Enrichment program introduces Boston undergraduates to careers in medicine or research

Boston.- Twenty-six aspiring doctors and researchersexperienced life as medical students or biomedical scientists during the fourthTufts University School of Medicine/University of Massachusetts BostonEnrichment Program (TUSM/UMass Boston). The UMass Boston undergraduates tookpart in an intensive curriculum that ran for three weeks at Tufts UniversitySchool of Medicine. The goal of this annual program is to introduceundergraduate students to careers in clinical healthcare or biomedicalresearch. Many of the UMass Boston student-participants come from communitiesunder-represented in medicine or are the first in their family to attendcollege.

"Tufts University School of Medicine and ourcolleagues at UMass Boston recognize the need for a more diversephysician-scientist workforce that accurately reflects the populations thesestudents may serve in the future," said Joyce A. Sackey, M.D., dean ofGlobal Health and Multicultural Affairs, Tufts University School of Medicine."We hope that this pipeline program at Tufts helps fulfill that need."

The TUSM/UMass Boston Enrichment Program began as a resultof the collaborative efforts of Dean Sackey; Gerard Gaughan, M.D., clinicalprofessor of medicine at TUSM and a member of the Board of Visitors at UMassBoston, Jane Gaughan, Ed.D., and Andrew Grosovsky, Sc.D., dean of the Collegeof Science and Mathematics at UMass Boston.

"The Enrichment Program builds on our pre-medcurriculum by giving the students a tangible experience of what it would belike to work as a physician or science researcher," said Dean Grosovsky."This program provides our UMass Boston students the opportunity toestablish mentoring relationships with Tufts University School of Medicinegraduate and professional students and faculty who help them learn how tostrengthen their candidacy for applying to graduate and professional degreeprograms in science and medicine."

The TUSM/UMass Boston Enrichment Program allows students toselect one of two career pathways: the Pathway to Clinical and Health Careersor the Pathway to Ph.D. Students in the clinical pathway shadow medicalstudents and clinicians, and complete coursework in a number of traditionalmedical school courses, including physical diagnosis and problem-basedlearning.

Students in the Ph.D. pathway learn research and lab techniqueswhile shadowing doctoral candidates from the Sackler School of GraduateBiomedical Sciences at Tufts and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science andPolicy at Tufts.

Both groups participate in a career luncheon series duringwhich representatives from the Friedman School, Tufts University School ofDental Medicine and the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuftsdelivered remarks on career pathways in their respective disciplines. The UMassBoston undergraduates also participate in career workshops about theapplication process for professional and graduate degree programs, writingresumes, and financing post-graduate education.

In addition to the various clinical and research exposure,students also participated in the Science and Society Seminars co-led by DeanGrosovsky and Jonathan Garlick D.D.S., Ph.D., of Tufts University School ofDental Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences atTufts. The seminar series aids students with leadership development and providesan overview of effective interview techniques. Students also receive anin-depth look into stem cell research and team-based learning in a classroomsetting.

This year, the participating students included:

Pathway to Clinical and Health Careers

– Pantea Fatemi Ardestani – Mission Viejo, CA

– Matthew Bowser -Malden, MA

– Rodney Bruno -Roxbury, MA

– Christina Cange -Norwood, MA

– Selam Dejene -Arlington, MA

– Larissa DeSouza – Abington, MA

– Ahmad Hasaba – Boston, MA

– Amanda LaFlamme -Sturbridge, MA

– Maria Nsubuga -Randolph, MA

– Anjali Pandey -Burlington, MA

– Karishma Patel -Waltham, MA

– Rushabh Patel -Kingston, Ontario, CAN

– Animan Randhawa -Abington, MA

– Kit Sitterley -Mooresville, NC

– Nalat Siwapornchai -Waltham, MA

– Kevin Valencia – Queens, NY

– Eduardo Vargas – Chelsea, MA

– Tatyana Zaborovskaya- Newton, MA

Pathway to Ph.D.

– Uyenkhak Dam -Boston, MA

– Ana Carolina deAraujo – Waltham, MA

– Sarah Dupont -Fairhaven, MA

– Dora Kadish -Burlington, MA

– Mark MacRae -Pembroke, MA

– Susana Ruiz – EastBoston, MA

– Emina Tabakovic -Boise, ID

– Leslie Torres Ulloa – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The TUSM/UMB Enrichment Program is one of several pipelineprograms offered by Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler Schoolof Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts as part of a commitment by the schoolsto pursue initiatives that will diversify the applicant pool for academicprograms in medicine and biomedical sciences and the related workforce. Thepipeline programs at Tufts University School of Medicine begin with youth inmiddle school and high school by providing interesting and informative coursesfor those who take an early interest in medicine or biomedical sciences.

About Tufts University School of Medicine andthe Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences

Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler Schoolof Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts are international leaders ininnovative medical and population health education and advanced research. TuftsUniversity School of Medicine emphasizes rigorous fundamentals in a dynamiclearning environment to educate physicians, scientists, and public healthprofessionals to become leaders in their fields. The School of Medicine and theSackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine,the biomedical sciences, and public health, as well as for innovative researchat the cellular, molecular, and population health level. Ranked among the topin the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teachinghospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School ofMedicine and the Sackler School undertake research that is consistently ratedamong the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medicaland prevention science.

About UMass Boston

The University of Massachusetts Boston is deeply rooted inthe city’s history, yet poised to address the challenges of the future.Recognized for innovative research, metropolitan Boston’s public universityoffers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment andthe rich experience of a great American city. UMass Boston’s 11 colleges andgraduate schools serve more than 17,000 students while engaging local andglobal constituents through academic programs, research centers, and publicservice. To learn more, visit www.umb.edu.