Dean's Message - May 6, 2024
Dear GSBS Community,
May is here and is one of our busiest months. Commencement is less than two weeks away, and commencement events are coming up rapidly. President Kumar is hosting a brunch for the GSBS, SOM, SODM and Friedman students on May 10, and I hope to see many of you there. We also have the GSBS Awards Ceremony on May 17 from 3:30 to 5:30, and I look forward to handing out awards to many of you, while we celebrate the end of the academic year. For those of you who are about to graduate, we look forward to seeing you at the TUSM/GSBS commencement event and awarding you your diplomas.
May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The Tufts Career Center has created a website linking resources for employers to learn about and support the AAPI community here. Many members of our community have shared their insights in the past about how their experiences have influenced their careers. For myself, I often reflect on the grit of my grandmother, who was born into poverty in the US, lost her father at an early age, was forced to go to China to live with distant relatives on a farm, was denied education beyond grade school, but upon returning to the US for an arranged marriage, became a successful businesswoman who encouraged her children and grandchildren to achieve our ambitions. Her example of focus, determination, diligence and taking nothing for granted while retaining kindness and appreciation have continued to inspire me many years after her passing. I like to think that she would be proud.
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. Our mental health is equally as important as our physical health and w all must do what we can to maintain our resilience in the face of work and life challenges. All students should be aware of the resources available through the Office of Student Wellness and the Collegiate Wellness Center and take advantage of them as needed.
May is also Jewish American Heritage month, a time to celebrate and appreciate the Jewish American community. It follows Arab-American Heritage month, held in April. Background information on the history and potential ways to celebrate are listed here. I am pleased that our GSBS community welcomes and incorporates individuals from many backgrounds into our larger community.
On a personal note, it is both a proud and sad time as three of my laboratory trainees are moving on, two to medical school and one to graduate school. It has been my pleasure to watch them grow as productive scientists and individuals and I am delighted to have contributed positively to their development as they move on in their careers. I will miss them, and I look forward to hearing more about their future achievements. At the same time, I look forward to the arrival of four more eager trainees this summer. I am certain that many of my faculty colleagues are having similar thoughts at this time of the year.
As the semester ends and we prepare for summer, it is a good time to reflect on how the past academic year has gone and develop our goals for the coming academic year. In the GSBS Dean’s Office, our goal is to provide the best service to our constituents, the students, faculty, and staff. We welcome any suggestions on how to improve our operations in support of our community.
Michael Chin, MD, PhD, Dean ad interim