Over 330 Graduate Medical Sciences students walked during the 2024 Master’s and MD & PhD Commencement exercises, held on Thursday, May 16, at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center.
The day-long celebration began with the Master’s Convocation Ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by the MD & PhD Convocation Ceremony at 3 p.m. Graduates from August 2023 and January 2024, as well as degree candidates from May 2024 and August 2024, were welcome to participate.
GMS has conferred, or will confer, the following degrees:
- 35 PhD
- 4 MD/PhD
- 43 MA
- 323 MS
- 10 MS/MPH
The 415 total degrees include master’s degree candidates from August 2024.
Four students were chosen to speak at this year’s ceremonies.
Aris Desai, Brent Leung, and Ellie McIntosh spoke at the Master’s Ceremony, and Josiane Fofana spoke at the MD & PhD Ceremony. All four speakers were nominated by their programs, and finalists were selected by a committee of GMS representatives.
Desai is a degree candidate in the Master of Science in Anatomy & Neurobiology, Vesalius Program. Originally from Sugar Land, Texas, he matriculated into the program in 2022. Desai plans to continue researching the application of machine learning algorithms to enhance the diagnostic accuracy of brain MRIs in early-stage neurodegenerative diseases while he applies to medical school.
Leung represented the Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MAMS) program. He is from Toronto, Ontario, and came to the United States for the first time to matriculate into his program. Before beginning medical school in the fall, Brent plans to travel and spend time with his friends and family.
McIntosh spoke on behalf of the Master of Science in Physician Assistant program. She grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and joined her program in 2022. Following Commencement, Ellie plans to apply for jobs across several specialties and continue to build strong relationships within her community in Boston.
Fofana is a PhD candidate in Virology, Immunology & Microbiology, through the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS). She grew up in Dakar, Senegal, and has been living in Boston since she moved to the United States in 2010. Fofana will pursue a postdoctoral position as a Fogarty Global Health Fellow at the University of Ghana.
Read more about our four student speakers here.
The ceremonies included speeches from BU Medical Campus Provost and Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Dean Karen Antman, MD, and Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate Medical Sciences C. James McKnight, PhD. Google Clinical Lead for Public Sector Health Monica Bharel, MD (CAMED ’94), delivered the keynote address for the MD & PhD Ceremony.
Read more about the Master’s Convocation Ceremony here, as well as the MD & PhD Convocation Ceremony here.
Full recordings of both ceremonies are available at this link under the “Livestreams” section. Facebook albums of both the Master’s Ceremony and the MD & PhD Ceremony are available now.