Alumni Feedback

See how our alumni feel about our school. Read some of their recent comments.

Adrienne Boire

I am terribly grateful for the training that I received at Tufts. My career path was a little non-traditional, but I ended up exactly where I wanted to be: running a lab as a physician-scientist, studying a disease in my lab and in my clinic. I am terribly happy!

 

Adrienne Boire, Biochemistry, 2004. Adrienne is an Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and a member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Sharon Cantor

What I valued about my training at Tufts is that it was a close-knit group of faculty and students that was nurturing but also challenging. With Larry (Feig), the greatest thing was the lab meetings. As he wrote on the black board and outlined the RAS signaling pathways, I could see how our work in the lab translated to information about mechanism, very inspiring. I could also see from his example that one could have an exciting life in the lab but also one outside the lab with family, travel, and recreation.

Sharon Cantor, Biochemistry, 1997. Sharon is a Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell & Cancer Biology at the UMASS Medical School.

Rob Cerulli

I am so grateful for my MSTP training at TUSM and GSBS. It is truly a special thing to have the privilege of working alongside some of the most creative and gifted people I've ever met and get to call them colleagues and friends. The mentorship and support I received from my PI, my committee, and many others throughout the GSBS community pushed me to truly think like a scientist, which undoubtedly influences the way I think about medicine. Importantly, to have so many opportunities throughout the training to meet with physician-scientists across all walks of medicine, academia, and industry was invaluable in seeing the variety of ways we can combine these degrees and passions. I have no doubt the skills I've developed through this program have prepared me for the next phases of my training and made possible my goal to pursue a physician-scientist career!

Rob Cerulli, Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology and MSTP, 2022. Rob is completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Monette Cotreau

I’m so thankful to be a member of the Tufts GSBS family. MMC Biopartners would never have been possible without the outstanding education, mentoring, and continued support that I have received from Tufts.

Monette Cotreau, Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, 1999. Monette is the founder and president of MMC Biopartners which she established after two decades leading development teams in large pharma and smaller biotechs.

Dave Greenwald

Earning a PhD at Tufts is a rewarding experience in many ways; the didactic coursework brings you up to speed on the latest scientific technologies, the close working relationship with Tufts Medical Center and the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development provides valuable perspectives on the larger healthcare industry, and the location in the heart of Boston offers access to the most vibrant innovation ecosystem in the world.

David Greenwald, Genetics, 2009. Dave is the CEO of Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals, New York, New York.

Tamara Howard

My experience at Tufts has served me all my working life. The close relationships with all faculty members provided a nurturing environment to launch me into the greater world. My first exposure to Biotechnology came from a professor who spun his research into one of the early Biotech companies in Boston and broadened my view of how science, research, medicine and business could merge in a variety of creative ways. GSBS also gave me the opportunity to create my own lectures and teach at the Dental school as well as designing a special Anatomy and Physiology course which I ran for many years at a local college – all of this while I was working on my PhD. So, in addition to the basic and scientific research I gained, I also developed commercial expertise, teaching and public speaking skills and the importance of ‘community’ to fostering a creative and productive career. I am very grateful for the opportunities that this strong foundation provided me.

Tamara Howard, Cellular & Molecular Physiology, 1981. Tamara is the owner of Verve Consulting Ltd – a boutique consulting business based in the UK.

Carrie Hui Mingalone

I just read your letter in "The Goods" today, and I wanted to write and say "thank you" for all that you are doing to drive the school forward through focusing on core skills that really allows a community develop and become stronger. I truly appreciate that you are making changes to the school from the inside out to help Tufts build the reputation of scientific excellence through strong mentorship. I cannot tell you how many times I thought "YES!" to myself as I was reading your letter today. I have so much respect for your ability to challenge people to self reflect and think beyond our comfort zone, enabling us to grow into better versions of ourselves. So thank you so much for all that you are doing!

Carrie Hui Mingalone, Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology, 2018. Carrie is Senior Manager, Customer Insights (Neuroscience), Takeda.

Elizabeth Joyce and Andrew Wright

I am eternally grateful for the training I received during my time as a grad student in the Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts.  My mentor, Dr. Andrew Wright (shown in the picture with Elizabeth), patiently mentored me and really taught me how to critically evaluate data, how to ask meaningful and thoughtful questions, and how to present results cogently. Basically, he modeled how to be a good scientist. The faculty, staff, post docs, and students formed a cohesive, supportive, nurturing, and collaborative community where challenges were seen as opportunities and where students were pushed to do their best.  This experience was formative for me and set the stage for how I have approached science, teaching, and learning ever since. Thank you, Tufts!  I could not have imagined a better place to train! 

Elizabeth Joyce, Molecular Microbiology, 2000. Elizabeth is an Adjunct Professor and Director of Microbiology Teaching Labs, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California - San Francisco

Tauqeer Karim

It has been an honor and privilege for me to have attended this school, which was a stepping stone for career enhancement. I enjoyed every moment of my stay. During my career in the industry, our school has been a source of courage and inspiration to achieve success.

Tauqeer Karim, Clinical & Translational Science, 2003. Tauqeer is the Senior Medical Director at Alkermes.

jyoti mathur

Tufts GSBS is the softest landing a foreign student could ever hope for. The faculty at Immunology & Microbiology, especially my advisor Matt Waldor, ensured that I felt nurtured, cherished and challenged. I owe my present-day career to what I learned at Tufts!

Jyoti Mathur, Immunology, 2007. Jyoti is Associate Director, Oncology Biometrics at AstraZeneca.

Scotty Merrell

Beyond providing an outstanding education, my time in the Molecular Biology and Microbiology department at Tufts provided an amazing model of how a community of scholars can and should interact. Rather than compete, we collaborate. We ask how can my expertise help your project? We listen to everyone’s voice and create a rigorous, but nurturing environment where students and postdocs can excel. We act more like family than simple colleagues. Those lessons shaped what I looked for when searching for my own faculty position. Moreover, they also provided the model by which I run my own laboratory.

D. Scott Merrell, Molecular Microbiology, 2001. Scotty is the Director, School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the University of Arizona.

karen puopolo

I am eternally grateful for the education and training I received at Tufts. During my research years earning a PhD at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, I had the privilege of learning from some of the finest scientists – and kindest humans - I have ever met. My mentors Dr Michael Forgac and Dr. Carol Kumamoto taught me the fundamentals of honest, thorough investigation that influences my research to this day, and provided me with a model of support and guidance that I use with my own mentees. During my medical school years, I was fortunate to work in Tufts hospitals with talented clinicians who cared deeply about caring for their patients and were equally dedicated to medical education. I am so proud to be a Tufts alum!

Karen Puopolo, MD, PhD, Cellular & Molecular Physiology and MSTP, 1993. Karen is Chief, Section on Newborn Medicine, Pennsylvania Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

liz smith

I wanted to take the time to thank you for all of your mentorship while I was a student and a postdoc at Tufts (oh and I can't forget PREP!). The emphasis that you have on offering career path development is so important and makes a huge impact on the student body. The workshop with Sarah has been vital for me finding and landing my dream job here at Promega.

Elizabeth Smith, Cell, Molecular, & Developmental Biology, 2018. Liz is a Senior Scientific Client Representative at Promega.

Michaela Tolman

What to watch in the world of graduate biomedical education? Dean Daniel Jay. I (almost) wish I were at the beginning of my graduate student career again, just to take part in all of the great opportunities he is supporting at our school. If you want to help fuel discovery, invest in young scientists.

Michaela Tolman, Neuroscience, 2018. Michaela is the Director of Commercial Planning at Pfizer.