(Music Playing) Good afternoon.

Okay, let's welcome the class of 2026 that is seated in front of us.

Everyone may be seated.

My name is Wanda Lipscomb, and I have the privilege to serve as the associate dean for student affairs and the senior associate dean for access and inclusion here at the Michigan State University College of Medicine.

Now.

Today marks the culmination of the medical education program that we refer to as undergraduate medical education for our graduates.

Today.

We are here to celebrate you.

This is your day, and we are here to applaud you for all of your accomplishments, your dedication, and the commitment that you have demonstrated to the profession of medicine.

As you come to the end of this first segment of your medical education training.

I want you to reflect on the experiences that you have had during the time that you were here at the College.

But more importantly, we want you to look at your bright future.

You are going to be doing some phenomenal things, and as you leave this assembly today, you will have that coveted new title of Doctor.

We want to thank the families, friends, mentors, faculty and alumni who have joined us today.

We educate students across the entire state of Michigan.

So you will notic as you go through your program that we organize everything by community.

So we are excited to walk you through some of the experiences that our students have here.

The success today is really based on the work you did.

Believe it or not, we didn't take any exams.

We didn't have to do all of those rotations that you did from the time you started.

Remember first year you were having clinical experiences, mixed them with classes.

You were going all over, you were going to ambulatory settings, and then eventually you had the opportunity to move to the clinical communities where you had even more in-depth opportunities.

So we're just excited to be here with you.

We want t thank all of the guest holders who are seated on the floor on either side.

Thank you for coming.

Before I introduce, dais guests, I would like to invite the community assistant deans and the student program administrators in each of our eight communities to please stand and let us recognize you.

For our dais guests.

Starting on my left and your right, I turn.

Because sometimes I write this and I have to make sure I have the right people.

We have Doctor Julie Phillips who's chair of family medicine, that Phillips.

We're going to do a place at the end.

Doctor Phillips, you want us to doctor Jed Mangan, who's chair of department of Psychiatry.

Doctor Michael Lewis, who is chair of anesthesia.

Doctor Ellen er, who is chair of neurosurgery.

And Doctor Richard Leech, who is chair of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive biology.

Very long title.

And that sitting on the front row.

Doctor Elizabet Lyons is our associate director of leadership and medicine, rural medicine.

Doctor Ger Bass, who is director of the Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved program, doctor Laura Kavala, who is director of medical partners and public health, doctor Lizzie Colon, who is director of clinical experiences.

Doctor Amber heard Booth, assistant dean for admission.

Doctor Karen Stanle cum assistant dean for student wellness and engagement doctor Heather Laird Fick, assistant dean for accreditation and program evaluation and director of the Office of Medical Education, Research and Development.

Doctor Kelly Armstrong, assistant dean.

Student career.

Professional development.

Doctor Robin, to move up a scope that Dr.

Lisa Lowry, assistant Dean fo Inclusive Learning Environment.

And Doctor Robin Dimitroff is who is our associate dean for undergraduate medical education.

Now going to my right, your left, we have Doctor Nagi Yusuff, who's division director of behavioral medicine in Grand Rapids.

We have Doctor Sean Valdez, director of the center for Ethics and Social Justice.

And I get it right.

This is okay.

We have doctor Mark Delano, who's chair of anatomy, and Doctor Charles Hong, who is chair of internal medicine and Doctor Who did us him.

I got Doctor Delano.

Doctor, There.

Good.

Doctor.

That was now I got it.

I did.

And then on the front row, Doctor Barbara Connelly, who is an alum and vice chai of the search and Alumni board.

Doctor Conrad, who chairs our alumni board.

Doctor Michael Zerafa, who is an alumnus who will lead us through our military commissioning.

We also have Doctor David Coffman, who is assistant vice presiden for health sciences here at MSU, doctor de Alamo, associate dean for Faculty affairs.

That Dr.

Carol Parker, associate dean for administration.

