News & Events

Announcing the 2023 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship in Biomedical Research

In 2018, Penn’s Biomedical Graduate Studies Program received a $2 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation to help transform the education and training of the next generation of scientific leaders. The Blavatnik Family Foundation has a strong record of supporting talented young scientists at premier institutions around the globe.

The gift established the Blavatnik Family Fellowship. This is now the sixth year in which the Fellowship is competitively awarded to Penn BGS students. BGS is pleased to announce the 2023 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship:

Alexander Benton, (PhD), PGG student in the lab of Dr. Daniel J. Powell Jr.
Ethan Blackwood, (PhD), NGG student in the lab of Dr. Alex Proekt
Brian Franklin, (MD-PhD), CAMB G&E student in the lab of Dr. Jennifer Phillips-Cremins
Lev Litichevskiy, (MD-PhD), GCB student in the labs of Drs. Mingyao Li & Christoph Thaiss
Matt Martinez, (PhD), BMB student in the lab of Dr. Yi-Wei Chang
Zoey Miller, (PhD), PGG student in the lab of Dr. Rob Lee

Please join us in congratulating them!


2022 Presidential Ph.D. Fellows

Congratulations to BGS students Ahlenne Abreu (PGG), Shaneaka Anderson (IGG), Callie Crawford (BMB), Fabian Ramos-Almodovar (GCB), Rachel Richards (CAMB), and Naria Sealy (GGEB) for being selected for the 2022 class of Presidential Ph.D. Fellows! Read more about the prestigious Fellowship below:

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/2022-presidential-phd-fellows-announced-penn


2022 Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study

BGS is pleased to announce that two students have been awarded the 2022 Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI):

Jose Campos Duran, IGG student under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Henrickson.
Franklin Staback Rodriguez, IGG student under the mentorship of Dr. Janis Burkhardt.

The Gilliam Fellowship program was created in 2004, with the goal of increasing diversity among scientists who are prepared to assume leadership roles in science. The program provides awards to pairs of students and their dissertation advisers who are selected for their scientific leadership and commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the sciences. Application for the Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study is by invitation only.

Please join us in congratulating Jose and Franklin on this accomplishment! 


Announcing the 2022 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship in Biomedical Research

In 2018, Penn’s Biomedical Graduate Studies Program received a $2 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation to help transform the education and training of the next generation of scientific leaders. The Blavatnik Family Foundation has a strong record of supporting talented young scientists at premier institutions around the globe.

The gift established the Blavatnik Family Fellowship. This is now the fifth year in which the Fellowship is competitively awarded to Penn BGS students. BGS is pleased to announce the 2022 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship:

Nicholas Aboreden, (PhD), CAMB G&E student in the lab of Dr. Gerd Blobel
Yuxi Ai, (PhD), BMB student in the lab of Dr. Bin Tian
Diego Espinoza, (MD-PhD), IGG student in the lab of Dr. Amit Bar-Or
Jesse Lee, (PhD), CAMB CB student in the lab of Dr. Gregory Beatty
Sonia Lombroso, (PhD), PGG student in the lab of Dr. Frederick "Chris" Bennett
Zhen Miao, (PhD), GCB student in the lab of Dr. Junhyong Kim

Please join us in congratulating them!

Yuxi Ai

Diego Espinoza

Jesse Lee

Sonia Lombroso

Zhen Miao

 

 

 


Announcing the 2021 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship in Biomedical Research

In 2018, Penn’s Biomedical Graduate Studies Program received a $2 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation to help transform the education and training of the next generation of scientific leaders. The Blavatnik Family Foundation has a strong record of supporting talented young scientists at premier institutions around the globe.

The gift established the Blavatnik Family Fellowship. This is now the fourth year in which the Fellowship is competitively awarded to Penn BGS students. BGS is pleased to announce the 2021 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship:

Amy Campbell, (PhD), GCB student in the lab of Dr. Elizabeth A Grice
Peter Carman, (PhD), BMB student in the lab of Dr. Roberto Dominguez
Alexis Crockett, (PhD), NGG student in the lab of Dr. Jorge Ivan Alvarez
Matthew Gazzara, (PhD), GCB student in the labs of Dr. Yoseph Barash and Dr. Kristen W. Lynch
Nitsan Goldstein, (PhD), NGG student in the lab of Dr. John Nicholas Betley
Jamal Green, (MD-PhD), IGG student in the lab of Dr. Michael A Silverman
Daniel Park, (MD-PhD), CAMB G&E student in the lab of Dr. Eric Joyce
Camille Testard, (PhD), NGG student in the lab of Dr. Michael Louis Platt
Fangxue Yan, (PhD), CAMB CB student in the lab of Dr. Andres Blanco

Please join us in congratulating them!


2021 Cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows

BGS is pleased to announce that Jacob Paiano, PhD (IGG alum) was recently announced as one of the 28 new members of the Schmidt Science Fellowship. Read the full announcement here: https://schmidtsciencefellows.org/news/eric-and-wendy-schmidt-announce-2021-cohort-of-schmidt-science-fellows/

Please join us in congratulating Jacob! 


Spring 2021 Issue of The Dish

The Spring 2021 issue of 'The Dish: Biomedical Graduate Studies Newsletter' is available here. This issue includes two Q&As - the first with Distinguished Graduate Award Honoree Leonard Hayflick, PhD and a second Q&A with three exceptional BGS students: Jose Campos, GR’26, Alejandra Fausto, GR’26, and Jorge (Jay) Ortiz-Carpena, GR’26, co-directors of Penn Interdisciplinary Network for Scientists Promoting Inclusion, Retention, and Equity, or INSPIRE. The issue also contains a link to the recording of a recent event titled, "BGS Alumni Leading at the Scientific Edge," which featured Drs. Michelle Kinder, GR’10, Adam M. Koppel, M’95, GR’97, WG’00, and Fiona A. Mack, GR’04. 


Inaugural Presidential Ph.D. Fellows 

Congratulations to BGS students Jenea Adams (GCB), Jose Campos (IGG), Kimberly Edwards (PGG), and Seble Negatu (IGG) for being selected for the inaugural class of Presidential Ph.D. Fellows! Read more about the prestigious Fellowship below:
https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/inaugural-presidential-phd-fellows-announced


2021 NSF Award Winners & Honorable Mention Recipients

BGS is proud to announce that many of our students have been selected for the 2021 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Please join us in congratulating them! 

Result Name Graduate Group 
Awarded Heidi Eihab Elashal Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
Awarded Stefan Thomas Peterson  Cell & Molecular Biology
Awarded Kurtis Neil McCannell Cell & Molecular Biology
Awarded Kevin Antonio Hernandez Cell & Molecular Biology
Awarded Kiara Rodriguez - Acevedo Cell & Molecular Biology
Awarded Julia Frances Riley Neuroscience
Awarded Sophia Mayerline Villiere Neuroscience
Honorable Mention Christian Ethan Loo Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
Honorable Mention Dale Brokaw Cell & Molecular Biology
Honorable Mention Lauren Reich Cell & Molecular Biology
Honorable Mention Ronit Schwartz Wertman Cell & Molecular Biology
Honorable Mention Amanda Nicole Weiss Cell & Molecular Biology
Honorable Mention Kylie Michelle Konrath Cell & Molecular Biology
Honorable Mention Ethan Bennett Blackwood Neuroscience
Honorable Mention Maeve Louise Coughlan Neuroscience
Honorable Mention Rachel Herman Neuroscience
Honorable Mention Marissa Jane Maroni Neuroscience
Honorable Mention Sophie Anne Rogers Neuroscience

Winter 2020 Issue of The Dish

The Winter 2020 issue of 'The Dish: Biomedical Graduate Studies Newsletter' is available here. This issue includes Dr. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto's reflections on the importance of science communication and a message of gratitude to the BGS community. The issue also features CAMB student Erin K. Reagan, GR’23 and BMB alum Enrique Lin-Shiao, PhD, GR’19. 


Penn Medicine News - Contact Tracing

The third and final installment in Penn Medicine's blog series about COVID-19 testing focuses on contact tracing. Featuring CAMB student and contact tracer Nawar Naseer: "We’re largely volunteers, trying to help keep your community and the people you care about healthy.”

Read more here.


Fall 2020 Issue of The Dish

The Fall 2020 issue of 'The Dish: Biomedical Graduate Studies Newsletter' is available here


Announcing the 2020 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship in Biomedical Research

In 2018, Penn’s Biomedical Graduate Studies Program received a $2 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation to help transform the education and training of the next generation of scientific leaders. Headed by industrialist and philanthropist Len Blavatnik, the Blavatnik Family Foundation has a strong record of supporting talented young scientists at premier institutions around the globe.

