MDN: St. Jude Launching Graduate School


"St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is launching a graduate school of biomedical sciences on its campus in the fall of 2017.

The hospital’s unanimous vote of approval from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission paves the way for development of the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The hospital says the school, located in a custom space within The Marlo Thomas Center for Global Education and Collaboration, will train the next generation of academic researchers in an interdisciplinary environment that’s home to more than 200 basic scientists and clinicians working across 21 academic departments.

Students also will gain valuable clinical and research experience through interactions with the neighboring University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. And Dr. Stephen White, a faculty member in the St. Jude Department of Structural Biology, will serve as dean of the graduate school.

"Talented graduate students are a creative and energetic force that will contribute to the kind of innovation required for progress against cancer and other life-threatening diseases,” said St. Jude president and CEO Dr. James Downing, in a statement about news of the new college.

White said the college wants to attract “the most ambitious and adventurous students,” that St. Jude faculty will provide a one-of-a-kind mentoring experience and that the college hopes to help train leaders who go on to “have a major impact on translation research.”

Adding the school to its Downtown campus comes at a time when St. Jude is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar investment into its Memphis presence, which includes the eventual hiring of a few thousand new workers and major campus additions. St. Jude hasn’t fully taken the wraps yet off the details and is so far unveiling new additions at the hospital incrementally."

MDN: St. Jude Launching Graduate School

This momentous development probably won't trigger a private complement to the public medical institution, or but it at least can be another exemplary niche private college in the area (i.e. SCO, Rhodes, CBU, etc).

Our region does need as many magnets for college students and young professionals as possible.