Dean's Message - October 21, 2024
Dear GSBS Community,
Happy Autumn to everyone and I hope the semester is going well. Our amazing GSBS students continue to achieve. Our students received a total of six travel awards to the upcoming Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS), to be held in Pittsburgh in November. Please congratulate Liz Tan (MMB, 6th year), Andrea Rebolledo Viveros (MMB, 4th year), Claudia Manan Mejias (MMB, 3rd year), Yishak Woldetsadik (MMB, 5th year), Ashley Luo (MMB, 1st year & PREP alum), Wendelin Marmol (GMCB, 4th year) for their outstanding work to be presented.
I’m pleased to announce some additional recent student awards. Please congratulate the winners of Student Enrichment Fund Awards Regina Chen (GMCB), Madison Armstrong (GMCB), Ariana Calderon-Zavala (MMB), Eli Hartig (GMCB), Zachary Robbe (IMM), Machlan Sawden (IMM), Allesandra Setaro (IMM) and Yishak Woldetsadik (MMB). The Student Enrichment Fund supports student travel to scientific meetings. Also, please congratulate Hanan Bloomer (GMCB) and Ali Bootwala (IMM), the recipients of the Schimmel Fellowship, generously provided by alumnus Jonathan J. Schimmel, PhD (GSBS MMB ’00) to support the development of general business management and operational competencies.
Congratulations to our GSBS SACNAS chapter for hosting a wonderful Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta, which featured Dr. David Burgess, Founder and former President of SACNAS. It was certainly a pleasure for all of us to meet Dr. Burgess in person and to hear his perspective on the founding of the organization. He was also kind enough to share his perspective on his career journey as a successful scientist, at a time when few support systems were available.
Our GSBS alumni continue to support the school by providing educational opportunities. Stefan Gross (GSBS MMB ‘01), Senior Director, Head of Biochemistry at Servier Pharmaceuticals, and Professor of the Practice of Drug Discovery at Tufts, will be teaching an “Introduction to Drug Discovery” seminar series on selected Wednesday evenings in the Spring semester. More information will be distributed by a Qualtrics poll and signup will be limited to 15 students. This will be a wonderful opportunity to gain real world skills in drug discovery under the tutelage of an industry leader.
As the semester activities are in full swing, no doubt all of us are very busy and perhaps stressed. With reduced daylight hours, the risk of seasonal affective disorder is increased. My hope for all of you is that your activities are rewarding, stress is manageable, and wellness is maintained. Please take the time to eat, sleep, view the Northern Lights, see the comet and do all the necessary things to maintain your health and well-being.
Michael Chin, MD, PhD, Dean