BMS Trainee Association
Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Trainee Association
The goal of the BMS Trainee Association is to provide a framework for postdoctoral and graduate students of faculty in the Biomedical Sciences (BMS), Family Medicine and Behavioral Health (FMBH), and the College of Pharmacy at the Medical School, Duluth Campus, to create learning opportunities to enhance the career development of trainees, and to promote an inclusive and welcoming community for all trainees.
The Association offers trainees bi-weekly opportunities to meet over lunch to network with world-class speakers from the scientific community, as well as with other graduates and professionals, and gather in a space dedicated to empowering them to engage with peers and pursue career development prospects.
The BMS Trainee Association was launched Fall semester 2022 under the leadership of Dr. Sarah Lacher, BMS Assistant Professor and Chair of the Biomedical Sciences DEI Committee. The BMS Trainee Association is funded by the Biomedical Sciences Department. Hina Durrani, MS, the inaugural Chair of the Association, is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Zimmer Lab and a PhD candidate in Integrated Biosciences.
Expectations of the BMS Trainee Association
- Organize and select a leader each year with the goal of monthly meetings or activities consistent with the goals of the association
- Manage a budget to pay for association activities
- Generate a short report on activities and expenditures by June 15, 2023, to the BMS Department Head
Upcoming Events:
October 4, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Michael Olin, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, UMN Medical School, Twin Cities
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: Lunch meeting to meet and greet Dr. Olin, who is this year's Annette Boman Cancer Research Symposium Speaker.
Dr. Olin has a diverse training background and is doing outstanding work in tumor research.
October 11, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Ronald Drew Etheridge, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Cellular Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: Meet and greet Dr. Etheridge who has worked with some very interesting parasites like Toxoplasma gondii, and he will be speaking on his work with Trypanosoma cruzi during his seminar later in the day. This is a great opportunity to speak with someone doing really fascinating work!
2023/2024 Schedule
Friday, August 25th, Noon- 1pm
Location: SMED 279, School of Medicine
Meeting topic: Kickstarter Trainee Association Meeting for academic year 2023-24
Join us to visit the newly established BMS Trainee Lounge in SMED 279. Dr. Detlef Heck, BMS Head of Department, will attend the meeting to review last year's pluses and minuses and discuss the association's expectations for the upcoming year.
September 13, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Harald Junge, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Neuroscience, UMN Medical School, Twin Cities campus
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: TBD
October 4, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Michael Olin, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, UMN Medical School, Twin Cities
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: Lunch meeting to meet and greet Dr. Olin, who is this year's Annette Boman Cancer Research Symposium Speaker. Dr. Olin has a diverse training background and is doing outstanding work in tumor research.
October 11, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Ronald Drew Etheridge, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Cellular Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: Meet and greet Dr. Etheridge who has worked with some very interesting parasites like Toxoplasma gondii, and he will be speaking on his work with Trypanosoma cruzi during his seminar later in the day. This is a great opportunity to speak with someone doing really fascinating work!
October 25, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Jordan Lewis, PhD, MSW, Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health | Memory Keepers - Duluth Discovery Team
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: TBD
November 8, 1-2 pm
Guest: Janelle Taylor, PhD, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Canada
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: TBD
December 13, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Jeongsik Yong, PhD, Associate Professor, UMN Biochemistry Molecular Biology and Biophysics
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: TBD
2022/2023 Schedule
November 16, 2022, 1-2 pm
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Association initial meeting
November 30, 2022, 1-2 pm
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: 3-minute thesis practice
December 7, 2022, 1-2 pm
Guest: Laurie Read, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Buffalo, State University of New York
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Coffee hour with Dr. Read
January 18, 2023, 1-2 pm
Lunch guest: Kyoko Yoshida, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: TBD
February 1, 2023, 1-2 pm
Lunch guest: Dr. Martin Phillips
Dr. Martin Phillips is a chemist and human health assessor at the US Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (US EPA/OPPT).
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career path for National agencies and Networking
February 15, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Ezequiel Marron Fernandez de Velasco, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Seminar Title: "GIRK channel contribution to mood and substance use disorders"
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities
March 1, 2023, 1 - 2 pm
Guest: Laura Schulz, PhD, Director of the Institute for Women’s Health and Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Missouri
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities
March 15, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Jeffrey Hunger, PhD, Assistant Professor of Social Psychology, Miami University
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities
March 29, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Ryan Hunter, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities
April 19, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Detlef Heck, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, UMN Medical School, Duluth Campus
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: BMS Trainee Association planning meeting for 2023-24
May 3, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Mark Dunnenberger, PharmD, Director of Pharmacogenomics, NorthShore University Health System
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities
May 17, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Melissa Walls, PhD, Associate Professor of American Health at Johns Hopkins University and Director of the Great Lakes Hub of the JHU Center for American Indian Health
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities
May 31, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: William Coetzee, DSc, Professor of Pathology, New York University
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities
June 14, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: virtual session with Kimberly Barnholdt, Senior Director at Genentech
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Careers in the industry sector
July 12, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: virtual meeting with Parul Sikand Pall, PhD, Principal Scientist at Merck
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Careers in the industry sector and how to navigate the system for visas and other immigration requirements as an international candidate
Committee Members
Chair of the BTA
Jennifer Krznarich, MS, Chair of the Association
Graduate Research Assistant, Slattery Lab
PhD Candidate, Integrated Biosciences
Faculty Advisor to the BTA
Sarah Lacher, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Medical School Duluth Campus
Contact
For additional information about the BMS Trainee Association program, contact:
Jennifer Kznarich, MS
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Medical School Duluth Campus
jkrznari@umn.edu