THE GOODS - newsletter of the Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences - September 19, 2023

 

The Goods The Weekly One-Stop Shop for All Your Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences News

September 18, 2023 | Volume 6, Issue 42

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Dear Members of the GSBS Community,   September is a very exciting month the arrival of new students and the beginning of the new academic year. I would like to welcome all the new students and I encourage all of you who have been here longer to welcome to reach out to them as well. There will be some changes in Neuroscience program leadership. I would like to thank Phil Haydon who is stepping down as Chair of Neuroscience and congratulate Chris Dulla as he assumes the role of Interim Chair. We will be working with the Neuroscience Program Faculty to solicit nominations and elect a successor to Chris as Neuroscience Program Director. Chris set a high standard and we expect that the new program director will maintain the commitment to excellence, humanism, social justice and professionalism in recruiting and nurturing the best students.   As many of you know, the SCOTUS decision on affirmative action is having a tremendous effect on the admissions process. Our Director of Admissions, Laura Felch, and all the program admissions directors are working diligently to incorporate guidance and best practices from the University and other Schools with Tufts to maintain our educational mission while being compliant with the law. We are confident that we will continue to recruit talented and diverse students to GSBS.   Hispanic Heritage Month has just begun. Our Tufts SACNAS chaper led by Ivan Albino Flores and Iris Montes is currently planning a GSBS-sponsored celebration event in October, with the exact details to be announced soon. We hope that you all can come and help celebrate.   I would like to say another word about our late colleague, Andrew Bohm. We lost him suddenly at the end of August and his absence continues to be felt. I am proud of how our community has rallied to support his family and to support the educational mission in his absence. I thank all the faculty who have stepped in to fill his many roles in teaching, postdoctoral education, admissions and so on. We are planning an event to honor him in October and will release more information as the plans evolve.   I would like to close by responding to the many who have been asking me about how I am adjusting to my role as Dean ad interim while continuing my previous activities as MSTP director, attending cardiologist and NIH funded investigator. My response is that it is easy to be the Dean ad interim when so many of you are pitching in to support the GSBS. I thank you all for your ongoing effort and enthusiasm. Michael Chin, MD, PhD, Interim Dean

HIGHLIGHTS

Apply Now for Travel Funding from the Student Enrichment Fund Application deadline: 12pm on September 18, 2023 Applications are now open for Fall 2023 travel funding from the GSBS Student Enrichment Fund! You can learn more about eligibility and application requirements on the student portal, and apply via the online form.

Letter of Intent Submission Period Now Open for Small Grants to Advance Translational Science (S-GATS) Program!! Looking for funding for a translational science project? The Small Grants to Advance Translational Science (S-GATS) Program (formerly the Pilot Studies Program) will provide awards up to $50,000 to support innovative and collaborative projects aimed at advancing the science of translation. The program is designed to help address fundamental challenges and roadblocks that are common to translational research across diseases and health conditions (e.g., incorrect predictions of the toxicity or efficacy of new drugs, lack of data interoperability, and ineffective clinical trial recruitment). Letters of Intent are due by Wednesday, October 4, 2023. Full proposals, due on Thursday, December 21, 2023 will be accepted by invitation only. For award information, applicant and project eligibility, deadlines, office hours, and more, please visit the Tufts CTSI S-GATS Program page. Two informational webinars will be held Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 8:30AM and Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 5:30PM. To ensure that the proposed research projects are responsive to the 2024 request for applications, prospective applicants are required to consult with the S-GATS Program staff prior to the LOI submission by participating in a brief consult during one of the S-GATS Program’s office hours. To register for either webinar, to schedule a consultation, or to ask a question, please contact Nadia Prokofieva, MSSc at sgats@tuftsmedicine.org. To learn more about successful S-GATS projects, please visit our Case Studies in Translational Science website.

Hirsh Library Happenings Join us on September 21 and 22 for a Library Fun Lab! On both days from noon to 7pm at the library service desk, we will be making study buddies. Come visit the Info Desk and take a study break! Make a little buddy to keep you company while you study!  Upcoming Library Workshops   ·        September 20, 2-3pm (Zoom): PubMed: An Introduction  ·        September 27, 2-3pm (Zoom): JumboSearch: Your Gateway to Library Resources at Tufts  ·        October 4, 2-3pm (Zoom): Zotero: The Basics ether for you. I am looking forward to meeting more of you on the Boston campus soon!

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 27 GMCB, Microbiology, Immunology Seminar - Constantin (Nick) Takacs, PhD 12 - 1 pm in M&V 412 Title: Genetic and cell biological investigations of the Lyme disease spirochete October 16 Save The Date! Translational Science Day Scheduled Tufts CTSI is excited to announce that its 2023 Translational Science Day symposium is scheduled for Monday, October 16 in person on the Tufts University School of Medicine campus. The theme of this year’s symposium is “Advancing Health Equity through Translational Science,” and the event will include lightning talks, interactive research studios, and two keynote speakers: Michael G. Kurilla, MD, PhD, Director, Division of Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS), and Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, FDA. Registration is now open!  Please visit our event page to view the current agenda for the day.    Call for Posters! Do you have recently completed research in clinical and translational science? Investigators from Tufts CTSI partners are invited to showcase their work in a poster during Translational Science Day. Posters presenting research responsive to the day’s theme (“Advancing Health Equity through Translational Science”) are encouraged, but posters addressing other topics in clinical and translational research are welcome. To submit a proposal, please send a brief abstract via this form by Friday, September 15. All posters will be presented in person at a plenary session during the Symposium.   VIEW THE FULL CALENDAR!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wang YMCA Discounted Rates - AY 2023-2024 Tufts University has partnered with the Wang YMCA to offer Dental, Medical, Nutrition, Public Health, Physician Assistant and Biomedical Sciences students discounted membership rates. Please see the attached flyer for details regarding 2023-2024 rates.    New Membership Process Student Verification Forms are required for Boston Health Sciences students that are not currently a member at the Wang Y. Student Verification Forms can be obtained by emailing saha-admin@tufts.edu.   New members must set up an online account at https://yweb.ymcaboston.org/SpiritWeb/Login. Once your account is created, please call 617-426-2237 or go into the YMCA to speak with someone so your discount can be applied.    Your Wang YMCA Metro membership entitles you to use any of the 13 branches listed on the rate flyer. More information can be found at http://ymcaboston.org/.

Morning Express Vinyasa Yoga Flow with Lucy Liaw - Online Tuesday and Thursday mornings | 8 - 8:30am Register here. Join Lucy Liaw for a free Zoom yoga class most Tuesdays and Thursdays. This express vinyasa flow is a half-hour class offered via Scarborough Yoga.

STUDENT HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Wellness Advising Office Mon | 9:30am - 5:00pm Tue | 11:00am - 7:00pm Wed/Thurs/Fri | 9:30am - 5:00pm   Email Sharon.Snaggs@tufts.edu to set up a meeting.

Check out the Week in Wellness Newsletter! This week's issue includes suggestions for staying cool in the summer heat! Contact Abby Lemons, abigail.lemons@tufts.edu, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences' representative for the Student Wellness Advisory Committee, with questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding student health and wellness.

Talk One2One Our confidential resource and referrals are available at no cost to you. Get help with relationships, anxiety, stress, and more. Access by calling 1-800-756-3124, or emailing tuftscounseling@allonehealth.com.

Want your event or announcement in The Goods? Email alexandra.israel@tufts.edu by 10am on Friday.