MD Class of 2020 on Graduating in the Midst of a Pandemic

When the BU School of Medicine Class of 2020 took the Hippocratic Oath at their White Coat Ceremony in 2016, they could never have imagined that four years later they would be graduating a month early to join the front lines of healthcare workers battling a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus, unknown just months ago, has already infected more than 2,100,000 people worldwide, more than 680,000 in the United States, where 35,000 people have died.

On April 17, in lieu of the traditional in-person ceremony, the 190 2020 graduates assembled for graduation—virtually, via Facebook Live.

BU Today spoke to four of MED’s newly minted physicians before their graduation about what it’s like to be embarking on their careers as physicians during the most pressing public health crisis in more than a century. They also reflect on what they learned during their four years at BU.

Nicholas Chiu (CAS’16, MED’20) describes himself as “an aspiring clinician-scientist fascinated by the intersection of clinical research and health policy in promoting public health.” Chiu, who will be doing his residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, plans to specialize in internal medicine. “It is both daunting and inspiring to graduate amidst the greatest pandemic in recent memory,” he says. “There is so much to learn and so much to do—and there is no better time than now.” He hopes to improve outcomes for patients through clinical trials as well as increase healthcare access and quality through health services research.

—Frederick “Gus” Godley (MED’20, Questrom’20)

Frederick “Gus” Godley (MED’20, Questrom’20) says he’s excited to begin his career as a doctor at a time when the need is so great. “I think this moment in medicine will be hard to match, and we get to start our training in the midst of when our patients need us the most,” he says. Godley, who earned a dual MD/MBA degree at BU, will do his residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He plans to specialize in general surgery.

Also planning a specialization in general surgery, Cara Guenther (MED’20) will be a resident at Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center. Guenther says she wants to practice medicine in a way that addresses the disease process, social determinants of health, and other health inequities. “I feel particularly excited and honored to be joining a community of healthcare workers who dedicate their lives to serving others,” she says. “I am grateful to have learned and trained at BUSM/BMC, and I’m disappointed that I can’t congratulate my classmates in person.”

Andrea Alonso (MED’20) is also staying local for her residency, at Boston Medical Center, and she feels a mix of excitement and anxiety as she prepares to graduate. “I am honored and deeply humbled to join such a noble and selfless profession,” she says. “I am grateful for the privilege to learn the art of surgery from such an inspiring group of individuals, and I am eager to contribute to the team and the BMC patient population in any way that I can.” Alonso, who plans to specialize in general surgery, says she’s looking forward to mentoring underrepresented students in medicine through initiatives starting as early as high school.

At the end of our video, you’ll see this year’s graduates once again reciting the Hippocratic Oath—each was asked to record the oath separately, and as a surprise to the class, a video showing all of them reciting it together was shown at the graduation ceremony.

To Nicholas, Gus, Cara, and Andrea, and to all the members of the School of Medicine Class of 2020, BU Today extends our best wishes and congratulations.

Video by Bill Politis.