Doctor Nara Paris, woman who is the senior associate dean for research.

Our commencement speaker, Doctor Bobby Woo.

Kamala.

Did I do it right?

Okay.

We are also happy to have the Honorable Rebecca Bahar Cook, who is from the MSU Board of Trustees.

Doctor Andrea Wendling, who is our senior associate dean for academic affairs and Doctor Supercheap from last year, who is our interim dean.

Thank you.

Let us thank our dais guests.

We also have seated on a platform.

Many member of the faculty of the college.

Our faculty award winners and faculty and and college alumni who have returned to serve as hunters.

So we gather to celebrate you.

Class of 2026.

We hope you feel the spirit of support all around you and as you look around, like its beautiful, familiar family friends from all around here to support you, you are supported by your faculty and your administrators.

So now I would like to invite you all to stand as we recognize our country with the playing of the National Anthem.

(Performance of Star-Spangled Banner) It always seems appropriate to start with that.

You know, we're in the Breslin Center.

And often when we're here, we'r here to cheer on the Spartans.

Especially our wonderful men's and women's basketball teams.

But it does mark an opportunity for us to get on one accord.

It is now my pleasure to introduce Doctor Supertik Rayamajshi, our interim dean of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

Doctor Rayamajshi was appointed to this position October 1st, 2025.

He's a professor of medicine.

He has served in many leadership roles at the College.

So he's not like a new face to us.

But he's been a wonderful new leader for us in the College of Human Medicine.

He was appointed as the associate dean for clinical affairs in 2023.

So he's worked with administrators and faculty members for a number of years.

He loves working with students and residents.

He served as the progra director for internal medicine.

So kno no surprise that we have so many internal medicine docs in this class, but we are delighted to have him in a leadership role.

He received his medical degree from Triple Lane University in Nepal.

He is a graduate of the Michigan State University Internal Medicine Residency program.

He's a board certified intern nurse who specializes in clinical hypertension.

He's a Cohen investigator on several federal grants to focus on hypertension.

He is a lead author of a book that focuses in on cancer associated thrombosis.

And he has authored multiple peer review publications.

Very importantly, Doctor Ramsay is the recipient of the college's Outstanding Faculty Award, the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Physicians, Raymond Mary Governors Award, and the Rose Award for Outstanding Service and Graduate Medical Education.

And he is also a member of our Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.

Dean Rayamajshi we invite you to the podium.

Thank you, Doctor Lipscomb.

That's a kind introduction, but, today is not about me and, my CV.

It's about the graduates.

So with that, I'd like to say good afternoon to all of you.

And welcome to the Michigan State University College of Medicine.

Commencement ceremony for our graduating class of 2026.

It is my absolute honor to serve as our interim dean and to represent the faculty and staff in congratulating all the graduates and welcoming their families and friends who are here with us today.

There's no better occasion at the university than the graduation.

So it's good to be here today.

We honor you and your accomplishments and celebrate with you with your family and friends.

Some of your younger ones, maybe not so young family members, might get a little antsy and need a moment to walk or move around, so feel free to take them into the concourses.

Michigan State University has a formal land acknowledgment, which I want t include in my opening remarks.

We acknowledge that Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anisha Bay three fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Potawatomi peoples.

In particular the university resides and lands seated in the 1890 Treaty of Saginaw.

We recognize, support and advocate for the sovereignty of Michigan's 12 federally recognized Indian nations for their historic indigenous communities in Michigan, for indigenous individuals and communities.

We live here now, and for those who are forcibly removed from their homelands.

By offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold Michigan State University more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.

Thank you.

As we begin our celebration today, let us pause for a moment of silence to consider how we can live our lives in a way that honors all Spartans, including those who are not, who are no longer with us.

As many here can attest.

Becoming a physician requires a huge amount of work.

It includes studying, rounding and clinical duties of 60 to 80 hours or more a week for months on end.

This can be draining, tiring, exhilarating, occasionally terrifying, an hopefully a bit joyous as well.

