Graduate Education Office (GEO) Newsletter
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School of Medicine RTA Vote
We are voting on the implementation of a fee for a discounted RTA Universal Pass. The pass grants unlimited access to the services provided by RTA. This is an all-in process, wherein the outcome of the vote applies to every graduate student in the School of Medicine. Voting will be open until April 16th at 12pm.
If passed, the fee will be $60 per semester that all students in the school will be required to pay the fee through Spring of 2022. At the end of Spring of 2022, a new contract will be negotiated and voted on. More information can be found here: Slideshow
If rejected, no student will have access to the universal pass, but students individually can purchase the standard monthly pass at the rate of $95 per month directly through the RTA.
If you have additional questions, reach out to BGSO at cwrubgso@gmail.com
BGSO will be hosting a TownHall April 9th at 3pm to allow for any questions or thoughts to be shared.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://cwru.zoom.us/j/95056869738?pwd=a3daVmxRYW1EejVYL2R6eGlicWlCdz09
Meeting ID: 950 5686 9738
Passcode: 018773
Vote
CWRU Medical Insurance Survey
We would like to get your thoughts on the graduate student health insurance provided by CWRU. Please fill out this survey by April 15th at 12pm. Details on the Aetna plan provided by CWRU are found at here. Additional questions please send to cwrubgso@gmail.com.
BGSO 2021-2022 Executive Board Nominations
Are you outgoing? Are you looking to get involved with BGSO? Are you looking to showcase your leadership? Nominations for members of the 2021-2022 BGSO Executive Board are open! Please nominate yourself or a colleague. If you have specific questions on the role, email us at cwrubgso@gmail.com! https://forms.gle/W3Q1M2yC2wTY1CCF6
Safety Reminders
BGSO would like to remind everyone of several resources for students in regards to safety. GSC is leading efforts to increase safety presence on campus
Safe ride: Safe Ride carries students, faculty and staff around campus and part of University Circle. The service is an after-hours addition to public transportation. It runs seven days a week, between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m. You can access either through the Guardian app or visit saferide.case.edu
Walking Escorts: available within the University Circle area: https://case.edu/publicsafety/safety-on-campus/walking-escorts and the Rave Guardian app also has a "Guardian" and safety timer features (easier to read their description than for me to reword it): https://case.edu/publicsafety/safety-campus/rave-guardian-app
Attention all BSTP graduate students:
This year, BGSO is launching the Mentor Match-up program. Interested current graduate students will have the opportunity to mentor an incoming BSTP student who shares their research and academic interests. As the mentor, you will be one of the first friendly faces the new students will contact regarding rotations, information about CWRU or Cleveland, etc. If you are interested, please sign up on the Google sheet via the link below. Include your name, email, department, and research interests.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zktXmqKS67lEnets9qemgEe_-uOlseSVZu33l9A3vvg/edit?usp=sharing
Let's Taco Bout It!
Hello all! The BGSO has created a Zoom link for a virtual lunch each week on Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:30-1:30! Come for a few minutes or come for an hour! For sure, come and have fun!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://cwru.zoom.us/j/96448558123?pwd=cFJENWd5NnpZK1NLNTU2Mjl2QUxkdz09
Meeting ID: 964 4855 8123
Passcode: 392001
2021 Biomedical Graduate Student Symposium (BGSS)
After a successful 2020 Biomedical Graduate Student Symposium (BGSS), we're ready to plan next year's event! If you are interested in being a member of the organizing committee, please fill out the attached google form. Those interested will meet early 2021 to transition in the new subcommittees.
https://forms.gle/AcRYRxf6NTsV4hUj6
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Upcoming Events & Announcements
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Virtual Women in Medicine and Science Mentoring Event
To kick off the month of March, which is Women’s History Month, we invite you to join CWRU School of Medicine Vice Dean for Medical Education Lia Logio, MD, MACP, FRCP and Assistant Dean of Educational Initiatives for the Graduate Education Office Cheryl Thompson, PhD on Thursday, April 1 from 1:30 – 3 p.m. for the Women in Science and Medicine Virtual Networking Event. After a brief welcome and introduction, you will move into small group Zoom breakout sessions to connect with the accomplished female alumni and friends who are paving the way for you, our future leaders, in various fields such as medicine, academia, research and more.
