Graduate Student Groups

The Association of Black Biomedical Graduate Students (ABBGS) is a student-led organization dedicated to strengthening the social, cultural, and academic well being of black biomedical graduate students at Washington University, while promoting diversity within the campus community. ABBGS welcomes all members of the Washington University community to aid in our mission to heighten cultural awareness on campus and to support active recruitment and retention of a culturally diverse student body. Contact the ABBGS E-board at abbgs-eboard@gowustl.onmicrosoft.com​​ for more information.

Connections is a student group that facilitates inclusion through 3 avenues:

• Educational Experiences
• Guided Discussions
• Social Events

Students in Connections will explore their identities with respect to socioeconomics, culture, religion, sexual orientation and race. They will also learn how these identities impact their personal and professional relationships in the WashU community.

The Student Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences is open to all Division students. The Committee selects its own chair and sets its own agenda. Its ongoing responsibilities include serving as the students’ advocate on issues of concern to the student body as a whole, representing the Division in the University community, participating in the organization of orientation activities, and sponsoring informational events that provide a setting for learning and interaction among students. Members of the Division administration consult the Advisory Committee about student issues which provides a formal mechanism for conveying student opinions to those who establish Division Policy. Additionally, the chairs meet with the Associate Dean of Graduate Education.

GALNACS​ aims to create a more welcoming, inclusive and equitable environment for graduate students in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) in Washington University in St. Louis who identify as Latinxs/os/as, Native Americans, and Caribbean Islanders. Through recruitment, peer mentoring, education, fraternization, public engagement, representation, and outreach, GALNACS attempts to develop a nurturing and inclusive community that values respect, diversity, social awareness and understanding. GALNACS will also serve as a platform to represent and advocate for the needs of its members and will attempt to serve as a liaison between the administration and the student body. GALNACS is a collaborative organization meant for any graduate student in DBBS interested in learning, celebrating and appreciating the distinguished cultures and identities of Native Americans, Latinxs, and Caribbean Islanders.​

The Graduate Student Senate is composed of one representative from each department or program in The Graduate School at Washington University in St. Louis. The primary purpose of the Senate is to represent and advocate the interests of graduate students in The Graduate School to members of Washington University and the surrounding community.

The Graduate-Professional Council was founded in 1993, when a group of student leaders identified the need for both academic and social interaction between graduate and professional students of all disciplines. GPC provides a network of communication through which student leaders share information about school activities, and supports representative student governments. GPC also plans social opportunities for the graduate and professional community, initiates discussions of graduate and professional student issues through panel discussions and presentations, and brings issues of import to the attention of the University administration. GPC's meetings and committees are open to all graduate and professional students of Washington University.

​Washington University in St. Louis Graduate Students Promoting Science Policy, Education, and Research (ProSPER) is a university-wide graduate student group that promotes the use of science in policy-making through science advocacy and literacy, facilitating inter-professional communication, and increasing scientist participation in policy. The group holds a variety of events, including member education events, case studies on how scientists have been involved in science advocacy, and panel discussions.

Sling Health Network is a bioengineering design and entrepreneurship incubator founded in 2012 at Washington University in St. Louis. Students, faculty, staff, and St. Louis entrepreneurs team up to tackle unmet needs in healthcare delivery and clinical medicine.

Our group's objectives include:

• To develop a culture of innovation at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
• To teach engineering and medical students the skills and processes needed to invent and implement new biomedical technologies
• To develop novel medical devices targeting unmet clinical needs

​Women in STEM (WiSTEM)​ is determined to give individuals who identify as women within DBBS and the wider Washington University visibility, a voice, and a place to feel comfortable in science, medicine, and other STEM fields. WiSTEM works to meet the needs of our members through professional development opportunities, campus and community outreach, and inclusive event programming in DBBS. Through these efforts, WiSTEM hopes to create an inclusive environment within DBBS and the wider Washington University community as a forum for the unique challenges that women-identifying trainees face both on a daily basis and on a larger scale.