Reunions 2026
Discussions & Discoveries

Friday, May 15th, 2026 

10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Jumbo Generations: A Photographic History of Student Life at Tufts

Be sure to stop by East Hall while you’re on campus to see this first-of-its kind photo exhibit depicting student life at Tufts across the generations.  Divided into themes such as dorm life, students at work, students at play, sports, activism, and arts, the exhibit is the result of a collaboration between the Department of History, the Tufts Archival Research Center, and University Photography.

East Hall will be open from 10am – 5pm on the following days.  The exhibit is located on the first and ground floors.  Please enter East Hall at the main entrance facing the Academic Quad.      

10:00 am - 11:00 am
Fruitful aging: what fruit fly research tells us about longevity and health 
Pearson Chemical Laboratory 104, 62 Talbot Avenue 

Presented by: Mitch McVey, Professor, Biology; Graduate Biomedical Sciences Member, Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Description: 
This session will begin with a description of studies that highlight the importance of DNA repair and genome stability in promoting healthspan and longevity. Participants will learn about different theories of aging, with a focus on a hormetic responses to DNA damaging agents. The session will conclude with a recent story from the speaker’s lab about an intervention that can promote gut integrity and healthspan in Drosophila.

1:15 pm - 2:30 pm
"A Photo History of the Buildings of Tufts University from 1852 to Today"
Pearson Chemical Laboratory 104, 62 Talbot Avenue 

Presented by: Dan Valentine, E93, EG95

Description: 
Join us for a photo history tour of the Tufts campus to see how it’s evolved since its beginning as a lonely Ballou Hall perched atop a grassy, treeless hill outside Boston. You’ll get to see images dating back to the 1800s, as well as learn about long-forgotten buildings and structures that have come and gone in the past 174 years. 

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
"The Return of Spheres of Influence "
Pearson Chemical Laboratory 104, 62 Talbot Avenue 

Presented by: 
Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics, Director, Center for Strategic Studies, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy 

Description: 
Coming Soon

Saturday, May 16th, 2026

11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Alumni Panel: From Then to Now: Leadership, Change, and Hard-Earned Lessons 
Pearson Chemical Laboratory 104, 62 Talbot Avenue 

Moderator:
Diane Hessan, J76 - Award-winning entrepreneur, market researcher and board director; Founder and Chairman of C Space (formerly Communispace) 

Panelists: 
Elizabeth M. Hewlett, Esq., J76 - Former Chairman, Prince George’s County Planning Board and The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and Former principal of Shipley, Horne & Hewlett, PA 

Karen Pattani, J86 - Partnerships Leader at Google Cloud 

Dr. Lara Oboler, J91, A26P - Clinical Cardiologist   

Description: 
As opportunities have expanded and expectations have shifted, the meaning of a “successful career” has grown more complex. 

Distinguished Tufts alumnae from different fields and generations will reflect on how they navigated leadership, ambition, setbacks, and reinvention over time. They’ll discuss what guidance they received early on, which assumptions held up (or didn’t), and how their thinking has evolved as the world -- and their industries -- changed. 

Join us for a candid conversation about what we believed then, what we know now, and how those lessons continue to matter. 

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm 
Breast Cancer and Beyond: Advances in Women’s Health from Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University
Pearson Chemical Laboratory 104, 62 Talbot Avenue 

Presented by: Shelly Peyton, Professor and Department Chair of Biomedical Engineering

Description: 
Tufts Biomedical Engineering is actively growing our research efforts in Women’s Health. Our research team is using a wide variety of engineering methods to find innovative solutions to endometriosis, fertility challenges, and cancers. Professor Peyton will start the talk on her own work using biomaterials engineering to understand why and where breast cancer metastasizes, and how we can use engineering approaches to find novel treatments for metastatic disease. She will then broaden to the work of other Biomedical Engineering faculty and their research in cancer and Women’s Health more broadly.

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Alumni Panel: Identifying Truth and Accuracy Amid Misinformation 
Pearson Chemical Laboratory 104, 62 Talbot Avenue 

Moderator:
Brad Hamilton, A86 - Editor in Chief, The Hatch Institute (formerly the Contently Foundation) 

Panelists: 
William Sanderson, A81 - Ex-New York City print and text journalist. Author, Bulletins from Dallas, about media coverage of the JFK assassination. 

Neil Swidey, A91 - Professor of the Practice and Director of the Journalism Program, Brandeis University. Editor At Large, Boston Globe Magazine  

Description: 
In this session, our panel will share their secrets on how to quickly assess media content for accuracy. We will also discuss how AI contributes to misinformation and what businesses can do to maintain trust and integrity. 

Saturday, May 30st, 2026

10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Jumbo Generations: A Photographic History of Student Life at Tufts

Be sure to stop by East Hall while you’re on campus to see this first-of-its kind photo exhibit depicting student life at Tufts across the generations.  Divided into themes such as dorm life, students at work, students at play, sports, activism, and arts, the exhibit is the result of a collaboration between the Department of History, the Tufts Archival Research Center, and University Photography.

East Hall will be open from 10am – 5pm on the following days.  The exhibit is located on the first and ground floors.  Please enter East Hall at the main entrance facing the Academic Quad.

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11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Faculty Presentation (Topic TBD)

Presented by: TBD

Description: 
Coming Soon

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2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Alumni Panel: Alumni Entrepreneurs – Derby Center 5th Anniversary

Moderator:
Jack Derby - Professor of the Practice, Gordon Institute

Panelists:
Matthew Alswanger, A21 - Analyst, Credit, Antares Capital LP; Serial Entrepreneur & Advisor 

Geoffrey Grumbach, A21 - Founder, Never Clog LLC

Paget Stanco, A16, EG17 - Director, Gemini Institutional 

Description: 
Coming Soon



Events are subject to change.