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Biomedical Graduate Studies: 30th Anniversary

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Penn’s Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) program. BGS was established in 1985 to centralize and strengthen the administration of the biomedical sciences PhD programs across campus (Almanac March 19, 1985).  Over the ensuing decades, BGS’ student population has grown from around 350 to 750 students, and the BGS “umbrella” structure has become a model for biomedical sciences PhD programs nationwide; see http://www.med.upenn.edu/bgs/faculty_overview.shtml Students are trained in one of seven highly interdisciplinary graduate groups, each of which extends well beyond any associated academic departments. Research training is provided among approximately 650 faculty members with appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Arts & Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, School of Engineering & Applied Science, School of Nursing and the Wharton School, and affiliated institutions, including The Wistar Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the National Institutes of Health.

BGS will celebrate its anniversary with a program-wide symposium and alumni weekend on Friday and Saturday, October 9-10, in the Perelman School of Medicine. The goals of the weekend are to highlight the contributions of graduate students to Penn’s biomedical research enterprise and to engage the BGS alumni in conversations with current students about career opportunities. Activities include:

• Keynote talks by:

Anthony Fauci, director of NIH-NIAID (National Institute of Allergy &

    Infectious Diseases)

Eve Marder, professor of biology, Brandeis University

Aaron Gitler, associate professor of genetics, Stanford University

Sarah Tishkoff, David and Lyn Silfen University Professor of Biology and

    Genetics, University of Pennsylvania

Carl June, Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy,

    professor of pathology & laboratory medicine, University of Pennsylvania

• Additional scientific talks by alumni, faculty and current students

• Career panel sessions featuring alumni working in a variety of fields

• Career fair for one-on-one conversations between alumni and current students

• Poster presentations featuring research by current students

• 5-minute blitz research talks by current students and faculty

• Occasions for alumni to connect with former mentors, classmates and labmates

• Opportunities to make new connections with the Penn biomedical community

• Tours of new campus spaces

More information is available at: http://www.bgs30th.com/

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