{"id":121470,"date":"2024-05-17T10:56:31","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T14:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/?p=121470"},"modified":"2024-06-13T16:09:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T20:09:48","slug":"md-phd-graduates-urged-to-become-change-makers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/2024\/05\/17\/md-phd-graduates-urged-to-become-change-makers\/","title":{"rendered":"MD, PhD Graduates Urged to Become Change Makers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MDAs she opened the convocation ceremony, Karen Antman<\/a>, MD, BUMC provost and dean of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, noted that graduation is one of the most joyous annual events of academic life, while reminding the Class of 2024 that doctorates of philosophy and medicine convey considerable public trust.<\/p>\n

With so much unrest around the world, natural disasters and medical challenges on a global scale, \u201cWe hope that you will become leaders in solving these issues,\u201d said Antman.<\/p>\n

The May 16 convocation at BU\u2019s Track & Tennis Center bestowed 35 PhD, 144 MD, four combined MD\/PhDs, three combined MD\/MBAs, one MD\/JD and two MD\/OMFS (Oral Maxillofacial Surgery) degrees. Fifteen students earned cum laude<\/em> honors, five magna cum laude<\/em> and two students, Jonathan Berlowitz and Sarah Golden, graduated summa cum laude<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe faculty know that you will use the knowledge, the research and clinical skills that you have mastered here to make a difference in the world going forward,\u201d said C. James McKnight<\/a>, PhD, associate dean and provost of Graduate Medical Sciences.<\/p>\n

\"PhD
PhD student speaker Josiane Fofana with her 3-year-old.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two student speakers were chosen by their peers \u2013 Josiane Fofana was selected by PhD students.<\/p>\n

\u201c(I am) truly humbled, because humility reminds me of how far I\u2019ve come and how much more there is to accomplish,\u201d said Fofana who grew up in Senegal, moving to Boston in 2011 where she completed an associate degree in biological sciences at Bunker Hill Community College, followed by a BS in biochemistry from Brandeis University and finally her PhD in virology, microbiology & immunology at BU.<\/p>\n

She asked students to look beyond their degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the pursuit of knowledge, we often overlook the importance of emotional intelligence,\u201d said Fofana. \u201cBrilliance devoid of empathy just renders us empty, contributing to the injustice in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fofana is the mother of a 3-year-old and founded a non-profit providing quality and STEM-based education to children in Dakar, Senegal. She is pursuing a postdoctoral position at the University of Ghana as a Fogarty Global Health Fellow.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo not think that the degree or leadership position you\u2019re holding grants you the ultimate wisdom on every issue,\u201d Fofana cautioned. \u201cRemain open to others\u2019 experiences\u2026embrace discomfort in order to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"fourSelected as a student speaker by her MD classmates, Bridgette Merriman grew up in Rochester, New York, graduated from Boston College and will be a pediatric resident at Cincinnati Children\u2019s Hospital. A survivor of childhood cancer, she was hooded by David Korones, MD, her pediatric oncologist at Golisano Children\u2019s Hospital in Rochester.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most beautiful aspects of our journey together has been the friendships we\u2019ve formed and the shared experiences that have strengthened our bond,\u201d said Merriman. \u201cFrom our first days of orientation to the challenges of clinical rotations, we\u2019ve grown together, supporting each other every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know\u2026that you have the minds, the hearts and the souls of change makers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"ThreeIn her address, Monica Bharel, MD\u201994, MPH, former chief medical officer at Boston Health Care for the Homeless, former commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and currently the clinical lead for Public Sector Health at Google, urged students to consider global issues of health equity and socioeconomic impacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cHealthcare is a basic human right, not a privilege,\u201d she said. \u201cOur profession should focus on improving health beyond the healthcare system \u2013 in communities \u2013 and focus on prevention of disease with equal focus as treatment of disease,\u201d said Bharel.<\/p>\n

At the level of patient interactions, Bharel told students to turn away from their screens, look their patients in the eyes and allow them to tell their story.<\/p>\n

\u201cChoose kindness and selflessness. Listen to your patients with humility. Connect your scientific endeavors to our most pressing health issues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

See more<\/a> on Facebook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Focus on improving health beyond the healthcare system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":903,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[124,91,123,156],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121470"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/903"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121470"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121978,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121470\/revisions\/121978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}