On May 16, while students across Brown’s campus prepared for their last few finals, our Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine (I-BEAM) community gathered to celebrate the end of an incredible academic year. With about 100 I-BEAM community members in attendance, the day was filled with remarks from Brown leaders, selected students, and external speakers.

“The Spring Retreat is a wonderful opportunity for the community to be together and gives us a chance to review I-BEAM's mission and goals while showcasing the hard work of the members in our community,” said Dr. Marissa Gray, Biomedical Engineering Master's Program Director. The event brought together faculty, students, and staff from across I-BEAM for conversations about science and community. 

Provost Frank Doyle and Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Dr. Murkesh Jain spoke before Master’s student Joseph Stevenson opened the event’s Scientific Section, featuring speeches from Stevenson, Ph.D. Candidate Mark Daley, and Senior Research Associate Dr. Marwa Sallam. 

“Master's students can do amazing things in such a short period of time! Joey was able to develop a device and conduct a clinical study with pediatric patients in under two years,” said Dr. Gray. 

Mark’s talk focused on his research into cardiotoxicity and drug-induced arrhythmias. “A pretty common side effect and one the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is particularly worried about for drugs is ventricular arrhythmias, which can be life-threatening,” said Mark. Traditional models for understanding arrhythmias “don’t really recapitulate human physiology very well,” he added. 

Through Mark’s work with stem cell-derived microtissues and pharmacokinetic modeling, he can predict what drug doses are potentially dangerous, enhancing risk assessment when deciding if drugs are safe to use. Mark’s work has involved collaborations with Dr. Marjory Moreau of Scitovation, LLC., Dr. Bum-Rak Choi of Lifespan, and Dr. Urlike Mende of Lifespan. He presented his work at the Society of Toxicology annual meeting earlier this year and his work was recently accepted to the Toxicological Sciences Journal. He continues his research, focusing on cardiotoxicity caused by chemotherapeutics. 

“Mark has done incredible research on cardiotoxicity in the Coulombe lab, and it was wonderful to hear about the specific research his group has been working on,” said Dr. Gray. Mark said he enjoyed speaking in the informal setting of the Retreat to a “supportive audience that’s just there to enjoy a coffee in the morning and listen to you talk about your science.” 

Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Professor Rigoberto Hernandez led attendees in a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Session. Hernandez is the Director of the Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity (OXIDE) at JHU. OXIDE focuses on institutional reform to help faculty from diverse backgrounds succeed. Hernandez spoke about OXIDE’s recommendations for lowering inequitable barriers disproportionately impacting individuals from marginalized backgrounds. 

The Retreat also brought Columbia University’s Professor José McFaline-Figueroa to Providence. McFaline-Figueroa discussed his lab’s work in developing technologies that help define the changes cells experience when exposed to certain therapies. His research has the potential to impact the future of cancer intervention strategies.

“A highlight of the Retreat every year is the student bonding,” said Mark. He added that some of his favorite moments from Spring Retreat were more informal — including a water balloon toss and three-legged race organized by the Brown Biomedical Engineering Board (BMEB) — where he could “see people outside of a day-to-day professional setting.” 

The event ended with a community discussion before I-BEAM’s 2024 awards presentation. Rojry Basnet received the Outstanding BME Sc.M. Thesis Award, Dr. Josephine Kalshoven received the Outstanding BME Ph.D. Thesis and Contributions to I-BEAM Community Life Awards, Dr. Jonathan Calvert received the Engaged BME Post-doctoral Scholar Award, and Dr. Cel Welch & Dr. Kareen Coulombe received the Outstanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership BME Awards.

A full list of our incredible 2024 award winners and graduates can be found on our website.