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Celebrating Geisel's New MD Graduates

Photo by Rob Strong

Class Day is a day of ceremony and celebration when graduating MD and other students are hooded and receive their diplomas. Geisel's Class of 2018 featured 77 MD graduates, including four MD-PhD and eight MD-MBA grads.

Guest speaker George E. Thibault, MD, president of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, reflected on changes in the practice of medicine since the days of his father, a small-town physician in New York who had a big impact upon his community.

Recognizing today's accelerated medical environment, he encouraged the newly minted physicians to retain the heart of small-town medical practices by reminding themselves daily "of our oath, of renewing our commitment to professionalism, and to our social contract."

Citing Geisel's efforts in providing a nurturing environment for intellectual and emotional growth that allows students' "innate sense of compassion and altruism to express itself through medicine," Dean Duane Compton, PhD, recalled lessons learned in the classroom, as well as from each other and the community.

Speaking of the need to pursue truth in medicine rather than accepting established beliefs or dogma without examination, student speaker Mike Lauria reminded graduates that the quest for truth relies on unwavering intellectual curiosity. "I think this ethos can carry us through some of the tough times to come ... and allow us to do amazing things in the future. So, stay curious, my friends."

Among award honorees were, Shawn Li, who received The William Mellen Chamberlain Memorial Prize and Dean's Medal for best overall record of academic achievement. And selected by her peers as someone who exemplifies qualities of the good physician, Madeleine Haff received the Good Physician Award. MD-PhD graduate Kevin Shee was awarded the 2018 John W. Strohbehn Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Research.