The gift established the Blavatnik Family Fellowship. This is now the third year in which the Fellowship is competitively awarded to six Penn BGS students. BGS is pleased to announce the 2020 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship:

Bridget Gosis, (MD-PhD), CAMB G&E student in the lab of Dr. Zoltan Arany.
David Lee, (MD-PhD), GCB student in the labs of Drs. Yoseph Barash and Louis Ghanem.
Phuong Nguyen, (PhD), NGG student in the lab of Dr. Kathryn Wellen.
Joseph Park, (MD-PhD), GCB student in the labs of Drs. Dan Rader and Marylyn Ritchie.
Tiffany Tsang, (PhD), CAMB CB student in the lab of Dr. Donita Brady.
Qin Zhu, (PhD), GCB student in the labs of Drs. Junhyong Kim and Kai Tan.

Please join us in congratulating them!


2020 Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study

BGS is pleased to announce that three students have been awarded the 2020 Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI):

Ryan Daniels, CAMB DSRB student under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Mauck.
Ilenna Jones, NGG student under the mentorship of Dr. Konrad Kording.
Jessica Schwarz, NGG student under the mentorship of Dr. Amita Sehgal.

The Gilliam Fellowship program was created in 2004, with the goal of increasing diversity among scientists who are prepared to assume leadership roles in science. The program provides awards to pairs of students and their dissertation advisers who are selected for their scientific leadership and commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the sciences. Application for the Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study is by invitation only.

Please join us in congratulating Ryan, Ilenna, and Jessica on this accomplishment! 


2020 BGS Virtual Graduation

BGS celebrated its 2020 graduates virtually, through an online event on May 18th.  Speaker talks were pre-recorded but shown "live," and friends, family members, and lab mates issued their congratulations in real time while the graduates' names were announced.  Individual graduates' profiles were compiled to share their accomplishments. Read more here.


2020 Recipients of the Saul Winegrad Award for Outstanding Dissertation

BGS is proud to announce the 2020 recipients of the Saul Winegrad Award for an Outstanding Dissertation: Hejia Wang, Rui Duan, Valeria Reyes Ruiz, Steven Zhao, Zilu Zhou, Samir Devalaraja, Yunshu Fan, and Dylan Marchione.

The award recognizes the outstanding quality of their dissertations and their significant contributions to biomedical science. Read more here.  


2020 Jane Glick and Michael Nusbaum Awards

BGS is pleased to announce this year's recipients of the Jane Glick and Michael Nusbaum awards:

This year’s recipient of the Michael P. Nusbaum Graduate Student Mentoring Award is Sunny Shin, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology. Dr. Shin's dedication to mentoring students and guiding them in reaching their scholarly potential exemplifies the type of scientist and mentor that Mikey Nusbaum represents.

This year's recipient of the Jane M. Glick Graduate Student Teaching Award is Yale Cohen, PhD, Professor of Otorhinolaryngology. Dr. Cohen's commitment to educating and training the next generation of scientists exemplifies the type of scientist and educator that Jane Glick represented.

This year's awards committee members were Drs. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, Julie Blendy, Terri Laufer, and Amita Sehgal as well as student representative, Katherine Quiroz-Figueroa.


2020 NSF Award Winners & Honorable Mention Recipients

BGS is proud to announce that many of our students have been selected for the 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Please join us in congratulating them! 

Result Name Graduate Group
Awarded Janice Mireya Reynaga Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
Awarded Maya A. Hale Cell & Molecular Biology
Awarded Elana Pyfrom Cell & Molecular Biology
Awarded Elizabeth Mercado Ayon Cell & Molecular Biology (former PREP student)
Awarded Erin Evonne Jean Immunology
Awarded Victor Rafael Vazquez Marrero Immunology
Awarded Hannah Loo Neuroscience
Awarded Michael Douglas Murphy Neuroscience
Awarded Valerie Jill Sydnor Neuroscience
Awarded Sonia Irene Lombroso Pharmacology
Honorable Mention Jennifer Ramirez Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
Honorable Mention Corey Denise Holman Cell & Molecular Biology
Honorable Mention Gabriella Rice Cell & Molecular Biology
Honorable Mention Alexander B Smith Cell & Molecular Biology
Honorable Mention Joshua Steve Soto Ocana Cell & Molecular Biology
Honorable Mention Jenea Imani Adams Genomics & Computational Biology
Honorable Mention Michael Norman Scaglione Immunology
Honorable Mention Yuzhang Chen Neuroscience
Honorable Mention Katie Elizabeth Copley Neuroscience
Honorable Mention Catrina McKenzie Hacker Neuroscience
Honorable Mention Gianna Perez Neuroscience
Honorable Mention Marcos Javier Sanchez-Navarro Neuroscience

Saul Winegrad, BGS Founding Director, 1931-2020

We are sad to report that our founding director, Dr. Saul Winegrad, died in his sleep on March 13th after a long illness.