The graduates here in front of me have faced the pressure and demands, yet I hope they've also experienced the happiness that comes from being someone's doctor.

And it's great.

It's a great honor to be someone's physician.

The most important decision the college makes in creating a good physician happens during admissions.

You were selected to ente this profession because of who you are, not just what you know.

You bring valuable lessons to your patients and a commitment to the compassionate and scientific practice of medicine.

As you begin residencies, remember you're still that person improved by your education in the best, in the very best ways.

I'm confident you will find yourself well-trained, well prepared with technical, intellectual, and emotional skills to deal with the rigors of residency.

They say residenc is harder than a medical school.

Not always, but can be.

But I think most of you physicians here would agree tha in your first year of residency, you will learn more about medicine, how to care for physicians, for patients sorry tha any other year of your career.

If you're like the rest of us there might be some point soon when you wonder why you signed up for this.

Remember, you need the support of your colleagues, just like you did i medical school and up until now.

The other members of your team, your faculty, your family, your friends, you must eat and sleep.

You have to find some jo in what you're doing each day.

My fellow colleagues, you are entering medicine at the most, at one of the most transformativ But that is not a burden.

It is an extraordinary opportunity for you to lead.

When the world around us is full of uncertainty, your patients will remember th physician who stayed with them.

Grounded, present and human.

With that, congratulations to the College of Human Medicine of 2026.

It is my pleasure to introduce the Honorable Rebecca Bahar Cook, member of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees.

Rebecca Bauer Cook was electe to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees in November 2024, and assumed office for an eight year term on January 2025.

Trustee Bahar Cook is.

Graduates, families, faculty and distinguished guests on behalf of the Michigan University Board of Trustees.

It is a privilege to join you i celebrating the class of 2026.

We congratulate yo on this remarkable achievement.

Today marks mor than a completion of a degree.

It reflects years of focus, persevere, and purpose.

An investment of time and energy that has shaped not only your knowledge, but your character.

For many of you, this journey has been shared.

Family, friends and loved ones have offered support, encouragement and sacrifice along the way.

This milestone brings belongs to them as well, and we are grateful for the role they have played in your success.

As trustees we are entrusted with stewarding the mission of this university, and few moments make this missio more tangible than commencement.

You represent the impact of a Michigan state education prepared, capable and committed to serving others through our community based medical education model that spans the state of Michigan.

You have trained in diverse settings and with varied populations.

That experience has equipped you not only with clinical expertise, but what, but with a deep understanding o the communities you will serve in the months ahead.

You will begin your wor in hospitals and health systems across Michigan and throughout the country, helping to meet critical health care needs with skill and compassion.

We recognize the discipline required to reach this moment balancing rigorous coursework, clinical training, research and service.

You leave here as a thoughtful practitioner, an empathetic caregiver, an emerging leader in your field.

To the faculty, mentors, and supporters who have gra who have guided these graduates.

Thank you for your dedication and for the example you set every day.

Graduates, as you move forward we hope you will carry with you a commitment not only to excellence in your profession, but to improving the lives of others.

Strengthening your communitie and advancing the greater good.

The Board of Trustees along with the entire Michigan State University community, is proud of you.

We wish you continued success and fulfillment in the important work ahead.

Congratulations, class of 2026.

Thank you, Trustee Bachrach, for your energy and commitment and your support.

For those of you who don't know, she has made an attempt and made it to each and every of the graduations.

This is our 14th commencement already, so that goes a lot.

Next, it is my utmost pleasure to introduce the commencement speaker for this year.

Doctor Bobby Moore.

Kamala.

Doctor Bobby Moore Kamala is a board certified otolaryngologist, which means head and neck surgeon in private practice in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and is the president of the American Medical Association.

Most importantly, he's also one of our faculty, a passionate advocate for public health.

Doctor Kamala is deeply committe to creating a more sustainable health syste that better supports physician physicians and more effectively serves the needs of people and communities.

He has been an active.

He has been active in Amy American Medical Association, and organized medicine since residency.

He's a past Michigan representative to the Amy Young Physicians Section and a past recipient of the Amia Foundation's Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award.

After completing his residenc in Chicago, he returned to Flint to set up a private practice dedicated to addressing urgent healthcare needs of the community.

He now shares an office with his wife, Doctor Nita Kulkarni, and obstetrician gynecologist Doctor Mo.

Kamala is a passionate advocate for improving public health, particularly in under-resourced communities like Flint.

He's actively involve in philanthropic and community efforts in his hometown, serving on several advisory boards dedicated to community health.

He serves on the board of the US Mart Foundation in Flint, which is working to build a just, equitable and sustainable society.

It is my great honor to introduce American Medical Associatio President Doctor Bobby Kamala.

Thank you.

I have to find my page here.

All right.

Well, I got a confession to make, and I think I've got more goosebumps than anybody sitting in front of me right now.

This is such an exciting moment.

So to all of today's graduates, their families, and the dear friend gathered here, congratulations on this amazing moment in your life.

Achievement.

Achievement itself is indeed something to be celebrated.

This moment is not just the culmination of four years of work.

It is a lifetime of work.

At the beginning, in grade school, it was subconscious, a curiosity, a diligence.

Later it was goal driven, good grades, good test scores, good interviews.

That sentiment will live on.

It is understandable.

And it's the way our system works.

But th sooner it evolves, the better.

When your focus expand beyond the walls of your office to your community, your state, your country, and even the world, you begin to see your work differently.

It becomes about something larger than any one patient on any one day.

And that sense of purpose lets you rest at night, knowing that you're working towards something that is truly matte for this planet, in this world.

That kind of fulfillment doesn't come easily.

In the profession of medicine.

Because when we step back and look at the health of our nation, we see a harder truth in too many ways.

We are falling behind when we look at the finances of how much we spend compared to others on our planet.

$5 trillion per year, 18% of our GDP, twice the rate of all other developed countries across the nation.

We continue to see too many patients struggling with preventabl illness and gaps in their care.

That reality exists despite everything you have learned over the course of the past four years, and everything you are about to learn.

It exists despite the long hours you will work, the nights that you will stay up.

The commitment you will bring t every patient in front of you.

So what stands in the way?

Too often it's the system around us, the layers of bureaucracy, the administrative burden, the misaligned incentives that pull attention away from patients and towards paperwork margins and market share when decisions in the C-suite outweigh the needs in our exam rooms.

We lose our North Star.

But that is not why you chose medicine, and it is not the future that you want to step into, because everything you have done every early morning, every late night, every moment of doubt.

Yet perseverance has brought you here.

You have pushed your minds.

You have tested your limits, and your families have carried that weight with you, supporting you, sacrificing alongside you.

Believing in you.

Even when the path felt uncertain.

Many of you also carry something else the financial burden of this journey.

The reality of significant student debt.

That too, is part of the stor of becoming a physician today.

And it should not be ignored by our health care system, but neither should what it represents.

Your commitment to this profession and to the patients you will serve.

Now you step into a new role as residents.

You will lead patient care in real time.

Working side by side with your colleagues.

Leaning into patient care together.

Making decisions that matter.

And soon enough, you will take on an even greater responsibility.

You will become the attending physician, the one who sets the direction, the one who others look to, the one accountable for the care of the patien and the performance of the team.

Because medicine today is not practiced alone, it is delivered through teams nurses, pharmacists, therapists, advanced practice clinicians, and so many others, each bringing essential expertise to patient care.

And those teams need leadership.

They need you leaders whose education and training allow them to see the whole picture.

Who can connect the science to the person who can make these difficult calls when it matters most?

That is your role.

Your training is prepared to you not just to participate in care, but to lead it.

To guide teams, to set standards, to keep patients at the center even when the system pulls you in other directions.

