Campus News

Associate Dean for Alumni Affairs Jean E. Ramsey leads the class in reciting the Hippocratic Oath.

1 Compassion: The Most Important Tool in Your Black Bag O n August 2, students eager to start their medical education lined the walkway under the Talbot Building arches leading to the massive white tent on the green. Hundreds of family members and friends held cameras and phones high above their heads to capture images of their loved ones, who were proudly displaying short white coats draped over their right arms.

A symbolic rite of passage, the White Coat Ceremony marks a vital first step for medical students as they pledge their commitment to their profession and to the trust they must earn from their patients.

Associate Dean for Student Affairs Angela H. Jackson, MD, welcomed the students and their guests.

“You have met academic and personal challenges, had successes and failures, sacrificed much, and accomplished a great deal to reach this moment,” said Kristen Goodell, MD, associate dean for admissions. “As you move into the next phase of your journey, each of you will struggle, each of you will have doubts, and at some point, each of you will look in the mirror and wonder, can I really do this?

“What will sustain you in these difficult moments will be your own skill and talent, your own resilience and strength of character, the support of your classmates, your family and friends, and the commitment of your teachers and mentors,” she continued. “For us as a faculty, it will be a privilege to walk part of the way with you and perhaps to guide you, just a little bit. . . . Dean Antman, it is my honor and my privilege to present to you, the Boston University School of Medicine entering Class of 2019.”

Drawn from a pool of more than 9,000 candidates through five entry pathways and 65 undergraduate institutions, the class is 46 percent women and 14 percent from underrepresented groups in medicine.

Special in many ways, the class includes members from 28 US states. More than 88 percent are at least bilingual and, as a group, speak 25 different languages.

At times, the ceremony was lighthearted. The assembled crowd laughed appreciatively when BUMC Provost and BUSM Dean Karen H. Antman, MD, cautioned parents, “Don’t be

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surprised if your student finds their life partner among their classmates. It’s very common, perhaps because they won’t see anyone else for four years.”

Guest speaker Thea James, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine, BMC associate chief medical officer and vice president of mission, and director of the Violence Intervention Advocacy Program,

1. Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Robert Beazley coats Sojourna Ferguson. 2. Thea James, BMC vice president of mission, addresses the class.

spoke of carefully choosing her remarks to positively impact the students over the next four years and beyond.

“My decision to become a physician was the best decision I have made in my life. Imagine a job where people arrive all day, every day with a range of emotions—sadness, excitement, anxiousness, depression, even anger,” she told them. “As a physician, you get to be the one who can shift or change that person’s perspective. And you see it happen right in front of you. It happens when you engage with patients and their families, no assumption, just listening, learning, and acknowledging that you hear them. You hear what they’re saying and how they’re feeling.

“In a while, you’re going to realize that being a physician is a privilege. We have to be mindful of our professional privilege, our individual privilege, and the intersections associated with that. We have to remember people trust us and come to us for help when they are in their most vulnerable state. We have to be self-aware and mindful of not causing further emotional and lasting harm.”

Dr. James concluded by addressing a paradigm shift in how healthcare is impacting vulnerable populations. “The good news is that you happen to be members of a medical campus characterized by a culture of deep commitment, creativity, thought leadership, visionaries, advocacy, and mission-oriented people. This includes a very active and robust research culture,” she said. “We have the foundation to address equity and the social determinants of health. You don’t have to be concerned about whether you will be able to do something about the root causes of your patient’s instability. You don’t have to be afraid to inquire—to ask the questions—for fear of not being able to do anything about it.”

Priya Garg, MD, associate dean for medical education, read each student’s name while faculty members Robert Beazley, MD, assistant dean for student affairs; Pablo Buitron de la Vega, MD, associate professor of medicine; Vonzella Bryant, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine; Ryan Chippendale, MD, assistant professor of medicine; Andrew Clark, MD, assistant

“You don’t have to be afraid to inquire—to ask the questions— for fear of not being able to do anything about it.

”—Thea James, MD

professor of psychiatry; Molly Cohen-Osher, MD, assistant dean for medical education and assistant professor of family medicine, medical sciences & education; Samantha E. Kaplan, MD, MPH, assistant dean for diversity & inclusion and assistant professor of obstetrics & gynecology; Padma Kandadai, MD, MPH (CAS’00), assistant professor of obstetrics & gynecology; Wendy Kuohung, MD, associate professor of obstetrics & gynecology; and Robert A. Witzburg, MD (MED’77), professor emeritus of medicine, coated students.

John Polk, MD, EdM (MED’74, Wheelock’13), associate dean for diversity & inclusion, addressed the new students. “As Stephen W. Trzeciak, MD, chair of medicine at Cooper University, said, the most important thing you can say to a patient, regardless of the diagnosis, is ‘I am aware that your illness is important to you. It is important to me, also. We are in this together. I will be with you along this journey.’ The most important tool in your black bag is not your smartphone, it’s your ability to listen. That is what we call patient-centered care. We know you can do this.”

Jean E. Ramsey, MD, MPH (MED’90, MPH’08), associate dean for alumni affairs, then welcomed the students to the study of medicine and led them in a recitation of the Hippocratic Oath. n

1. Dean Karen Antman chats with first-year student Alekha Kolli and her family. 2. Students eagerly await the start of the ceremony. 3. Family and friends enjoy the reception.

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We Will Jump In: 2019 PA Graduates Make Leap to Clinical World

“Today we celebrate the accomplishments of 28 highly successful individuals who comprise the Class of 2019,” said Program Director Susan White, MD, as she opened the fourth Commencement exercises for the Physician Assistant (PA) Program, held August 15 at the Albany Street auditorium.

Howard Straker, PhD, PA-C, addresses the crowd. The 2019 graduates outside 670 Albany Street.

The newly conferred graduates now join the 131,000 practicing physician assistants across the United States. The graduation ceremony marks the end of a two-anda-half-year journey through an intensive course of study, including an integrated pathophysiology and pharmacology course alongside second-year medical students. In addition to classroom work, students also complete 14 months of clinical rotations and a thesis project.

“I hope you will choose to lead, and you see leadership as a frame of mind, not simply as a title or a position,” said David Coleman, MD, Wade Professor and chair of medicine at BUSM. “Remember the three Ms: Find meaning in your work. Constantly pursue a sense of mastery. Embrace and enjoy this remarkable profession, and always feel like a member of the BUSM community.” Joseph Gibson, PA-S III, president of the Carl Toney Society, welcomed this year’s Commencement speaker, Howard Straker, PhD, PA-C. Dr. Straker currently serves as president-elect of the Physician Assistant Education Association and will take over as president in 2020. He is an assistant professor of physician assistant studies at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and at the School of Public Health, and director of the joint degree PA/MPH program. “You’re coming out of your shell today. You’re entering at a time where you can shape the future. Your voice can influence a team, your voice can make a difference, and your voice belongs at the table. This is leadership, and leadership is influence,” Dr. Straker told the graduates.

He encouraged them to use their new voices in a call-and-response to various scenarios in the physician assistant field as they answered with, “We will jump in.”

Following Dr. Straker’s keynote address, the Class of 2019 presented faculty awards: • Robert Lowe, MD Didactic Instruction Award For his dedication and excellence in teaching the PA class during the didactic phase of the program • Juman Hijab, MD Clinical Preceptor Award For her dedication and excellence in teaching the PA class during the clinical phase of the program • Mary L. Warner, MMSc, PA-C Carl Toney Society Award For her significant contributions in support of the PA profession

Students were presented their degrees by faculty members of the PA program. n

PA Class of 2021 Celebrates White Coat Ceremony T he Physician Assistant Class of 2021 celebrated the start of their journey into clinical care through the Boston University School of Medicine Physician Assistant (PA) Program at the annual White Coat Ceremony on July 19, 2019.

Surrounded by family, friends, and faculty, 31 students became the sixth PA student class to don their white coats at BUSM, which they received as a symbol of their progression to the clinical phase of their education after learning how to complete a history and physical exam in their first semester. Program director Susan White, MD, greeted the class. Carl Toney, PA, who served as the inaugural class white coat speaker and is the namesake of the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants at BUSM, delivered the keynote address. A 1979 graduate of the Duke University PA program who has had a long career in primary care, public health, and public policy, Mr. Toney’s commitment to helping underserved populations is underscored by the positions he has held, including at the Georgia State Office of Rural Health and as director of the HIV-AIDS and STD programs for the Maine Bureau of Health.

“The coat is very magical—it is a symbol,” Mr. Toney told the graduates. “It is what you will wear on your trip down your individual ‘yellow brick road’ for the next few decades, and the adventures that you

will have—the patients you see, the staff that you will get to know, and the knowledge that you will accumulate.

“The coat carries a lot of responsibility with it. You stand as a beacon; a guide of hope. Connect yourself with the white coat and the humanity that it represents, so that every patient that you come in contact with knows, without a doubt, that you are willing to care for them and about them,” he concluded.

Students were then called up individually and cloaked in their new white coats by members of the Class of 2020. Emily Louis, PA-SII and president of the Carl Toney Society, led them in reciting the Physician Assistant Professional Oath, after which they celebrated at a reception with families and friends. n

The PA Class of 2021.

BU’s BEST: Building Tomorrow’s Biomedical Workforce Today A 2012 advisory committee report to the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that 23 percent of the biomedical workforce was in tenured or tenure-track positions, leaving the other nearly 80 percent in “other” positions. The committee recommended the NIH invest in different methods of improving training opportunities for predoctoral students and postdoctoral scholars to prepare them for the changing biomedical workforce, leading to the formation of the Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) program and the solicitation for applications.

