MD/PhD Commencement 2016: Break Stereotypes and Do Good in This World
“Know that you are capable of more than you think. You can break stereotypes across gender, race and age, and do good in this world. Take advice and criticisms positively and constructively, and follow your heart and your passion. What might feel like a small step is just one of many propelling us in the right direction,” Joon Ying Boon, PhD candidate, told the crowd assembled at Agganis arena on Thursday, May 12, for Boston University School of Medicine’s 169th Commencement exercises.
BUSM conferred 166 medical degrees, 11 MD/PhDs, six MD/MPHs; four MD/MBAs and 54 PhDs. In addition 27 earned Latin honors – 19 cum laude, six magna cum laude, and two achieved summa cum laude: Shashank Dwivedi and Andrew Simon.
Daniel McGrail, BUSM MD candidate, shared nine lessons he learned from his parents and colleagues. “Listen, smile often, work out, dress professionally, go to karaoke, be humble, work hard, be nice, and if you are ever nervous, just start by taking two long deep breaths.”
Dean Karen Antman, MD, said, “We gather today to publicly recognize and celebrate the credentials that you have earned and the major life transition that this day holds for each of you.
“You are becoming scientists and physicians at a time of great change and uncertainty. But the faculty have great confidence in your creativity and innovation. You will figure it out … Congratulations on reaching this major milestone in your professional life – the end of the beginning.”
The invited speaker was Mary Travis Bassett, MD, MPH, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene since January 2014. With more than 30 years of experience in public health, Bassett has dedicated her career to advancing health equity.
“Your training won’t prepare you for all that you will face with an MD after your name. But like the physicians that have come before you – including me – I know that your generation of doctors will grow meet that challenge,” Bassett said. “You’re no longer a student doctor, but if you do it right, you will always be a student of medicine. As doctors, we’re witness to the hardest, most vulnerable moments in people’s lives. Many decades later, I can still say that’s a true honor. Let us always strive to match their courage with our commitment.”
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2016 Faculty Awards
Commencement ceremonies included the presentation of faculty awards. This year’s honorees:
Stanley L. Robbins Award for Excellence in Teaching
John Otis, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award
Anna Fitzgerald, MD (MED’92)
Instructor of Psychiatry
Committee on Faculty Affairs Educator of the Year Awards
Educator of the Year in Preclinical Medical Sciences
Allison Larson, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Dermatology
Educator of the Year in Clinical Sciences at Boston Medical Center
Kelley Saia, MD
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Educator of the Year in Clinical Sciences at VA Boston Healthcare System
Richard Serrao, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases
Educator of the Year in Clinical Sciences at Kaiser Permanente, California
Pamela Edillon, MD
Educator of the Year in Graduate Medical Sciences, Master’s Degree Programs
Fernando Garcia-Diaz, PhD
Associate Professor of Physiology & Biophysics
Educator of the Year in Graduate Medical Sciences, Doctoral Degree Programs
Tara Moore, PhD
Associate Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology