UMSOM Celebrates its 210th Graduation Ceremony

The Class of 2019 received their doctoral hoods in a special graduation ceremony at the Hippodrome Theater on May 16. The ceremony marked the culmination of at least four years of studies for the 162 physicians, who earned medical degrees, as well as combined MD/PhD and MD/Masters degrees. Hundreds of family, friends, and faculty were there to cheer on the graduates as they officially transitioned from students to doctors.

The themes of collaboration, innovation, and gratitude were the focus of remarks by the commencement speakers.

“The students sitting among us today are here because of the rigorous education and the scholarly atmosphere you have created and sustained,” said E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine, as he commended faculty for their dedication and commitment to the success of the graduating class. “We will be forever grateful to you for the part you played in their lives and careers.”

“Indeed, it’s been quite a journey, but we all wouldn’t be here without the support of our families, friends, faculty, and mentors,” said Paige Kennedy, MD as she credited Milford M. “Mickey” Foxwell, Jr., MD for his exemplary leadership and support during her student address. Dr. Kennedy will begin her residency training in Pediatrics in June at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

“I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Foxwell for his mentorship over these last four years. He is largely responsible for selecting all of us here today.”

Known as the “face of UMSOM,” Milford M. “Mickey” Foxwell, Jr., MD, has served as the Associate Dean for Admissions since 1990. The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) has risen to its highest enrollment levels in history during his tenure. Under Dr. Foxwell’s leadership, the UMSOM has been a leader in enrolling a majority of female students in its entering class since 2000.

Dean Reece and Sandra Quezada, MD, MS, Associate Dean for Medical School Admissions & Assistant Dean for Academic and Multicultural Affairs, presented Dr. Foxwell with the Dean’s Distinguished Gold Medalist Award, which honors individuals who have made high-impact contributions to medicine, science, clinical care, and community service, and have significantly improved the health and well-being of humankind.

Morton M. Mower, MD, a distinguished UMSOM alumnus, Class of 1959, also was a recipient of the Dean’s Distinguished Gold Medal. An esteemed physician, physicist and inventor, Dr. Morton’s scientific accomplishments have led to the introduction of innovative medical interventions and improved the quality of care of hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide. Dr. Mower was honorably inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002 for the development of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator. “Dr. Mower has achieved a distinguished career in academic and hospital leadership. We are proud to bestow upon him the Dean’s Distinguished Gold Medal for his outstanding contributions to medicine and distinguished service to mankind,” said Dean Reece.

Diana W. Bianchi, MD, Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), was the third recipient of the Dean’s Distinguished Gold Medalist Award. In a captivating keynote address, Dr. Bianchi underscored the power of touch and technology. An esteemed medical geneticist and pediatrician, Dr. Bianchi has served as Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development since 2016, where she oversees research on pediatric health and development, maternal health, and intellectual and developmental disabilities, among several others. These efforts include managing a staff of approximately 1,400 people and an annual budget of approximately $1.3 billion.

“In medicine we have the unique privilege of touching our patients, both literally and figuratively,” she said. “Over the next four decades, the technologies that you will use to do your job will certainly change. One thing that will not change, however, is the power of observation and the healing proprieties of human touch. We need both to provide optimal care.”

The Class of 2019 matched at 73 different hospitals in 29 states, with 57 members of the class staying in the state of Maryland for their residency training.

UMSOM graduation ceremonies were also held on May 15 for the Department of Medical and Research Technology (DMRT) and the Masters in Genetic Counseling program. The Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science and the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health had their graduation exercises on May 17.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 43 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished recipient of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research.  With an operating budget of more than $1 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically-based care for more than 1.2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit www.medschool.umaryland.edu

SOM Commencement 2019 Soundbites

Dean's Distinguished Gold Metal Awarded to Mickey Foxwell, Jr., MD

UMSOM Graduation 2019