Advancing Biomedical Graduate Education at Georgetown

Advancing Biomedical Graduate Education at Georgetown PAV I N G T H E W AY F O R H I G H - I M PA C T C A R E E R S A N D A H E A LT H I E R F U T U R E

BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION | 1

“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.”

ANNA TATE RIEGEL, SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION

VERSION 02

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.

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

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.

BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION | 3

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.

4 | GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

MASTER’S PROGRAMS

PH.D. PROGRAMS

• Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases

• Biostatistics

• Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

• Bioinformatics

• Biomedical Sciences Policy & Advocacy • Biostatistics

• Biotechnology

• Catholic Clinical Ethics

• Clinical & Translational Research

• Clinical Quality, Safety & Leadership

• Biochemistry & Molecular Biology • Microbiology & Immunology • Neuroscience

• Pharmacology & Physiology • Tumor Biology

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS • Advanced Biomedical Sciences

• Health Informatics & Data Science

• Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases

• Integrative Neuroscience

• Catholic Clinical Ethics

• Integrative Medicine & Health Sciences • Medical Physics

• Microbiology & Immunology • Pharmacology

• Physiology, Regular Program

• Biotechnology Biobusiness

• Clinical & Translational Research • Healthcare Safety & Leadership • Patient Safety & Quality

• Physiology, Special Master’s Program • Systems Medicine • Tumor Biology

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.

BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION | 5

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.

6 | GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

A CONTINUOUSLY EXPANDING NETWORK

Our location in the nation’s capital offers access to a dynamic community of biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life science companies, along with federal agencies, laboratories, and hospitals and health systems. Top employers of Georgetown BGE master’s graduates include: • Accenture • AstraZeneca • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) • Genentech • Johnson & Johnson • Mayo Clinic • Merck • National Institutes of Health (NIH) • Navigant • Novartis • U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION | 7

MASTER’S STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

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 students who have had less exposure to and preparation for medical education.

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

8 | GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

BUILDING A MORE ROBUST 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.

“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.”

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

Hoyas for Science Scholarship

Ignatian Hoya Biomedical

Georgetown is committed to diversity, equity,

Academic Scholarship

and inclusion in biomedical education. The

We challenge our students to engage in the

Hoyas for Science merit scholarship program

world in service to others—especially society’s

advances these values by supporting students

most vulnerable. Recognizing that these values

whose experience would uniquely enrich our

bind members of our community across diverse

BGE community. The award recognizes

backgrounds, the Ignatian Hoya Biomedical

recipients’ academic achievements and

Academic merit scholarship covers 20% of tuition

commitment to biomedical research, covering

costs for select students who embody Ignatian

20% of tuition costs for one academic year.

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.

BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION | 9

PH.D. STUDENT SUPPORT

We will invest in an essential class of health care professionals.

M.D./Ph.D. programs develop research

dedicate at least six years of study to the program,

physicians who go on to advance pivotal

becoming deeply ingrained in both our research

treatments and therapies. These programs are

enterprise and broader university community.

hallmarks of a renowned academic medical center, and Georgetown’s are on a trajectory for even greater impact.

Donor investment to support the cost of attendance for more Ph.D. students, and to ensure they have the richest academic experience, is vital

Our rigorous M.D./Ph.D. program is particularly

as we develop talent in critically important fields.

strong in cancer research and neuroscience—

Investments in M.D./Ph.D. students and our highly

operating with BGE’s Tumor Biology Program

ranked Ph.D. programs also position Georgetown

and Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience,

to compete for National Institutes of Health (NIH)

respectively. Students on the M.D./Ph.D. track

grants, a mark of program excellence.

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

10 | GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

AN INCLUSIVE, INTEGRATIVE APPROACH Georgetown in 2022 launched a program called the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) to support a diverse, 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. 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.

Members of Georgetown University’s 2022 IMSD cohort

“This training program exemplifies the Spirit of Georgetown, 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.”

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.

BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION | 11

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

We will create more opportunities for innovative postdoctoral inquiry.

Ph.D. students graduate from their rigorous

create even more opportunities to recruit and

training programs prepared to take on science’s

retain young biomedical scholars through

most pressing questions. Those dedicated

postdoctoral positions, bolstering Georgetown’s

to continuing research work are recruited to

research enterprise.

prestigious postdoctoral research fellowships across the country.

Postdoctoral fellowships not only produce critical research findings but also support Georgetown’s

At Georgetown, we value the talent and fresh

applications for additional NIH training grants—

perspectives postdoctoral fellowships bring

key recognition and resources for our academic

to our campus year after year. And we must

medical center’s ambitions.

12 | GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

“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.”

CALEB C. MCKINNEY, PH.D., 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.

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

BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION | 13

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

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.

14 | GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

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.

THIS BOOKLET WAS PRINTED ON FSC PAPER | SUPPORTING RESPONSIBLE FORESTRY 16 | GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY