| More
than 350 gather to celebrate HST's 35th anniversary More than 350 alumni/ae, faculty, students and friends of The Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology gathered September 23-25 to celebrate our 35th anniversary. Showcasing the breadth and scope of our bench to bedside accomplishments, the weekend featured a faculty poster session, a day-long symposium of talks by 16 alumni/ae, an exhibition of current HST educational programs and research centers and an evening gala. |
| Leaders of the Harvard and MIT community turned out in full force to share in the festivities including: Susan Hockfield, President of MIT; Steven B. Hyman, Provost of Harvard University; Joseph B. Martin, MD, PhD, Dean of HMS; and L. Rafael Reif, Provost of MIT. |
| Acknowledging
the extraordinary accomplishments of the Division and its alumni/ae and
faculty, Dean Martin said HST is "the most important biomedical education
program in the world." "If we didn't have HST we would be thinking
of creating it now," said Provost Hyman. Current HST directors Joseph V. Bonventre, MD, PhD, '76 and Martha L. Gray, PhD '86, spoke of the enormous strides that HST has achieved over the past 35 years, in expanding its faculty to 62 members and its affiliated faculty to 211; growing its student body from 25 students to 430 students; increasing its academic offerings from one graduate-level degree program, to eight, and many more. They spoke to their commitment to the vision and high standards of those prescient individuals who anticipated the accomplishments that could be achieved by creating educational programs and research initiatives at the intersection of the biological and physical sciences, engineering and medicine. |
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"HST has been a training ground for the finest young people in their fields," Hockfield said. "When you read the list of HST graduates and the people who are here at this celebration, it reads like a Who's Who in modern biomedical science. This program has had an impact on this nation and the world unlike any other." |
| A highlight
of the weekend occurred on Saturday night when the HST family honored founding
director Irving M. London, MD, Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, HMS; and
Professor of Biology, Emeritus, MIT, HST. |
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Chaired by HST alumni/ae David E. Goodman, MD'93, president and CEO of BaroSense, Inc., and Natacha DePaola, PhD'91 Professor and Chair, Biomedical Engineering, RPI, the 35th offered a unique opportunity for the community to learn about the impact alumni/ae are having on translational research, translational education, industry and healthcare policy through a full day symposium. For more information, visit HST's 35th Anniversary website. All photographs by John Rich. |
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