Hello and welcome to the University of Miami!
We, the officers and senators of the Biomedical Graduate Student Government (BGSG), strive to serve the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine graduate student body by addressing their academic, professional and social needs through programs, mentorship, and communication with university administration.
To achieve this mission, we organize various events, workshops, and socials throughout the year, including our yearly Distinguished Guest Lecturer in the Spring, which hosts well-known researchers in their respective fields, Drs. Tracy Bale, James DeGregori, and John Wherry. Additionally, students are given the opportunity to meet with these acclaimed scientists in small group meetings to foster more intimate discussions on science and career development. We also organize various workshops such as the Career Development Symposium, which has featured well-known industry career consultant Dr. Isaiah Hankel from Cheeky Scientist, Executive Director of Addgene, Dr. Joanne Kamens, and Executive Director of Pharmacology at Pfizer, Dr. Marie-Claire Peakman, as well as speakers from various STEM careers like science policy, writing, and biotechnology. To help students be successful during graduate school, we also offer monthly Coffee and Donuts (informal student roundtable discussions on various topics about graduate student life, such as making a timeline to graduation, personal finances, and talking science to non-scientists), as well as our popular Mock Qualifying Exam (Q.E.) program, wherein senior students help their junior peers in preparing for their qualifying exam by providing feedback and guidance on the oral portion of their examination. Finally, to help bring students together from the numerous different programs, we provide various social events, including our Graduate Student happy hours and various community service activities like fundraising, beach clean-ups, and cooking dinner for the families at the Ronald McDonald House and for people without housing at Lotus House and Camillus House. These are only a few of the wonderful events the BGSG hosts, so don’t hesitate to contact us to find out more!
Being a member of the BGSG (or any of its various sub-committees) is an immensely rewarding experience where you can make lifelong friendships, gain valuable leadership experience, and foster a sense of community and fellowship amongst your graduate student peers at UM. In the seventh year after our creation, we hope to continue to focus and hone our mission by building stronger relationships between students, faculty, and the administration and inviting any interested students to reach out to us and participate in our various events and initiatives throughout the year. I hope to see you all soon and wish you the best of luck in your graduate school endeavors.
Sincerely,
Monika Chojnacka
President
BGSG