Biomedical Programs Boost Enrollment Growth

By Keith Gillogly

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published in the fall 2025 issue of the UB Medicine alumni magazine.)

Now a junior at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Lewis is majoring in neuroscience and has tacked on three minors: pharmacology and toxicology, psychology, and biological sciences. Even with all that coursework, Lewis is thriving at the Jacobs School, engaging in research opportunities, and planning to pursue his PhD after undergrad.

“Something I always tell everyone is, I’ll never miss an opportunity,” Lewis says. The Jacobs School has always prioritized biomedical education that emphasizes student achievement and exceptional education.

With a renewed focus on research experience and experiential learning, enrollment across undergraduate, master’s and PhD programs has grown to new levels, positioning students for success across disciplines and career paths. 

Neuroscience, a growing interdisciplinary program co-managed with UB’s College of Arts and Sciences, is now the second-largest major at the Jacobs School, says Kelli Hickey, director of strategic undergraduate enrollment and operation.

The school’s largest undergraduate major, biomedical sciences, continues to draw students looking for an expansive and advancement-driven education; many go on to pursue graduate or professional degrees in medicine or science, and the curriculum is currently being revamped to delve deeper into the basic sciences, Hickey says.

Regardless of program, research opportunities flourish among Jacobs School undergraduates; students are taught by and work with faculty researchers from the start. Providing early exposure to faculty and researchers encourages students to begin exploring labs and seeking mentors.

The Jacobs School’s undergraduate programming also caters to clinical education and experience, preparing students to begin working in clinical spaces following their four-year degrees with majors like medical laboratory science and nuclear medicine technology.

“There are very few medical schools in the nation that have an undergraduate component, so it makes us stand out,” Hickey says. “Students see a connection in these opportunities that maybe they wouldn’t get somewhere else.”

Further, the Jacobs School is intentional about keeping its undergraduates connected, Hickey says. In addition to exclusive events like symposiums and tours for undergraduate students, they are invited to many of the same seminars and presentations as MD and graduate students.

Following his freshman year, Lewis took part in UB’s CLIMB UP (Collaborative Learning and Integrated Mentoring in the Biosciences Undergraduate Program) interdisciplinary summer research program, conducting chemical engineering research.

After his sophomore year, Lewis performed neuroscience research as part of the CSTEP (College Science and Technology Entry Program) Summer Research Program at UB, which offers an intensive STEM research experience. Lewis has worked to identify neuromarkers of cognitive decline associated with multiple sclerosis.

He says he’s most proud of the neuroscience research presentations he’s given recently at UB and CSTEP conferences, holding on to his presenter badges as mementos. 

As with undergraduate programs, Jacobs School graduate and doctoral programs have grown. In the past 10 years, enrollment in master’s programs is up by 79 percent, says Beth White, who served as director of graduate enrollment until August 2025. Such growth reflects the robust and diverse program options and speaks to a growing focus on research and workforce skills.

A master’s degree allows for significant research experience and can bolster academic standing before entering a PhD program or medical school. Conversely, some master’s programs, like the biotechnology program, offer internship and practicum opportunities to directly prepare graduates for jobs in clinical lab settings, White says.

She adds that the mentality surrounding master’s degrees has also evolved over time. Now, there’s focus on enriched research opportunities, augmenting credentials and workforce preparation. “Master’s education used to be, you get a master’s on the way to a PhD. Full stop, that was it,” White says.

White notes that the Jacobs School is exploring obtaining more scholarships for master’s students and looking to grow online course offerings. Internship opportunities for both master’s and PhD students are also on the rise.

Internships are traditionally less common for doctoral students, but some students have spent summers interning with biotech companies, gaining hands-on industry experience and, later, job offers, says John C. Panepinto, PhD, senior associate dean for biomedical education.

“Our students are hungering for other opportunities,” Panepinto says. “We’ve had students become educators and do research-intensive careers in academia. But we’ve also had students be very successful in the biotech sector, both locally and elsewhere.”

Jacobs School students now have more chances to network with and hear from successful alumni and others in nonacademic roles about various career paths, Panepinto says.

More tailored forms of digital outreach, coupled with new and existing open house and community outreach, have helped inform potential applicants about the graduate programs’ strengths and options, White says.

In the past 10 years, doctoral student enrollment is up by 40 percent. The growth is a testament to the school’s and faculty’s commitment to biomedical education and research training.

More broadly, UB continues to prioritize doctoral student education, as evidenced by its PhD Excellence Initiative, White says. Beginning in 2019, the initiative has provided critical support to expand Jacobs School doctoral enrollment and enrich programming.

For all students, Panepinto notes that enrollment growth also reflects a renewed focus on the student experience.

Focused career development, building community, and helping students feel included and that they belong are key, he says. 

As an undergraduate biomedical sciences major in the Jacobs School, Sofia Alexander was working as a hospital technician and planned to become a physician assistant when COVID hit.

The pandemic thrust her into the demands of health care, leading to burnout—but also clarity: She’d much rather be in the lab than the clinic.

Now in her second year of a Jacobs School microbiology and immunology master’s program, Alexander has realized a new passion for research. “Now that I’m doing my master’s, I know that research is what I want to do,” she says.

Alexander, who’s from Middletown, New York, is studying polymicrobial interactions among bacteria linked to catheter-associated urinary tract infections—a common and potentially deadly condition—in the lab of Chelsie E. Armbruster, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology.

Following her master’s, Alexander plans to pursue a PhD in bacteriology and credits the mentorship and opportunities received during her master’s program with revitalizing her career path.

“Everyone in my lab is very passionate about what they do and very excited,” she says. “Even in such a specific field, every question we ask leads to more questions.”