GSBS recognizes 37 newly qualified PhD candidates

At the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 15, Dean Anthony Carruthers, PhD, urged the 37 newly qualified PhD candidates to “advocate for their science and affordable education in the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge.”

In his address, Dean Carruthers, professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology and microbiology & physiological systems, called upon the students to remain creative in their scientific research and strive to maintain the trust of the public through transparent and rigorous experimental design, data management and communication.

“When science is attacked by the uninformed, we must become beacons of trust. We serve the commonwealth and humanity best by our discoveries that improve the lives of the people of the commonwealth and beyond,” Carruthers said.

In doing so, the public will be better equipped to support advances in science and to persuade the government to continue to support biomedical research, he said.

“Biomedical research is expensive and duplicative if we are to protect a trusting public by validating our findings. Advances in medicine do not arise by simply translating acquired knowledge into new ways of addressing old or new medical problems,” the dean said.

The transition from classroom-based learning to the lab is a significant one in the life of a doctoral degree candidate and Carruthers said the students deserve recognition for passing their qualifying exam.

Associate Dean Mary Ellen Lane, PhD, associate professor of neurobiology, recognized the students who were admitted to doctoral candidacy in the academic year 2015-16.

Those students are: