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BRASS Connections Help Students Soarby Ross Tomlin 
Sara Shalin Two strangers on a plane strike up a conversation during an international flight back to the states. Other than to pass the time, what more could airplane chitchat serve? When one is a BCM faculty member and the other is a Houston-area cosmopolitan, the result, at least in this case, is the wildly successful Baylor Research Advocates for Student Scientists (BRASS) program. One of the women was Myra Wilson, who remains actively involved in the organization. After the in-flight encounter set off discussions among Wilson's friends within the Houston elite, BRASS took flight in 1995, having raised more than $2.5 million to create three endowed scholarships supporting BCM's top student scientists every year. This, however, is no ordinary scholarship. "Part of the process is to get the students out of the lab and into the community, so the BRASS scholars go where the average graduate student does not," said BRASS liaison Dr. Scott Basinger, associate dean for extramural affairs in The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at BCM. "They go to the opera, fundraising galas, sports events, and BRASS members' homes. They are essentially adopted." Since its formation in 1995, BRASS has raised more than $2.5 million to create three endowed scholarships supporting BCM's top student scientists every year. But BRASS transcends tasting the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Basinger calls this marriage of community and laboratory a win-win, because scholars gain valuable interpersonal skills that can't be taught in the lab while, for members of the community, the technicalities of science are deconstructed and personalized. "Those of us who are in science realize that we have a duty to get out into the community and explain the good things we're doing," said Basinger. Scholars are awarded a $15,000 stipend during their first year of graduate school and also receive a $2,000 grant, which can be used to purchase research supplies or attend a conference, for instance. Basinger said that managing grant money for the first time provides "a tremendous leg up" as its recipients prepare for careers in research. Sara Shalin, an M.D./Ph.D. student selected as a BRASS scholar in 2001, said the emotional support she received from BRASS members has far outweighed their financial assistance. "It has emphasized how important it is to communicate to non-scientists the truth of what's going on in science," said Shalin, who completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience last year and will earn her M.D. in May. "Many people don't have a sense of how laboratory science is conducted. BRASS has given us the opportunity to share our experiences with the community." BRASS's mission to bridge this communication divide, hatched from a chance encounter, has grown to become that rare gift that not only keeps on giving, but also returns the favor. "I'd like to give back to the community one day with my research, but being part of BRASS has also showed me that there are many other ways to give back," said Shalin. "I'm going to take this experience with me for the rest of my life." Flying to Fantasy Land: Squirrel Creek Ranch
Dr. ZoAnn Dreyer, associate professor of pediatrics at BCM and director of the Long-Term Survivor Program at the Texas Children's Hospital Cancer Center, has witnessed more than her fair share of families beset by cancer's collateral damage, which often include prolonged hospital stays, siblings who feel neglected, and increased divorce rates.
In an effort to help preserve the family structure through these worst of times, several groups of pediatric cancer patients along with immediate family members are spirited away each year for a weekend getaway to a veritable fantasy land: the 2,000-acre, privately run Squirrel Creek Ranch. Located outside of San Antonio, the ranch is owned by philanthropists Don and Sidney Faust, whose generous support began with the Baylor Research Advocates for Student Scientists (BRASS) program.
Twenty-five excursions to Squirrel Creek Ranch have been organized by the Fausts since 1998. Dreyer said that the retreat is all the families talk about for weeks on end—just what the doctor ordered when the diagnosis is a family disease. |
Patient CarePutting the Pieces Together: Megan's Story When Baby Heart Patients Grow Up Saying Goodnight to Sleeping Pills ResearchFrom a Sister's Illness... A Cancer Crusade EducationCommunity ServiceAlumni & DevelopmentBRASS Connections Help Students Soar College NewsPhysician Hall of Fame: College Receives One-of-a-Kind Signature Collection
People Working Together to Achieve Greatness
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Volume 3, Issue 1, Spring 2007 |
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| Last modified: April 2, 2009 |
Physicians call pediatric cancer a family disease. That's because it not only afflicts patients, it oftentimes ravages their families to their foundations, sometimes irreparably.
"Once you throw cancer into the mix, it turns the whole family unit upside down," said Dreyer. "We want the children to grow up and be happy and healthy, and we want their families to stay that way. That's not an easy thing to do, even when you successfully treat a patient with cancer."
Families are flown to the ranch and treated like royalty during their medically supervised stay. All family members—not just cancer patients—enjoy non-stop, anything-goes activity: hayrides, petting exotic animals, arts and crafts, campfires, swimming, and costume shows, just to name a few. BRASS scholars serve as counselors, who get to step outside the laboratory and see firsthand how families cope with a deadly disease.