He was also the Schreyer Distinguished Honors Faculty at the Penn State University...

Xiang Gao, NG05

The Honorable Jeffrey S. Merrifield, a former presidential appointee to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is widely recognized as an international thought leader on nuclear power and the deployment of complex energy systems for the avoidance of carbon generation...

Jeffrey Merrifield, A85

Suzanne L. Topalian, MD  is a physician-scientist whose studies of anti-tumor immunity have been foundational in developing cancer immunotherapy as a standard-of-care in oncology. She has published over 170 original research articles and reviews in this area and is one of the most highly cited researchers in the biomedical field...

Suzanne Topalian, M79

Aviva Must, PhD  is an internationally known nutritional epidemiologist, obesity researcher and the Morton A. Madoff, MD, MPH Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM). She holds secondary professorial appointments in the Department of Pediatrics at TUSM, Tufts Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTSI) and at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy...

Aviva Must, N87, NG92, J01P, A03P

Nimarta Narang is a writer, journalist, and media professional. As an international student at Tufts University, she graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Experimental Psychology. She has worked in journalism, film, non-profit, and advocacy in the short years since her graduation...

Nimarta Narang, A17

Meagan Edmonds is a 2014 AS&E graduate, who followed in the footsteps of her mom Alice Bruno, a 1977 graduate. While at Tufts, Meagan was involved in Programming Board, Writing Fellows, and the Strong Women, Strong Girls community mentoring program. She also worked as a student in the Office of Alumni Engagement supporting Tufts Alumni events...

Meagan Edmonds, A14

Diana Villarnovo Lopez , J78, A25P, is an accomplished business advisor in both the public and private sectors with more than 30 years of experience in highly regulated industries, including aviation, railroads and affordable housing. She has been a senior advisor and general counsel to multi-national corporations, public agencies, government officials and executives...

Diana Lopez, J78, A25P

Carole Allen , MD, MBA is a board certified pediatrician with extensive experience in clinical practice, practice administration, public health and health care policy. Before retiring from clinical practice in 2011, Dr. Allen was Director of Pediatrics for Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, where she was responsible for oversight of the health care of more than 70,000 children. From 2012 through 2017, she served on the Board of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission that was created to improve quality of care while reducing total medical costs...

Carole Allen, M71