That is the responsibility you are stepping into, and it has never mattered more.

But moments like this are never yours alone.

They belong to the people who helped you get here.

I think about my own parents, immigrant physicians who made sacrifices I didn't fully understand at the time what those sacrifices were, the patients they showed me, the opportunities that they created.

Although I got to tell you, being a physician, that was their only approved route to my future.

I told them once I wanted to be a journalist.

We used to see Peter Jennings on ABC TV when it was just a half hour of not CNN, ABC, ABC TV with Peter Jennings.

I told him I wanted to be like Peter Jennings.

They basically grounded me.

I couldn't go to homecoming.

I couldn't go to Sadie Hawkins, couldn't even go to prom until I went to med school or got accepted into one of those programs.

So all's well that ends well because I'm the president of the AMA.

Go figure.

But I to persevere, just like you did and take pride in the pride that my parents feel today is immeasurable, just like yours.

Many of you are sharing this moment with people just like that parents, partners, family members, friends, people who stood beside you through the long hours, that uncertainty, the misse holidays, the financial strain.

This degree carries your name but it reflects their sacrifice.

Also.

And then there are your teachers.

You're experienced.

You've experienced something special in that interaction with them whether you realize it or not.

The patience, the time, the willingness to let you learn eve when it slows everything down.

I'll be honest with you, this isn't always easy.

In my own practice.

I had to learn the lesson the hard way.

As an attending physician, sometimes I struggled to step back, to let a student scrub in, to allow a resident the space to learn by doing.

That tension is real, which is why your professors deserve mega credit.

Because they chose patients they chose to teach, and that has made al the difference in your journey.

I got to clap for them.

Thank you.

And standing here today, I'm also reminde how connected this community is.

I train down the road and yes, on game day.

My loyalties are pretty clear, but on workdays it's simply doesn't matter.

Because in medicine, the colors we wear underneath don't define us.

What matters is the standard that we all uphold.

The patients that we serve and the shared commitmen we carry into this profession.

That's what connects all of us today.

And moving forward in Flint, I've had the honor of meeting many of you who spent your M3 and M4 years there.

I'm so thankful that yo experience life in the community that I grew up in and came back to, to practice medicine.

I talk about flint in areas like it in our state of Michigan.

In every speec I give as the American Medical Association president.

And yes, there are always comments about the water crisis, a crisis that Doctor Hanna Tisha has turned into an amazing opportunity to improve the lives of our next generation.

But I also talk about the health of our city.

I talk about the billboards that I see on I-75 that show a life expectancy of 68 years.

If you live in the city of Flint, in 81 years, if you happen to live in Grand Blanc, just south of Flint.

Your contribution to the health of places like that in our state is so appreciated.

And you too will gain something meaningful from that service.

An awareness of what we need t do to be better as physicians.

How do we do that?

Yes, we're going to work on ou patients for our whole career.

This includes the underserved, those that face healt care challenges in so many ways.

You'll do it for individuals, but we can all do it collectively.

As organized medicine for all in society.

Our patients depend on us working for the health care system in our country.

I depend on i because I too became a patient.

I was scheduled to do a grand rounds at the Mayo Clinic in January of just last year.

About six weeks before that.

I was throwing a curveball.

Well, kind of a curveball.

I went to Mayo Clinic, not as a speaker like I was scheduled in January, but in December as a patient because they found an eight centimete mass in my left temporal lobe.

I discovered that when I was giving a speech, kind of just like this, and the words just weren't coming out right.

And I got an MRI scan that I needed at.

As soon as I got home from a meeting I was at, and that scan showe an eight centimeter tumor again in this left temporal lobe that I underwent a 12 hour craniotomy for to get that removed.

And they got 90% of that out.

It turned out to be what' called a grade two astrocytoma.

If you Google that, you're going to see a life expectancy of about ten years.

But now that I'm in year two and I'm totally healthy and I'm able to address you here, I totally believ that I'm going to live longer.

