May 15, 2020
School of Medicine Graduation Commemoration Honors Medical Graduates
For the first time in the school’s 211-year history, the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) held a virtual commencement ceremony to celebrate the Class of 2020 on May 14. The ceremony marked the culmination of at least four years of studies for the 166 newly minted physicians, who earned medical degrees, as well as combined MD/PhD and MD/Masters degrees.
“The current state of pandemic further illustrates the value of your hard-earned degrees and the vital need for your service,” 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, during his video address. “You could not be joining the ranks of medical professionals during a more critical time. You are truly needed, and you are needed right now.”
Among this year’s graduates is Breanna Tracey, MD, who will soon begin a combined internal medicine and ophthalmology residency at the University of Michigan Hospital. Dr. Tracey is also the recipient of the Faculty Gold Medal and Balder Scholarship Award, which honors a graduating senior for their outstanding academic and scholarly achievements throughout the medical course.
“I’m sure this is not how any us of us expected medical school to end,” she said. “As we start our careers in this uncertain time of coronavirus, I hope we can continue to allow our experiences, both good and bad, to shape us.”
Dr. Tracey was influential in mobilizing over 190 medical students to volunteer their assistance to support University of Maryland health care workers and patients affected by COVID-19.
“Perhaps we will have a better understanding of the isolation patients may face, or more empathy for the effects of the illness. Whatever happens, we should always strive to provide the most compassionate care.”
Class President Brigit Bagllen, MD, also commended the Class for their exemplary collaboration and encouraged her colleagues to be ready to face the unknown. “This pandemic puts us in a unique position in how we impact lives. If our actions as a class are predictive of the future, I know we will make a difference.”
Sandra Quezada, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean for Medical School Admissions, and Assistant Dean for Academic and Multicultural Affairs, similarly offered the Class her words of advice and encouragement. “You have trained and will continue to train, through some of the most historically defining moments of our lifetimes. Know that although there will be challenges ahead, you are well prepared to face them,” she said.
Many of the graduates were honored for their academic achievements during the virtual Student Awards Ceremony, held on May 13. “We are relying on you,” said Donna Parker, MD, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, during her video address. “The success you have achieved is yours today, but it will become ours tomorrow.”
The Class of 2020 matched at 73 different hospitals in 29 states, with 38 members of the class staying in the state of Maryland for their residency training.
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 45 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 two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.2 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 nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has more than $540 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 student trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. 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 of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu
UMSOM Graduation 2020 Videos
University of Maryland School of Medicine 2020 Virtual Graduation Ceremony.
Breanna Tracey Graduation Quote
Brigit Baglien Graduation Quote
UMSOM Graduates 2020 Gallery
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