MD/PhD Convocation Celebrates the Achievements of the Class of ’25

MD Students filing into their seats, one turns back with thumbs up — Vaibhav Gupta gives a thumbs up as he takes his seat at the MD/PhD convocation ceremony.

In her opening remarks welcoming MD and PhD graduates, their families and friends, Karen Antman, MD, dean of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and BUMC provost, described the ceremony as the most joyous event in academic life.

“Our graduates gather together today with faculty, families and friends to publicly recognize the credentials that they have earned, and to celebrate their major life transition to the doctorate,” Antman said.

The May 15 convocation at BU’s Track & Tennis Center bestowed 21 PhD, 159 MD, five MD/PhD, one MD/MBA, one MD/JD, one MD/MPH and two MD/OMFS (Oral Maxillofacial Surgery) degrees. Seventeen students earned cum laude honors, five magna cum laude and three students, Keith Gagnon, Noelle Wojciechowski and Melani Zuckerman, graduated summa cum laude.

Jhonatan Henao Vasquez, PhD’25 stands at podium addressing convocation — PhD speaker Jhonatan Henao Vasquez, PhD’25 addresses the MD/PhD convocation.

Jhonatan Henao Vasquez, PhD’25, was chosen to speak for PhD students. He said the new graduates faced political and societal uncertainties that will define the future of science and their place in it.

“In facing these challenges, we will do what we have always done. We will adapt. We will push forward. We will advocate for one another,” Vasquez said. “Our journey has taught us that uncertainty is not a roadblock; it is a call to action. It is an opportunity to innovate, to challenge the status quo and to forge new paths.”

Vasquez immigrated with his parents to the U.S. from Colombia when he was 2 years old. He grew up in Dover, New Hampshire, and was the first in his family to attend college. At 14, Vasquez was hospitalized for two weeks with swine flu that put him into a coma. The experience inspired him to become a doctor, but he found his true passion was research.

“I feel like America is still the land of opportunity, despite what is currently happening,” Vasquez said in a separate interview. “Things will change over time and immigrants will be able to be welcomed here and be successful.”

At 2025 Convocation seated MDs recite the Oath of Hippocrates — Newly-minted MDs recite the Oath of Hippocrates.

Chosen as the student speaker by his MD classmates, Richard Wu, MD’25, is the child of parents who immigrated to the U.S. from China.

“I like science and helping people. A medical career was a great combination of both,” said Wu, who worked with AmeriCorps teaching underserved preschoolers, led mentorship and teaching student organizations, and served as an advocate for students and patients while he was in medical school.

“This is a class with a deep-rooted passion for justice in all domains of life,” Wu told classmates.

“The MD degree is one bestowed on us through hard work, but given its power by society’s trust,” said Wu. “We must take our charge as the future of medicine seriously and not remain silent in the face of changing political tides, but dive into the uncomfortable truths…for the sake of our patients, our profession and our world.”

For the convocation speaker, students selected bestselling author Sheri Fink, MD, PhD, the recipient of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for her investigative reporting on deaths at New Orleans Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina.

“Never let go of the humility you have now as a student,” Fink advised graduates. “Maintaining humility will help you stay accountable to those you have the honor of serving. It’ll also give you the chance to keep growing and learning throughout your life.”

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