A Night at the Museum - BBiomed Alumni Event 2023

Recently, we hosted our first event inviting our Bachelor of Biomedicine Alumni to reconnect with the school, our executive staff and their own alumni cohort once again. We were privileged to host this private event at the Harry Brookes Allen Anatomy & Physiology Museum in the Medical Building at the University which is not open to the general public.

The event was co-hosted by our Dean MDHS, Professor Jane Gunn, and our Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences, Professor Jennifer Wilkinson-Berka, and they were joined by our Heads of Departments, Museum Curators Associate Professor Quentin Fogg and Rohan Long, and our own Biomedical Students Society who assisted with the exhibits throughout the evening.

Professor Wilkinson-Berka highlighted the purpose of the event, to "get together, talk about where [everyone] has been, where [everyone is] going". She spoke about the school and its departments and acknowledged the privilege of being able to host the event in the "largest museum of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere". She concluded by sharing her excitement with the group in the upcoming development of the Melbourne Academy of Surgical Anatomy (MASA).

Professor Gunn, notably the first female dean in MDHS at the University of Melbourne, expressed how "wonderful [it is] to see people reconnect with the university", noting also that the alumnus in attendance were "such an impressive bunch".  Recognising the value of being "exposed to learning about the fundamentals of the human body", with "so many people in our community [not having an understanding] about how [it] works". Finally, she expressed her pride in the cohort, past and future, for "[flying] the flag for biomedical sciences", no matter what industry they apply their knowledge in, whether it be dentistry, public health, biomedical engineering, big 4 consulting, or other.

Amidst the attendees were Bachelor of Biomedicine alumni who have followed a variety of career endeavours. One of the alumni Emily shared how she pursued a career in management consulting after completing her biomedicine degree and is now currently working in Perth. She noted that moving into the consulting world from studying biomedicine "opened [her] eyes to what you can do", and all the opportunities available beyond the medical field after completing the Bachelor of Biomedicine degree. Another alumni Karscha has now become a science teacher post completing her degree, keeping within the scientific realm. And Sakshi who is in the midst of pursuing Psychiatry following the completion of her medical degree (and also makes time for filming!).

The diverse opportunities are not only evident by the alumni, but also by some of the students from the Biomedicine Students' Society who were in attendance. Andrew spoke about his desire to pursue a career in management consulting like Emily, and has decided to undertake a Master's degree before doing so, to take time to assess all the choices he has access to by studying Biomedicine.

Overall, the event provided an opportunity for alumni to reconnect with their past peers and mentors and reflect on how their education at the university contributed to where they are today. It revealed how the Bachelor of Biomedicine presents opportunities past the medical field after completion, and that there are many avenues to be explored with the valuable knowledge acquired. Not to mention that a great night was enjoyed by all at this exceptional venue on-campus.