Student Hosts:
Emily Manning, MD Candidate
Lydia Raines, PhD Candidate
More details will be provided in the coming weeks as our alumni hosts are confirmed. |
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For questions, please contact Molly Barna in the Alumni Office at molly.barna@case.edu or 216.368.2574. |
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19th NPA Annual Conference
The NPA Annual Conference is the largest national conference and networking event dedicated to the postdoctoral community. Conference attendees - postdoctoral scholars, administrators, faculty, and representatives from disciplinary societies, industry, and corporations - are provided with the opportunity to gather and enhance their professional development and leadership skills.
The virtual event, set for April 15-16, 2021, will be easy to join from across the nation or around the world. Attendees are provided with the opportunity to enhance their professional development and leadership skills. Register now for the largest educational conference and networking event dedicated to the postdoctoral community. Click here to register.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs invites you to celebrate the 31st Annual Unity Banquet and Scholarship Benefit entitled, Rise Up: Resilience Through Community. In reaching a full year of pandemic living, OMA wants to recognize all of the ways that our community has learned to be resilient and continue to push the needle forward for equity and inclusion.
Unity Banquet will be held April 5th to April 9th, 2021. Yes, you read those dates right. Unity Banquet is now Unity Week! OMA has expanded our typical single evening event, into a week of programming. We want to take this week to highlight all of the amazing achievements and milestones that our office and the students that engage with us have accomplished across this very unconventional year. Please see below to learn about our daily programming and register to tune in! Click here for more details.
Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences Information Sessions
The Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences invites you to explore our programs and get to know our faculty, who are nationally and internationally recognized. Click here for more details.
Summer Biochemistry Course- BIOC 405
The Department of Biochemistry would like to let you know about a biochemistry course, BIOC 405 that we'll offer in June. This 5-week graduate course (beginning June 1) is intended primarily for MS students who are headed for careers in the health sciences. BIOC 405 lets you meet the requirement of many professional programs for a biochemistry course and helps prepare for entrance exams.
The course will be synchronous remote, following university safety requirements.. |
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BIOC 405 will survey the molecules of living systems and will stress the structure and function of proteins, and the metabolism of small molecules, with frequent references to the role of these molecules in human health and disease. Topics include: protein structure and function; enzymes; membranes; bioenergetics; and intermediary metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, and nucleotides. One year of organic chemistry is required. |
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If you are interested in taking BIOC 405 this summer, please contact Dr. Snider at mds5@case.edu or Dr. Wang at scw10@case.edu. We will be happy to answer questions. |
EnRICH Internship Opportunity
EnRICH, our internship and experiential learning program, is putting out a call for individuals that are interested in an internship (remote or in-person) for the summer 2021 semester. SOM masters and doctoral students and postdocs are eligible to apply. Possible internships could be in career fields such as research and development, bioinformatics, data analytics, consulting, medical/science writing, entrepreneurship, research administration, government/science policy, etc.
If you are interested in applying for a remote internship, please fill out this application.
Applications are due by April 7, 2021 at 11:59pm. By filling out this application, there is no guarantee that you will get an internship, but by filling out this application, we will know who is interested and what career areas you are interested in.
If you have any questions, please contact Tessianna at enrich@case.edu.
The Evolution of Public Health into Global Health Practice
MPHP 496
This condensed course will use readings and case studies to explore the motivating factors in the emergence of global health interventions over the last 200 years, with a focus on its roots in public health practice, its expanding scope in the early to mid- 20th century, and the strengths and weaknesses of modern global health interventions. Readings and seminar discussions will involve consideration of the changing definitions of "public health", and of the spaces in which public health interventions are expected to occur.
This course that will be offered online asynchronously from June 1-July 2. If you have any questions, please contact Tara Hannum.
