Advancing Biomedical Graduate Education at Georgetown

PAVING THE WAY FOR HIGH-IMPACT CAREERS AND A HEALTHIER FUTURE

ANNA TATE RIEGEL, SENIOR ASSO CIATE DEAN FOR BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION

“In recent years, we have seen more than ever the relevance and impact of cross-disciplinary, cutting-edge research and clinical and industry expertise across the biomedical sciences. Biomedical Graduate Education is committed to training adaptable, resilient, and dedicated leaders in the biomedical fields, and to providing the expertise that is so necessary in today’s ever-changing health landscape.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a powerful reminder of how quickly the health landscape can shift—and how important it is to have a deep, diverse bench of medical, scientific, and other health-minded experts at the ready.

For more than three decades, Georgetown University’s Biomedical Graduate Education (BGE) programs have trained sought-after scholars who go on to a range of compelling careers. Whether they end up leading groundbreaking research, practicing medicine, or contributing their specialized expertise to another industry entirely, Georgetown BGE graduates do so with an abiding commitment to the common good.

By increasing scholarship support for master’s students, investing in Ph.D. programs, and creating more postdoctoral fellowship opportunities, we will strengthen Georgetown’s talent and research pipeline—and position our BGE programs for further grants and growth.

We must invest in the programs and people poised to create a safer, healthier future.

Breakthroughs are born in labs and classrooms like ours.

With 32 graduate programs, including 6 Ph.D. programs, BGE represents the largest footprint of graduate students on the Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) campus. We are educating experts across an array of disciplines spanning basic and translational biomedical science, clinical and health science, data informatics, policy and ethics, industry science, and more.

MASTER’S PROGRAMS

• Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

• Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases

• Bioinformatics

• Biomedical Sciences Policy & Advocacy

• Biostatistics

• Biotechnology

• Catholic Clinical Ethics

• Clinical & Translational Research

• Clinical Quality, Safety & Leadership

• Health Informatics & Data Science

• Integrative Medicine & Health Sciences

• Integrative Neuroscience

• Medical Physics

• Microbiology & Immunology

• Pharmacology

• Physiology, Regular Program

• Physiology, Special Master’s Program

• Systems Medicine

• Tumor Biology

PH.D. PROGRAMS

• Biochemistry & Molecular Biology • Biostatistics • Microbiology & Immunology • Neuroscience • Pharmacology & Physiology • Tumor Biology

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

• Advanced Biomedical Sciences • Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases • Biotechnology Biobusiness • Catholic Clinical Ethics • Clinical & Translational Research • Healthcare Safety & Leadership • Patient Safety & Quality

These programs attract students who have a passion for advancing science and for doing so ethically, empathetically, and in the spirit of the Jesuit value cura personalis, or care for the whole person. We nurture that ethic, through our curriculum and research, and through personalized support that helps BGE graduates achieve meaningful impact in their careers and communities.

BGE programs unlock vibrant

careers.

An investment in BGE is an investment in future leaders across numerous industries—and in Georgetown’s ability to contribute broadly to better health. BGE programs expand and diversify the academic pipeline, develop an essential class of medical professionals who advance treatments and therapies, and build vital professional expertise. Our programs cultivate research, data analysis, leadership, and creative problem-solving skills, all grounded in Georgetown’s commitment to serving the common good. This potent combination makes our graduates attractive to employers and valuable contributors to fields spanning research, consulting, medicine, finance and administration, regulatory affairs, marketing and communications, education, technology, and beyond.

A CONTINUOUSLY EXPANDING NETWORK

We will strengthen the pipeline of students pursuing biomedical education.

No student’s ambition should be stifled by an inability to pay. Yet, nationally, graduate student indebtedness continues to grow, making it all the more important to offer generous scholarships that reduce our graduates’ loan burdens. Top programs that can promise affordability are a magnet for talent.

BGE scholarships also play a central role in expanding and diversifying the academic pipeline. Our BGE master’s programs are a gateway to advanced doctoral degree programs, particularly for underrepresented students pursuing medicine.

Many BGE master’s students gain hands-on research experience in our labs.

BUILDING A MORE REPRESENTATIVE MEDICAL WORKFORCE

BGE programs like the one-year Special Master’s Program in Physiology (SMP) are tailored to college graduates looking to boost their academic record to apply to medical school. SMP students take courses alongside first-year medical students at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Their success sends a powerful message to medical school admission committees.

TILAR MARTIN, 2021 HOYAS FOR SCIENCE RECIPIENT, M.S. IN PHYSIOLOGY

Hoyas for Science Scholarship

Georgetown is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in biomedical education. The Hoyas for Science merit scholarship program advances these values by supporting students whose experience would uniquely enrich our BGE community. The award recognizes recipients’ academic achievements and commitment to biomedical research, covering 20% of tuition costs for one academic year.