But it's because of the thank you.

Thank you so much.

But the reason I'm going to live longer than that average is because of the care that I have access to, the lifestyle that I'm privileged to lead, and the research that we will all do as a profession on this and so much more.

All of these, the cost, the access, the lifestyle are things that are not guaranteed for everybody.

That is why when I became president of the AMA, just six months after surgery, I hit the road highlighting what we need to improve about our health care system.

But this time, speaking as a patient, a patient with insurance but a high deductible, a patient that needed prior authorization for every MRI that I needed almost o a monthly basis at the beginning and prior authorization every ten days for a pill that I still take dail to potentially avoid radiation and chemotherapy a pill that costs $900 per day.

More than a quarter million dollars in a year.

This experience has given me purpose and will.

I never want anything like this to happen to anybody in this room.

We should all learn from it.

No one is closer to patients than their doctors than us.

We should learn from them.

Learn what it is like to recover from a craniotomy, to deal with insurance companies, to deal with the finances that puts them on the verge of bankruptcy.

You're learning up to this point has been entirely about the science.

As you begin this next chapter.

Stay curious abou how our health care system works and how it can work better.

Find your voice in shaping it.

A Physician's education.

Yes.

A physician's education today is lifelong.

Never miss an opportunity to learn something new.

About a year ago, in fact, I took this board exam, the weekend after I found out about my brain tumor.

And I was like, you know what?

If I pass this board exam.

I'm going to look like a genius.

And if I fail, I've got the best excuse ever because I just got diagnosed with a brain tumor.

So I went to a testing center because, you know, I went to school in the 90s.

Had never been to one of those before.

And I took my board certification exam in lifestyle medicine because I wanted to learn about how we can liv differently to prevent disease.

And I wanted this new tool to help my patients.

And if you haven't already, I strongly urge you to get involved and organized medicine at the local level, at the state level, and even the national level, joining people just like you who are working to suppor physicians and patients alike, because the future of medicine is not somethin that should just happen to you.

It's something that you should help build.

If we work together, we can create a profession that continues to inspire you, not just today, but decades from now.

A profession you are proud to be part of, a profession that always makes you fee the calling of your profession.

A profession that will hel each of you live with purpose.

So thank you all for giving me purpose and for the first time, go green.

Thank you.

I got to lower this smoke a little bit for a reason.

Thank you, doctor Kamala.

Trying to reflect on your amazing speech.

You took me to my MBA class.

As many of you know, I'm a student right now.

I'm an executive MBA program at Kelley School of, Business at Indiana University.

As you tal about the healthcare system, the the GDP, the expenditure and whatnot.

But more important than that, we're humble the way you share your personal story with us today.

And I resonate that with that even more than many others, probably because my best friend from high school, who's a hospitalist a physician down in Cincinnati, had similar story of a brain tumor having gone through multiple craniotomy.

And at this, twice I was by the bedside when that happened.

And we felt the heat of the healthcare system going from institutions to institutions and finally getting it right in Cleveland Clinic.

And that's for the privileged few.

And you can only imagine for underprivileged and underserved, sector, how difficult it would be to access the right health care.

I would also say ma the thunder of many thunderclaps that you received be blessing to your full recovery as well.

With that, I'm going to pivot to Doctor Wendling and introduce her.

Doctor Andrea Wendling is our senior associate dean for academic affairs.

She's also well known for her work in rural medicin as director of rural medicine, one of the country's premie rural health education program.

We think it's the best.

Doctor Wendling is a world published scholar and leader in rural health, physicia workforce and family medicine, and she will be presenting faculty awards.

So Doctor Wendling.

The facult members of the college provide an exceptional education in supportive learning environment.

Today, it is my pleasur to introduce the faculty award winners selected by th graduates of the class of 2026.

They include individuals from all aspects of the curriculum and from all communities.

We are delighted to formally recognized the Faculty Award winners who are joining us today.