Saul chaired the committee to create BGS and was appointed its first director in 1984.  Under his leadership, and with guidance from the Biomedical Advisory Committee, BGS came to provide centralized oversight of admissions, student financial aid, curricula, student standards, diversity student recruitment, data management, and many other functions. A native Philadelphian, Saul received his BA and MD from Penn, and he joined the Penn faculty in 1962 in the Department of Physiology.  Saul led BGS for 10 years before returning his efforts to the lab full-time in 1994. His research focused on cardiac muscle physiology at the sub-cellular level, and he received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the National Award of Merit from the American Heart Association. The Saul Winegrad Distinguished Dissertation Award was developed in his honor in 1995. BGS now has 900 current students and more than 3000 alumni, all of whom benefit in some measure from Saul's vision and dedication to graduate education.


#IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit

BGS alumnus Jessica Taaffe (CAMB), an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, will be featured in the largest collection of women statues ever assembled in one location, at one time. The exhibit will debut at Dallas’ NorthPark Center on Friday, May 1, 2020 and be on display through October 9, 2020. Dr. Taaffe is among 125 diverse women in STEM careers across the country to be selected as high profile role models for young girls through direct engagement and media opportunities. 

Learn more about the initiative:
IF/THEN Summit Convenes Nationwide Female STEM Role Models in Dallas
“#IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit” Presents the Most Life-Sized Statues of Women in One Place at One Time


New BGS Alumni Career Path Videos

The BGS Career Development site continues to grow, with new videos highlighting alumni's diverse career paths. These include:

  • Aaron Steiner, Assistant Professor at Pace University [Teaching: Primarily Undergraduate Institutions]
  • Alyssa MacMillan, Program Manager at the New Jersey Department of Health [Government Research]
  • Andrew Rennekamp, Scientific Editor at Cell Press [Publishing]
  • Robert DeAngelis, Assistant Director of IACUC Administration at the University of Pennsylvania [Regulatory Affairs]
     

In addition to alumni Career Path videos, the BGS Career Development site features a wide variety of resources. These include a description of the Core Competencies developed through predoctoral training as well as websites for career exploration. The blog and calendar are both frequently updated with upcoming career development events, so check back often! 


BGS Alumni in the News

Arati Kreibich, NGG alum and current Glen Rock Councilmember, is running for Congress in New Jersey's Fifth District. Check out some of the news coverage of Kreibich’s campaign below:


BGS Alumni - Career Path Videos

The BGS Career Development site maintains a growing video series featuring alumni's diverse career paths. Recently, Robert Netter, Patent Attorney, and Carrie McMahon, Regulatory Scientist for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, shared insights on their respective fields. The BGS alumni describe their typical day, the things they like most and least about their chosen career, the typical traits and skills required, and much more. The full list of alumni videos produced thus far is available here


2019 Jon Samuel Kanefield Prize for Cystic Fibrosis Research

BGS congratulates Derek Liberti (CAMB) on his receipt of the Jon Samuel Kanefield Prize for Cystic Fibrosis Research. This prize was established in 2003 for BGS students carrying out cystic fibrosis- or related research.  The prize honors Jon Samuel Kanefield, who died in 1998 at the age of 42 from cystic fibrosis. Its purpose is to help inspire young basic science investigators to pursue research related to cystic fibrosis.

Derek has received the award in recognition of the outstanding quality of his forthcoming paper in Developmental Biology entitled, “Dnmt1 is required for proximal-distal patterning of the lung endoderm and for restraining alveolar type 2 cell fate.”


2019 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship in Biomedical Research

In 2018, BGS received a $2 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation to help transform the education and training of the next generation of scientific leaders. Headed by industrialist and philanthropist Len Blavatnik, the Blavatnik Family Foundation has a strong record of supporting talented young scientists at premier institutions around the globe.

