The BioMedical Sciences (BMS) Division 

The Faculty of Medicine was established in 1967 with the BioMedical Sciences (BMS) a founding Division. There are 5 research groups in BMS organized around similar research interests and delivery of graduate programs: Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cardiovascular and Renal Sciences, Neuroscience, Human Genetics and Genomics, and Bioscience of Health and Disease. 

Mission Statement

Working in the spirit of partnership and respect, the Division of BioMedical Sciences is committed to fostering innovation, delivering excellent educational programming, facilitating impactful research, and engaging with internal and external stakeholders to advance knowledge and contribute to better health outcomes in our communities and worldwide.

BMS Division Strategic Objectives

Strategic objectives of the BMS Division align with the strategic plan of the Faculty of Medicine “Destination Excellence” and are guided by the same values. These objectives also consider the main frameworks of the university: Teaching and Learning, Research, Public Engagement, Indigenization and Internationalization. Within the MUN Research framework, research activities of the BMS Division fall under the theme of Wellbeing, Health and BioMedical Discovery. Strategic objectives for the BMS Division are grouped into the 4 major streams of: 1) excellence, 2) empowerment, 3) improving lives and 4) sustainability. Each stream is subdivided into research, education and social accountability pillars. 

Primary research objectives

• undertake research that is meaningful to our scientific and general audiences
• undertake research that is community-informed through engagement where possible
• disseminate our research through credible channels, such as peer-reviewed journals
• draw national and international recognition and acclaim for our research
• undertake translational research
• promote research collaborations within the Division, with other units in the Faculty of Medicine, across MUN and at other institutions
• acquire and utilize state-of-the-art instrumentation and lab-space
• cultivate a research environment that values innovation and rigour
• track, measure, and analyze our performance across our academic mandate to continuously improve performance and results

Primary education objectives

• endow graduates with knowledge, expertise and skills to succeed in their chosen career
• deliver high quality, dynamic, innovative, and rigorous programs to our learners
• create excellent laboratory-based and academic learning environments
• support & challenge learners to achieve their potential and meet program requirements
• support learners throughout their educational journey and promote lifelong learning
• support learner completion of their programs within allotted time-frames
• support faculty to be exceptional teachers and mentors
• track, measure, and analyze our performance across our academic mandate to continuously improve performance and results

Primary social accountability objectives

• encourage faculty, staff, learners, and graduates to embrace social accountability and EDI-AR principles
• ensure all faculty, staff and learners abide by appropriate ethical and safety standards related to their work and study
• ensure our education and research programs result in effective interventions within the healthcare system
• embed the social determinants of health into our academic programming
• embed global health and community engagement principles into our academic programming
• track, measure, and analyze our performance across our academic mandate to continuously improve performance and results