Restore Cleveland Hope’s Freedom Festival
A virtual Celebration of the opening of the new
Underground Railroad Interpretive Center at the Cozad Bates House
We are so excited to show you the newly finished Underground Railroad Interpretive Center at the Cozad Bates House. You are invited to join Restore Cleveland Hope for our virtual celebration of what is an inspiring, historic, and fun place to visit in University Circle. We will treat you to some of the artists who have performed at our Freedom Festival! In addition, we will show you what the house looks like inside and a bit of the outside. We would love to be gathered together in the newly landscaped front yard, but that is an event we will plan for the future. Click here to download flyer.
Our celebration will be Live Streamed on Thursday, April 8 at 7pm.
Here is a link to the event website: www.restoreclevelandhope.com/freedom
You can also watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RestoreClevelandHope/
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@restoreclevelandhope.com
Pre-Professional Health Program Seminar
Click here to view the Pre-Professional Health Program Seminar "Selecting Medical Schools for Admission".
Women of Achievement Awards & Spotlight Awards
Open for Nominations
Since 2015, the Annual Women of Achievement Awards & Spotlight Awards celebrates the scholarship and research of women faculty and outstanding achievements by women campus staff and students. The prizes are partially funded through the Mather Spotlight Series Endowment, established in 1989 by the Mather Centennial Celebration Committee of the Flora Stone Mather Alumnae Association.
The Flora Stone Mather Center for Women and the Mather Spotlight Awards Selection Committee invite nominations of CWRU women faculty, staff, and students for the biennial Mather Spotlight Award, which recognizes the achievements of two women faculty, two women staff, one woman graduate or professional student, and one woman undergraduate student whose outstanding professional accomplishments, leadership, and service have had a significant positive impact on our university and campus community.
The evaluation criteria for this award are:
- Professional Accomplishments (could include job performance, academic performance, scholarly contributions, etc.)
- Leadership (leadership can relate to positions/roles and/or engaging in work that reflects the Flora Stone Mather Center values - these values are in the nomination form for reference).
- Service (could include volunteering, teaching, committee work, mentoring, etc.)
- Demonstrated impact on our university/campus community
The Office of the Provost, The School of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Student Council (GSC) and others are recognizing graduate students' intellectual, teaching and cultural contributions to the Case Western Reserve University community with several sponsored events during Graduate Student Appreciation Week from April 5-9th.
Unfortunately due to COVID the SOM Graduate Education Office is unable to host our annual Graduate Student Appreciation Reception, but we would still like to show our appreciation for SOM Masters students, SOM Postbac students, and SOM & BME PhD students with a small token of appreciation. Click here to sign up to receive your small appreciation gift no later than Wednesday, March 31st.
Make sure to become a member of the Office of Graduate Student Life Campus Groups to find out about Graduate Student Appreciation Week (GSAW) events, free giveaways, and raffles.
WHY A CAREER IN CORES
EXPLORING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN SHARED RESEARCH RESOURCE FACILITIES
FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM ET / 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM PT
Cores, also known as shared research laboratories (SRLs) or shared research resources (SRRs), provide researchers access to necessary scientific resources and expertise. The staff that support these resources come from diverse educational backgrounds – from associates to doctorates. Come learn about career opportunities in cores and the journeys that have brought people to the core family.
Directed at community college, undergraduate, and graduate students, this virtual session is free to attend.
Registration is required.
Click here to register.

- Networking with accomplished scientists, leaders, and peers from diverse backgrounds
- Training from leading experts to improve planning, mentoring and communication skills
- Personalized materials for the PhD to postdoc transition, including an Individual Postdoc Transition Plan, a list of potential postdoc labs, a well-crafted personal narrative for introductory emails and networking, a peer-reviewed research abstract, and a polished 20-minute scientific talk.
- Expert advice and notes from mock postdoc interviews
- All-expenses paid travel to Yale for an in-person meeting in June 2022 (2021 meeting converted to virtual format on account of COVID-19)
- Joining our YCA alumni network (>200 peers), with access to sample fellowships and professional opportunity announcements
- Bringing new resources to their lab and institution through the optional participation of their research advisor in our YCA Advisor Training
YCA collaborates with iBiology and leverages CienciaPR, a large and diverse Latino/Hispanic scientific network.
The application period closes March 31, 2021, and the program runs from June 2021 to June 2022. Application requirements, selection criteria, FAQs, and the application form can be accessed via this link: http://www.cienciapr.org/yca. Click here to download flyer.