The gift established the Blavatnik Family Fellowship. This is now the second year in which the Fellowship is competitively awarded to six Penn BGS students. By 2021, the Fellowship will have supported a total of 24 students.

BGS is pleased to announce the 2019 Recipients of the Blavatnik Family Fellowship. Pictured from left to right: 

Megan Clark (VMD-PhD), IGG student in the lab of Dr. Jorge Henao-Mejia.
Ryan Cupo, PGG student in the lab of Dr. James Shorter.
Kelsey Kaeding, CAMB G&E student in the lab of Dr. Kenneth Zaret.
Yekaterina Kori, BMB student in the lab of Dr. Benjamin Garcia.
Danielle Murashige (MD-PhD), CAMB CPM student in the lab of Dr. Zoltan Arany.
Daniel Zhang (MD-PhD), BMB student in the lab of Dr. Hongjun Song.


 

Please join us in congratulating them!


HHMI Gilliam Fellowships

BGS is pleased to announce that Natasha Lopes Fischer is a winner of the 2019 Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Natasha is a CAMB MVP student, working in the lab of Dr. Sunny Shin. Her research is focused on the innate immune mechanisms to Coxiella burnetii. She is investigating the role of the host inflammasome pathway in detecting Coxiella within infected cells and determining whether the bacteria can inhibit activation of this host immune response.

The Gilliam Fellowship program was created in 2004, with the goal of increasing diversity among scientists who are prepared to assume leadership roles in science. The program provides awards to pairs of students and their dissertation advisers who are selected for their scientific leadership and commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the sciences.

Please join us in congratulating Natasha on this accomplishment!


2019 Jane Glick and Mikey Nusbaum Awards

BGS is pleased to announce this year's recipients of the Jane Glick and Michael Nusbaum awards:

We have two recipients for the Michael P. Nusbaum Graduate Student Mentoring Award: Terri Laufer, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Nandita Mitra, PhD, Professor of Biostatistics. Dr. Laufer's and Dr. Mitra’s dedication to mentoring students and guiding them in reaching their scholarly potential exemplifies the type of scientist and mentor that Mikey Nusbaum represents.

This year's recipient of the Jane M. Glick Graduate Student Teaching Award is Greg Bashaw, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience. Dr. Bashaw's commitment to educating and training the next generation of scientists exemplifies the type of scientist and educator that Jane Glick represented.

This year's awards committee members were  Drs. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, Josh Gold, Meera Sundaram, Erika Holzbaur and student representative, Katherine Quiroz-Figueroa.


2019 Models of Excellence Award

The 2019 Models of Excellence Award Ceremony took place on April 23, 2019. Christine Clay, coordinator of the Neuroscience Graduate Group (NGG), was honored for her meaningful impact on admissions and recruiting. Congratulations, Christine! Read more about the celebration here: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/penn-community/awards-and-appreciation/models-of-excellence

 

 

 

 


BGS Receives $2 Million Gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation

2018 Recipients at the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists

In 2018, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania received a $2 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation to establish the Blavatnik Family Fellowship in Biomedical Research in the Penn Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) program. Headed by industrialist and philanthropist Len Blavatnik, the Blavatnik Family Foundation has a strong history of supporting talented young scientists at premier institutions around the globe.

The Blavatnik Family Fellowship will be competitively awarded to six Penn BGS students for each of the next four academic years. By 2021, the Blavatnik Family Fellowship will have impacted 24 students, all Blavatnik Family Fellows, by providing a crucial boost at the very moment these talented trainees are launching as independent investigators. The Fellowship ensures support for students during their work with their mentors, a pivotal relationship in their scientific journey.

The inaugural class of Blavatnik Family Fellows was chosen in July 2018 from many nominees from the BGS program. The students selected are Divyansh Agarwal, Edward Chuang, Jinyang Li, Kamen Simeonov, Huchuan “Cedric” Xia and Linda Zhou. They are focusing on research projects with translational implications across many disease areas, including: ocular diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, pancreatic cancer, cancer metastasis, psychiatric disorders; and trinucleotide repeat expansion disorders, such as Huntington’s disease and Fragile X Syndrome.

Read more about the Blavatnik Family Fellowship in the Daily Pennsylvanian. 

Nominations for this award for the 2019-2020 academic year will be solicited among eligible students in the summer of 2019.