Photo: Rob Carlin
On Sunday, June 1, Chancellor Michael F. Collins took to the podium in front of a large crowd under a tent on the windy campus green at UMass Chan Medical School to celebrate the Class of 2025 and deliver an optimistic message focused on the success of the graduates, in spite of the shadow that lingers from federal funding uncertainties.
“Surrounded by a world of uncertainty, with precision, they have succeeded in honing their scientific and clinical skills. They represent the future of our professions and with their grit, tenacity and purpose, that future is bright,” Chancellor Collins said. “Despite the uncertainties of the day, I refuse to be cynical because each of us, through our knowledge, intellect and advocacy can come together to assure your beacon and that of our stellar medical school are not dimmed.”
“They represent the future of our professions and with their grit, tenacity and purpose, that future is bright.”
Chancellor Collins presided over the ceremony, presenting 142 Doctor of Medicine degrees; seven MD/PhD degrees, 42 Doctor of Philosophy degrees and eight Master of Science in Clinical Investigation degrees; 58 Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees, eight PhD in Nursing degrees, and eight post-graduate certificates.
“As you now step forward to enter our professions, for me this is a hope-filled moment,” Collins said.
National Academy of Sciences president Marcia McNutt, PhD, was presented with an honorary degree and delivered the Commencement address.
Dr. McNutt, a geophysicist and the first woman to lead the National Academy of Sciences, urged the graduates to foster public trust in science, combat misinformation and promote a non-partisan view of science. She highlighted the economic and health benefits of scientific research and called on the graduates to be ambassadors for science, ensuring a better future for all.
Photo: Rob Carlin
“You all have much more power than you may think,” McNutt said. “You may not realize that as physicians, your patients are going to view you as the face of science . . . that fact gives you a noble responsibility. You are graduating here today from a world class medical school that prepares you not only to save lives, but to help save the very science that is going to make your treatments effective.”
Honorary degrees were awarded to Carolyn Clancy, MD’79, assistant under secretary for health in the U.S. Veterans Health Administration; and Majid Jafar and Lynn Barghout Jafar, co-founders of the Loulou Foundation.
Victor R. Ambros, PhD, the Silverman Chair in Natural Sciences and professor of molecular medicine, and co-recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his co-discovery of microRNA, was awarded the Chancellor’s Medal and appointed distinguished professor of molecular medicine.
In his remarks to Dr. Ambros, Collins said, “Your voice, your curiosity, your collaboration with peers, and your mentoring of students and junior faculty exemplifies the UMass Chan ethos of bringing people together in the advancement of science for the benefit of human health.”
Christopher Zaro, MD; Jennifer Konjoian, DNP, RN; and Clevanne Julce, PhD, MPH, served as class speakers for the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, and the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, respectively.
Among the graduates from the T.H. Chan School of Medicine are Mia Lai, MD; and Elena Tang, MD; the first cohort to complete the Accelerated MD Program.
Lai and Tang matched in internal medicine at UMass Chan and will start their residencies this summer. Thanks to the program’s condensed timeline, they are graduating a year ahead of their classmates.
Photo: Rob Carlin
“Because we’re the first to go through this program, we’ve had a lot of mentors, and they gave us guidelines and directions and were very helpful,” Lai said. “It’s a unique commitment, but it’s definitely been worth it.”
Kurren Parida, MD, matched in pediatrics at Nemours Children’s Health at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia with his fiancé, Alekya Menta, MD, who graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine.
“It’s been exciting to see our families here and see my classmates’ support systems, too. All these people are so proud of all of us that get to walk across the stage,” Parida said. “We all went through highs and lows together for four years, but this is really the first opportunity to see all the people that are on the other side of this journey supporting all of us.”
Joined by her husband, three sons and her parents, Heather Kennedy, PhD, RN, of Grafton, said she’s most proud that her kids got to watch her walk across the stage at Commencement.
“When I started this journey, they were little. It’s been over four years and for a kid that’s like a lifetime. They know I’ve worked really hard, and I think I’m most happy they can see that it’s possible to be passionate about something, and to work and be a parent, and achieve your goals. I hope it encourages them to aim high,” Kennedy said.
In May, Kennedy defended her dissertation on caregiver support for parents of children with complex medical needs, focusing on social determinants of health and stress levels. Kennedy will continue her work as a neuroscience clinical nurse specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Kasturi Biswas, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in molecular medicine, completed her PhD in neurobiology and neurosciences in December 2024. She shared in the chancellor’s optimism and provided some advice to future PhD students.
“My one suggestion would be to keep an open mind and accept that there will be ups and downs,” Dr. Biswas said. “There will be days when you feel nothing is working, but we work for that one moment of joy where only you know something new that nobody else does, and that is the fascinating thing about creating knowledge.”
Biswas will start a postdoctoral position at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, India, in September.
Photo: Rob Carlin
Highlights of the week’s events can be found on the UMass Chan news website. Photos and videos are posted on Facebook and Instagram. The full Commencement ceremony can be viewed on the UMass Chan YouTube page.
