Welcome to the 24th annual Biomedical and Biological Science (BBS) Symposium at Cornell University.

Each year, the BBS PhD Program hosts a symposium alongside the orientation for incoming PhD students. The event provides PhD students, DVM students, and postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to share their research through oral and poster presentations. The 2025 BBS Symposium is being organized by the Office of Graduate Education in collaboration with the BBS Symposium Student Planners: Brandon James, Mohammad Tavallaei, Stasha Rup, and Sophie Nelissen.

Friday, August 22, 2025

Meet Our Keynote Speaker

Dr. Christina Termini received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of New Mexico where she studied the spatiotemporal kinetics of acute myeloid leukemia signaling. She performed her postdoctoral training at the University of California, Los Angeles where she studied how proteoglycans regulate hematopoietic stem cell maintenance and bone marrow regeneration. Dr. Termini is committed to facilitating scientific training, pursuing rigorous research, and making innovative discoveries as a team. She is dedicated to building an inclusive and supportive community that will foster the scientific and career development of researchers from all walks of life.

The Douglas D. McGregor Research Lecture

 The annual BBS Symposium Keynote Address is named in honor of Dr. Douglas D. McGregor, former Director of the Baker Institute (1976–1991) and later Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education. Dr. McGregor held an M.D. from the University of Western Ontario and a D.Phil. from Oxford, and received several honors, including an honorary DVSc from the University of Sydney and recognition from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Over his four-decade research career at Cornell, Dr. McGregor studied lymphocyte subsets and their role in immunity, particularly against intracellular bacterial infections. In later years, he focused on advancing research training and career development in public health and biomedical science. He founded the Cornell Leadership Program for Veterinary Scholars, supported by the NIH Comparative Medicine Training Grant, to offer intensive summer research experiences for veterinary students pursuing science-based careers.