FUNDraiser for the Northeast Coalition for the Homeless
The Anatomy Graduate Student Organization is hosting a FUNDraiser for the Northeast Coalition for the Homeless. Please donate money or supplies to help! Click here to download flyer.
CWRU Resources Available to Students
We all need a little help sometimes. If you find yourself in need of assistance, here are some resources available to students from CWRU:
Source: Katie Gaffen, Department of Nutrition
New Program: Racial Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowship in
Basic & Tumor Immunology
As part of its commitment to building a more diverse community of future science leaders in immuno-oncology, yesterday we officially announced the CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship to Promote Racial Diversity. We are asking for your help in disseminating this information to a wide audience. Please consider forwarding the attached flyer to your colleagues, both within as well as outside of your own institution. In addition, please forward to your institution’s Office of Sponsored Programs.
Like the CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, the CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship to Promote Racial Diversity will provide critical financial support and continued career training to the most promising young scientists in basic and tumor immunology. The program is open to Black, Hispanic, and Latino/Latina candidates, and will provide additional support for mentoring and career advancement to these individuals, as we work to build a more racially diverse and inclusive community of scientists working in immuno-oncology.
There will be two application deadlines per year: April 1 and October 1. Please see the attached for additional information and eligibility criteria. Further details can be found at: CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowships - Cancer Research Institute.
New Virtual Mental Health Option for CWRU Students—
Wherever They Are

CWRU has announced a new initiative to help ensure that students living outside of Ohio can access mental health care during these trying times called CWRU Care. CWRU Care is a 24/7 mental telehealth care service that undergraduate, graduate and professional students can access from wherever they are.
Through CWRU Care, students can access two kinds of appointments: TalkNow Visits, which are available 24/7 and provide immediate support, and Scheduled Visits, which is a scheduled option for students to speak to a licensed counselor based on their needs and schedule. International students will only be able to use the 24/7 TalkNow visits, and not the scheduled option.
For more information about the program or to make an appointment, please visit cwru.care.
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Thursday, April 1st
Neurosciences Seminar
Mazen Kheirbek, PhD
Associate Professor, Weill Institute for Neurosciences,
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
University of California San Francisco
"Encoding of emotionally relevant stimuli in hippocampal circuits"
12p Zoom
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Upcoming Dissertation Defenses
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Corey Emerson
Pharmacology Dissertation Defense
Friday, April 2nd
11:15am
"Structural Characterization of an Engineered Adenovirus Vector and Complement-mediated Inactivation of Adenovirus"
Xu Han
Pharmacology Dissertation Defense
Tuesday, April 6th
10:30am
"The Tethered Ligand Activation Mechanism of Protease-Activated Receptor 4"
Douglas Cale Crowder
Biomedical Engineering Dissertation Defense
Wednesday, April 7th
10:00am
"Reinforcement Learning for Control of Multi-Input, Multi-Output Model of the Human Arm"
My Nguyen
Biochemistry Dissertation Defense
Friday, April 16th
9:00am
"Discovery and Understanding an Effective 'Door Stopper' Inhibitor of the Human Uracil-DNA Glycosylase to Target Base Excision Repair"
Danny Orabi
Molecular Medicine Dissertation Defense
Monday, April 19th
2:00pm
"The Effects of High Fat Diet in Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma"
David Sweet
Pathology Dissertation Defense
Thursday, April 22nd
1:00pm
"Kruppel-like Factor 2 Regulation of Aging and Healthspan: A Link between the 3D Nucleome and Disease"
Liyan Fan
Pathology Dissertation Defense
Wednesday, May 22nd
2:00pm
"Kruppel-like Factor 15 Regulation of Systemic Metabolic Homeostasis"
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GEO Wants to Hear From You
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Have you published a paper, received a fellowship, or have other exciting news you want to share? Well, the Graduate Education Office would like to hear you. To submit information to be included in the GEO newsletter, please complete the GEO announcement submission form.
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The Huddle provides news and information about our interprofessional education and collaborative practice efforts within and beyond Samson Pavilion and the dental clinic. Click here to read the latest issue.
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