Ignatian Hoya Biomedical Academic Scholarship

We challenge our students to engage in the world in service to others—especially society’s most vulnerable. Recognizing that these values bind members of our community across diverse backgrounds, the Ignatian Hoya Biomedical Academic merit scholarship covers 20% of tuition costs for select students who embody Ignatian ideals in their personal accomplishments.

With donor support, we will increase the number and size of scholarships available to students in our master’s programs—a crucial step in advancing our academic community.

“With my background in neuroscience and behavior, and lifelong dedication to serving disadvantaged communities, I aspire to transfer my medical knowledge into work that maximizes improving the lives of others and breaching barriers in health care.”

PH.D. STUDENT SUPPORT

health care professionals.

M.D./Ph.D. programs develop research physicians who go on to advance pivotal treatments and therapies. These programs are hallmarks of a renowned academic medical center, and Georgetown’s are on a trajectory for even greater impact.

Our rigorous M.D./Ph.D. program is particularly strong in cancer research and neuroscience— operating with BGE’s Tumor Biology Program and Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, respectively. Students on the M.D./Ph.D. track

dedicate at least six years of study to the program, becoming deeply ingrained in both our research enterprise and broader university community.

Donor investment to support the cost of attendance for more Ph.D. students, and to ensure they have the richest academic experience, is vital as we develop talent in critically important fields. Investments in M.D./Ph.D. students and our highly ranked Ph.D. programs also position Georgetown to compete for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, a mark of program excellence.

We will invest in an essential class of

BGE students share research findings with the community on BGE Poster Day.

AN INCLUSIVE, INTEGRATIVE APPROACH

Georgetown in 2022 launched a program called the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) to support an interdisciplinary community of students pursuing doctoral degrees in the biomedical sciences. The NIH has awarded Georgetown University a highly competitive and prestigious training grant for the IMSD, which seeks to increase diversity and inclusion in the scientific workforce.

The five-year IMSD program brings together more than 60 Georgetown faculty from seven graduate programs and departments across the university— four BGE departments, along with biology, chemistry, and physics. The initiative focuses on mentorship, professional development, and experiential learning, aiming to foster career self-efficacy and to ward off the sense of isolation that can perpetuate the underrepresentation of minority groups and women in STEM fields.

of Georgetown,

KATHLEEN MAGUIRE-ZEISS, PH.D., IMSD CO-DIRECTOR AND PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF NEUROSCIENCE

Philanthropy will bring BGE closer to its goal of elevating the M.D./Ph.D. program to an NIH Medical Scientist Training Program and further enhance our Ph.D. programs.

“This training program exemplifies the Spirit

as our work is animated by our values. Community in diversity, academic excellence and cura personalis —educating the whole person—are at the heart of our work together.”

Members of Georgetown University’s 2022 IMSD cohort

We will create more opportunities for innovative postdoctoral inquiry.

Ph.D. students graduate from their rigorous training programs prepared to take on science’s most pressing questions. Those dedicated to continuing research work are recruited to prestigious postdoctoral research fellowships across the country.

At Georgetown, we value the talent and fresh perspectives postdoctoral fellowships bring to our campus year after year. And we must

create even more opportunities to recruit and retain young biomedical scholars through postdoctoral positions, bolstering Georgetown’s research enterprise.

Postdoctoral fellowships not only produce critical research findings but also support Georgetown’s applications for additional NIH training grants— key recognition and resources for our academic medical center’s ambitions.

CALEB

MPS, ASSOCIATE DEAN OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT, BGE, AND IMSD CO-DIRECTOR

The NIH awards more than 80% of its funding for research, via nearly 50,000 competitive grants, to researchers and institutions working outside its labs across the entire spectrum of health and disease research. NIH training grants are an invaluable asset to research universities like Georgetown, providing additional resources to support the education and clinical training of students at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels.

NIH funding makes up the majority of GUMC’s sponsored research funding. Georgetown is currently the recipient of 10 NIH training grants. Recently, the NIH funded the Georgetown University Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD), a new program dedicated to diversifying our Ph.D. student body and the broader scientific workforce (see page 11).

Philanthropic gifts will help create additional positions for BGE postdoctoral candidates and support our Ph.D. graduates fueling medical discovery.

“Postdoctoral fellows are the backbone of our research enterprise and the future of our research workforce. It is critical that we build capacity for innovative, inclusive training programs to recruit and retain talented postdocs, who contribute unique perspectives and cutting-edge technical skills as they advance in their careers.”

C. MCKINNEY, PH.D.,

Gifts will have a lasting impact on our university’s talent pool, core mission, and BGE community—and on the lives of all those who benefit from our graduates’ expertise.

Members of our philanthropic community are essential partners as BGE works to attract and support outstanding scholars.

Thank you for your support.

To learn more about these priorities, contribute to Biomedical Graduate Education, or plan for future support, please contact us at giving@georgetown.edu.