The first set of awards are for faculty who primarily interacted with students during their first and second years of medical school.

Michael burgled.

Academy fellow in Simulation core faculty member students said Doctor Michael Burgled exemplifies the highest ideals of medical education.

It come through his humble leadership in simulation based learning, his commitment to evidence based practice, and his dedication to fostering a respectful, growth oriented learning environment for students at all levels.

Congratulations.

Next is Doctor Hayley Kerber from the Department of Radiology.

Doctor Kerber was a wonderful and dedicated teacher whose passion and patience for teaching neuroanatomy made a lasting impact.

Consistently breaking dow complex topics and emphasizing their clinical relevance to create meaningful and engaging learning experiences.

Since.

Next is Doctor Suma, Darius Maggie from the Department of Medicine.

Students said, doctor, I am as she was instrumental to my success during my SC and MCE years, workin diligently with me and my peers to ensure mastery of ste one material while consistently demonstrating professionalism, kindness, and genuine support for which I have had the utmost respect and gratitude.

Next is Doctor Ryan Tubbs from the Department of Radiology.

Doctor Tubbs is deeply committed to the humanistic perspectiv in health care, sharing personal and family experience to inspire students to approach patient care with empathy and a more holistic mindset.

The next set of awards recognizes the facult from the third and fourth years across the eight communitie who were able to join us today.

We are gratefu for their dedication and impact on student education throughout these critical phases of training.

And first, we have Docto Nakia Allen from the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development.

Doctor Allen exemplifies community centered care and outstanding mentorship, consistently fostering a supportive learning environment while demonstrating deep commitment to students professional growth, personal well-being, and the holistic care of diverse patient population.

Science.

Doctor Sarah El-Sayed, from the Department of Family Medicine.

Doctor El-Sayed is a highly professional and supportive educator who sets clear expectations, provides thoughtful and constructive feedback, and is dedicated to helping students grow and succeed.

Doctor Gorsuch was Department of Surgery.

Doctor Sedgwick is an exceptional surgeon, educator, and mentor whose kindness, patience, and dedication to teaching both in the clinic and the O.R.

create a supportive environment where students feel valued, gained confidence in their abilities, and are inspired to pursue surgical careers.

Doctor Shadi Chabot, from the Department of Psychiatry.

Docto Spock always went out of his way to support his students, an he had a deep love for teaching.

I hope to carry that same dedication forward as a physician and mentor.

Doctor, South Sudan from the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development.

My classmates and I had the privileg of learning from Doctor Sudan, whose thoughtful guidance, encouraging feedback and compassionate care create an exceptional environmen for both students and patients.

He exemplifies the kind o physician we all aspire to be, and we are proud to honor him with this award.

We will now move to the introduction of the dual degree graduate, the College of Human Medicine.

Some students complete more than one degree.

This extends their time of study and expand their expertise and experience.

Dual degree students have a special dedication and persistence that often carries their careers into advanced areas of science, business, health, and leadership.

I would like the following dual degree student to stand and be recognized Nicholas Spera, MBA.

Nicholas received a master's in Business Administration which was conferred in 2026.

Congratulations.

And now we come to the most significant portion of our commencement, the hooding of the graduates who.

This ceremony will follow the order of the program, beginning with the graduates from the Detroit community.

If you could follow along in the program beginning on page seven, I ask that the 2026 Detroit graduates, guest holders in the participants in the hooding ceremon to please move to your stations, following the direction from the commencement marshals.

The 2026 graduates will be hooded in alphabetical order by community campus.

As noted in the program, the student program administrators will introduce each graduate.

The graduates will be hooded by the associate Dean for Student Affairs, the associate dean for Undergraduate Medical Education their community assistant deans and faculty, alumni and guest hooded.

The graduates who have completed special certificate programs will receive certificate from the respective certificate.

Program director.

The graduates will receiv commemorative scrolls from Dean Rayamajshi before they exit the hooding platform.