BEST aims to develop programming to enhance career opportunities. BU’s program is based on the principle of taking an evidence-based approach to determining workforce needs and mapping those needs/skills

onto the curriculum, thereby supplying the workforce with trained scientists. Funded institutions were mandated to develop means of sustaining the programming. BU’s five-year, $1.8 million award in 2014 paved the way for the University to build an evolving curriculum that is responsive to workforce needs. As one of only 17 BEST schools the NIH chose, BU can enhance biomedical career development curricula in a way that explores careers both inside and outside academic research. The consortium has helped fuel a nationwide trend to broaden the training of

scientists, enabling them to pursue fulfilling careers in a range of sectors.

Open to all biomedical doctoral students and postdocs, the program exposes trainees to a variety of career paths, including those they may not have considered. Career exploration workshops span seven career tracks, including academic research, business and administration, communication, industry research, law and regulatory affairs, policy, and teaching. BU’s BEST engages collaborators across the University and the Boston area to strengthen a shared vision for biomedical career development and implement innovative programming grounded in real-world settings. Throughout the academic year, a plethora of programs fill the activity calendar for participating trainees, including lunch & learns, career panels, career coaching, site visits, speed networking, skill-building workshops, and other related topics. To date, more than 700 trainees have attended 170-plus workshops and more than 100 companies have met with students and postdocs, on- and offsite, including 23andMe, Boston Scientific, Cell Press, Navigant, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Vertex. “BU’s BEST gave me the opportunity to learn how to present myself through different workshops,” says Diane Lebo, a Biology PhD candidate. Many of these workshops have engaged alumni to speak with trainees about their careers and act as alumni mentors.

Molecular & Translational Medicine PhD candidate Jesse Floro finds the program extremely valuable: “BU’s BEST has been instrumental in me taking responsibility to get my career off of the ground. Previously, I had been so focused on my PhD work, but the BEST program gave me different opportunities in multiple career fields to start networking, connecting with people on LinkedIn, and exploring different career opportunities. It has really broadened my horizons in terms of what’s available to me once I finish my PhD.”

Professors have seen the program’s potential, too. Kim McCall, PhD, a BU’s BEST board and steering committee member, CRC professor, and chair of biology, said, “I’ve been at BU for 20 years, and been a straight academic my whole life. I realized that my grad students were often interested in other careers, and I didn’t know how to prepare them. I saw that BEST was an opportunity to make a better, stronger program and open up all of these career choices, and it seemed like a great solution.”

“We are grateful to our partners who have helped us serve our trainees. BU’s BEST has grown in the past five years with exciting initiatives and spinoffs, and we are so proud of where the program has taken our participating PhD trainees and postdoctoral scholars,” says Amanda Bolgioni-Smith, PhD, director for professional and career development and the program’s director.

Program PI Barbara M. Schreiber, PhD, adds, “Although the grant was a five-year nonrefundable award, with institutional funds and a generous donation from alumna Dr. Erika Ebbel Angle and her husband, Colin, we are excited about continuing this important effort, as the program has had a clear impact on career outcomes and preparation for our trainees at Boston University.”

BU’s BEST is looking for generous donations from alumni like you! n

Second-year students Prahan Chetlur, Quinten Dicken, and Shamsh Shaikh took the top spot at the 2019 Global Surgery Student Alliance (GSSA) 2019 Northeast Hackathon, held at Tufts University in September.

The annual weekend-long competition tackled the imminent challenges in delivery, access, and infrastructure pertaining to global surgery issues through interdisciplinary teams. Medical students from around the Northeast were invited; nine teams participated. Hackathons join professionals— including patients, nurses, doctors, engineers, developers, designers, businesspeople, and insurance and policy experts—spanning the Students Place First, Third at 2019 GSSA Northeast Hackathon

healthcare ecosystem who, together, combat healthcare challenges using a diverse and interdisciplinary approach.

Prahan Chetlur, Quinten Dicken, and Shamsh Shaikh secured first place with the idea of using sound and solar energy to create an off-grid autoclave for use in lowresource settings. First-year student Varnica Bajaj and her team won third place for their idea of “Lap-2-Go,” a reusable product of minimal cost and sterilization requirements for laparoscopic procedures in lowresource settings.

“Participating in the GSSA Hackathon was an incredible experience that exposed all of us to the global surgical issues that are in desperate need of our attention. I was able to connect with medical students, engineers, and physicians who contributed insightful perspective into how we can tackle these pertinent issues together. Going forward, I am excited to integrate my experiences from the Hackathon with the rest of my medical training,” said Mr. Chetlur.

The winning BUSM teams received prize money that can help fund the development of their products. n BUSM medical students, from left, Varnica Bajaj (MED’23), Quinten Dicken, Prahan Chetlur, and Shamsh Shaikh (all MED’22).