Fall is in full swing and our programs are moving along better than ever. 

Our BridgeUP GiddyUP riders have spent the month hard at work, gearing up for their annual Spectacular taking place in early November. The HGB team will be joining to watch and cheer them along. Stay tuned for updates on that in next month’s blog!

At BridgeUP + OUT, Scholars have participated in their weekly advisory sessions, ranging from topics on self-accountability to how to identify healthy support groups in their life. The students began the semester with the drive and determination to excel this year. With the first marking period ending soon, the excitement is high to try and boost grades before its conclusion. The community is one that really encourages each other to strive for excellence. 

Senior Scholars from Academy of Mount Saint Ursula had their Ring Day, an exciting tradition seniors partake in each year. Congratulations to all!

Primary Trust, by Eboni Booth  (a 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama), was directed by BOLD Artistic Producer Malkia Stampley at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago throughout October. “I’m always drawn to plays that push the boundaries of empathy, that interrogate love and grief, friendship and longing, and do so in subtle and profound ways.” – Malkia Stampley. We love to see this kind of success and mobility amongst members of the BOLD Circle. Go, Malkia! 

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, BOLD Scholars at Rutgers University-Newark tabled to spread awareness about breast cancer, its risks, and the importance of early detection. They encouraged RU-N staff, faculty, and students to register for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, which took place at the end of the month. These young women are extremely involved and tuned into the community they are a part of while at Rutgers. They have strong ties to many local organizations and are known for their community service efforts on and off campus. Amazing work, ladies! 

At Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Xin Zhou, PhD, a recipient of the Helen Gurley Brown Trailblazer award, received the Dana-Farber Accelerator LEAP funding to support the development of a new degrader technology platform for autoimmune diseases. Additionally, a paper related to the proposed work has been officially accepted for publication in Nature, titled:“Transferrin Receptor Targeting Chimeras for Membrane Protein Degradation.”Additionally, two DFIC Helen Fellows presented their research at conferences. Lydia Chevalier, PhD presented the talk Sexual Health in Young Adult Cancer Survivors at the DFCI Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care Research Seminar. Constanze Schneider, PhD gave a talk on her USP48 project at the Children’s Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany.

And lastly, Helen Fellow Nico Cieri, PhD had a very exciting start to Fall: had a first-author paper published in the prestigious journal Nature Biotechnology. Excitingly, the journal produced a “Nature Research Briefing” on it which is typically reserved for seminal articles. In addition, Nico’s podcast with xNature Biotechnology is now live here. More so, Nico is also co-author on a paper that has been accepted for publication in Blood Cancer Discovery and she also submitted an abstract for the American Society of Hematology meeting which will be held in San Diego in December. Big accomplishments this Fall from our stellar scientists at DFCI!

The Brown Institute held its annual retreat at Black Rock Forest in upstate New York. Nestled in a forest 60 miles north of New York City, Black Rock provided an inspiring backdrop for the retreat. This two-day gathering brought together 55 researchers from Columbia and Stanford — that included the incoming Magic Grant teams, as well as the outgoing Magic Grants and Impact Grants! The retreat was a unique opportunity for the different parts of the institute to meet, share ideas, make friendships and brainstorm new projects and partnerships. During the three days, members connected with each other and with the spectacular forest. This was the second year at Black Rock and our second year of amazing fall weather. The retreat is a celebration of work that’s coming to a close and work that’s just starting — but most importantly, it’s about the people of the Brown Institute and their creativity. What a spectacular weekend!

One key highlight from the group of outgoing Magic Grantees is the team behind Skolay, who have made significant progress over the past year, successfully launching their platform in May of 2024 as well as establishing new partnerships with several prominent literary organizations. They are in discussion with the Toronto International Festival of Authors and Aspects of History, which will expand Skolay’s platform to new communities of writers and readers. 

Skolay has also exceeded its initial goal of 40 writer profiles, with 120 active profiles including notable authors like Jacquelyn Mitchard and Nicholas Meyer. With more than 80% of writers yielding from cold emails, and an increasing number of referrals, their efforts to boost demand, especially among writers with direct access to readers, remain a top priority.

We are looking forward to more updates in the future!