Congratulations to Our 2025 Outstanding Student Achievement Award Winners!
Graduate Medical Sciences has awarded three high-achieving, graduating students with Outstanding Student Achievement Awards in the categories of “Community Service” and “Outstanding Research.”
The “Outstanding Research” Award recognizes achievement related to scientific impact, breakthroughs and intellectual contributions during a student’s time at GMS. The “Community Service” Award recognizes initiative and leadership related to service either in fulfillment of graduate school requirements or extracurricular efforts.
Each student who won an award has made exceptional contributions to their departments and communities. Meet Todd W. Dowrey, Gloria Urrutia and Marine Chido Nimblette below.
Todd W. Dowrey ’25
PhD in Molecular & Translational Medicine, Program in Biomedical Sciences
Dowrey matriculated into the PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS) in 2020 before transitioning to the Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM) following his first rotation year.
He currently works in the lab of Assistant Professor of Medicine George Murphy, PhD, who co-founded the Boston University and Boston Medical Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM). Dowrey first joined the lab as a technician prior to beginning his PhD.
Dowrey’s research centers on understanding healthy aging by studying centenarians, or individuals who live over 100 years, by developing a human stem cell-based model of resiliency. He studies how cells produced from centenarian subjects respond to stress and insult and how these responses may be different and more effective than cells produced from a typical ager.
Read Todd’s full story here!
Gloria Urrutia ’25
MS in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program
Urrutia matriculated into the MS in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program in 2023 and is preparing to graduate in May 2025. During her thesis year, Urrutia has worked on several projects addressing overlooked educational and healthcare barriers that disproportionately affect underrepresented communities.
For her thesis alongside Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics Marisol Lopez, PhD, Urrutia investigated how technical flaws in physiology multiple-choice question (MCQ) assessments impact graduate and professional student performance.
The mixed-methods approach found that flawed MCQs may favor students who have knowledge of test-taking strategies and can navigate misleading question and answer choices. The research highlights the importance of effective MCQ construction in ensuring equitable assessments for students.
Learn more about Gloria’s research here.
Marine Chido Nimblette ’25
MS in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program
Nimblette is a member of the MS in Medical Sciences graduating class of 2025. Since 2024, she has served as one of 38 mayor-appointed members of the SPARK Boston Council, where she advises Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on programs and policies that affect 20- to 35-year-olds across the city.
As council members, Nimblette and her cohort each represent a Boston neighborhood. Nimblette represents the Fenway/Kenmore area, where she helps set policy priorities, address city issues, plan for Boston’s future and increase civic engagement. She also meets monthly with city cabinet members and facilitates community service projects both in her representative neighborhood and across Boston.