Stony Brook School of Medicine Graduates 130 New Doctors
Keynote speaker Dr. Michelle M. Le Beau encourages graduates to seek opportunities in this “unprecedented period of growth in medicine and biomedical research”
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| 130 new doctors take the Hippocratic Oath for the first time at Stony Brook’s School of Medicine Convocation. |
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| Dr. Obinna Ndum, the first graduate to receive an MD/MBA combined degree at Stony Brook, is hooded by his mentor, Dr. Aldustus Jordan, Associate Dean for Student Affairs. |
STONY BROOK, N.Y., May 30, 2013 – Taking the Hippocratic Oath for the first time as physicians, Stony Brook University School of Medicine’s Class of 2013 will launch their careers in medicine and begin residency training at institutions such as Columbia, Yale, Cornell, Duke, and Stony Brook Medicine in July. A packed house filled the Staller Center at Stony Brook University during the School’s 39th Convocation Ceremony to congratulate the 130 graduates – the largest graduating class to date.
“Our graduates are entering the most honorable of all professions and one that poses a number of challenges – continuing to remain current with the explosive growth in our understanding of the origins of human health and disease, implementing the translation of that knowledge into better diagnoses and newer therapies for our patients, and changing practice patterns with the challenges presented by the failing fiscal health of healthcare,” said Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP, Senior Vice President of the Health Sciences, and Dean, School of Medicine, addressing the Class of 2013. “Despite these challenges, I remain highly optimistic; Medicine always finds a way to move forward, to do better and to continue to positively impact the lives of our patients.”
Leading cancer researcher and keynote speaker, Michelle M. Le Beau, PhD, the Arthur and Marian Edelstein Professor of Medicine, and Director, University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, told the graduates to expect many opportunities during this “unprecedented period of growth in medicine and biomedical research.”
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| Dr. Anastasia Kwon (holding flowers) and family members celebrate her milestone. Dr. Kwon will begin an Anesthesiology Residency at UCLA Medical Center in California in July. |
“Your generation will reap the benefits of this new era of genomic and ‘personalized’ medicine, and as physicians you should embrace new technologies in your field, be ambitious and seize opportunities,” said Dr. Le Beau. “Today we turn to you to provide future answers in medicine with our goal always to improve the lives of others and relieve suffering.”
During the traditional doctoral hooding ceremony, the candidates selected a faculty mentor, family member, friend, or other physician (or someone with an equivalent doctoral degree) to hood them in preparation to receive their MD degree. After receiving their degrees, the graduates took the Hippocratic or Physicians’ Oath for the first time as new doctors.
“Now our paths will diverge, as we take on our varied careers and anticipate new destinations,” said Shamik Mukherji, MD, who delivered the Student Address. “The world of medicine will change along with our lives, but we need to remain united, do good work, and know that we may need each other along the way.”
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| Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky, Senior Vice President of the Health Sciences, and Dean, School of Medicine, called Medicine the most honorable of professions and one that poses many challenges in the changing landscape of healthcare. |
Among the diverse group of new physicians graduating from the School: Dr. Obinna Ndum, the son of Nigerian immigrants and the first graduate in the School’s history to receive an MD/MBA combined degree; Dr.Munzareen Padela, a native Long Islander who spent eight years at Stony Brook to complete a BS to MD program; and Dr. Ryan Vellinga, a Utah native and father of three who worked multiple jobs before choosing medicine as a career.
Collectively, the Class of 2013 will begin their journeys in medicine in one of 21 specialty residency programs, such as Internal Medicine, Neurology and Emergency Medicine. Nearly one-third of the class (42) will train in primary care disciplines, helping to meet the estimated need for 15,000 new primary care providers over the next five years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Fifty-five percent matched to residencies in New York State, and 26 percent will stay on Long Island for their residency training. Thirteen graduates will stay at Stony Brook for residency training in specialties such as Pediatrics, Orthopaedic Surgery and Anesthesiology.
School of Medicine Convocation Fast Facts:
Graduates 130
Originally selected from 3,853 applicants
Residency training in New York State 70
Residency training on Long Island 33
Residency Training at Stony Brook 13
Residency Training in Primary Care 42
© Stony Brook University 2012
