Gina Maffucci is stepping into her first year as principal of Biomedical Preparatory at UT Southwestern, a campus where students are introduced to bioscience as early as pre-K.
Maffucci previously served four years as the school’s assistant principal and was part of its founding team. The school opened in August 2022 with pre-K and first grade, has added one grade level each year, and is on track to eventually serve students through eighth grade. This year, Maffucci is preparing to welcome the campus’s first class of fifth graders.
“I was part of the founding team for the school. I helped establish the vision for the school, welcome new families and students, and shape what we wanted the campus to become,” she said.
The school’s vision began with Charles Ginsburg, M.D., former vice provost and senior associate dean for education at UT Southwestern, who imagined a district partnership that would give students from all backgrounds early exposure to biomedical sciences and inspire future careers in medicine.
Maffucci has 13 years of experience as a teacher and instructional coach. She said the campus creates real-life experiences for students, including hands-on simulations and experiments with doctors and scientists. Students practice CPR, learn to use EpiPens during allergy response simulations, explore laparoscopic surgical tools, and use cervical collars in emergency response scenarios.
The school’s motto is “Science starts here,” and its core values are curiosity, creativity, resilience, empathy, innovation, and leadership.