On my right, there is a roped in area on the far right of the arena where families may gather to take pictures after the graduates have completed the hooding and before they return to their seats.

We ask that family and friends remain in that roped off area and not enter the ceremonial area of the arena floor.

There are ushers and staff to guide you.

This commencement ceremony today has featured many features specific t the College of Human Medicine, but the basic structure of processional hooding, confirmation of degre taking of an oath in recessional date to mid 15th century Oxford.

In the original ceremonies, the hoods and robes were those of newly minted priests, but they were like ours.

Institutional markers of completion and approval.

From the first of these ceremonies, faculty have recognized not only the achievement of their students, but of also celebrate stated the placement of their graduates back in society with special purpose and responsibilit intrinsic to the medical degree.

And here on land, th people of the State of Michigan traded for the intellectual and economic progress of her citizens.

The faculty asks you, the graduates, to take your place beside them.

And so we now begin the signal event of our graduation, the hooding of the graduates of the College of Human Medicine.

Good afternoon.

My name is Stacy Mortimer, and I am the student programs administrator for the MSU College of Human Medicine, Detroit campus.

It is my great pleasur to present to you, the graduates from the class of 2026, from our campus.

Assisting with the hooding is Community Assistant Dean, Docto Nakia Allen and associate Dean for Student Affairs Doctor Wanda Lipscomb.

(Conferral of degrees, hooding reading graduate names) This concludes the presentation of graduates from the MSU College of Human Medicine, Detroit campus.

I now welcome to the stage, the community assistant dean for Flint, doctor Jennifer Edwards Johnson and student programs administrator Robbin Auston for the presentation of the graduates.

Thank you.

Good afternoon everyone.

My name is Robbin Auston and I am the student programs administrator for the Flint campus.

It is my distinct pleasure to present to you the Flint campus graduates from the class of 2026.

Assisting with the hooding is Flint Campus Community.

Community assistant Dean Doctor Jennifer Edwards Johnson, an associate dean for student affairs.

Doctor Wanda Lipscomb.

(Conferral of degrees, hooding reading graduate names) That concludes the presentation of graduates from the Flint campus.

I now welcome to the stage, the community assistant dean for the Grand Rapids campus, Doctor Matt Emery, and student program Administrator Corey Caskey for the presentation of the Grand Rapids campus graduates, thank you.

Good afternoon.

It is my pleasure to present to you for hooding the 2026 Grand Rapids campus graduates Doctor Matt Emery, community assistant Dean, will assist with the hooding.

(Conferral of degrees, hooding reading graduate names) That concludes the presentation of the Grand Rapids campus.

Graduates.

Community assistant dean, doctor Jamila Power and student programs administrato of the Lansing Clinical Campus, Laurence Embarrass, will now present the Lansing campus students for hooding.

Good afternoon.

My name is Lauren Zoumbaris student programs administrator.

Assisting with hooding is community assistant dean, Doctor Jamila Power and Doctor Robin Demuth.

It is my pleasure to present the 2026 graduates from the Lansing Community Campus for hooding.

(Conferral of degrees, hooding reading graduate names) (Conferral of degrees, hooding reading graduate names) The community assistant Dean, Doctor David Kelley and student programs administrator Nikki Brown will now present the Traverse City students for hooding.

Good afternoon.

I am Nikki Brown.

I am the student programs administrator for the MSU College of Huma Medicine, Traverse City campus.

It is an honor to be here wit you today to introduce the 2026 graduating clas from the Traverse City campus, assisting in the hooding as Community Assistant Dean, Doctor David Klee.

(Conferral of degrees, hooding reading graduate names) Good afternoon.

I'm Tamara Frank, studen programs administrator for the MSU College of Human Medicine, Upper Peninsula Campus.

It is my pleasure to present the Upper Peninsula Region Campus Rural Physician Program graduates for hooding.

Assisting in the hooding is community assistant Dean Doctor Stewart Johnson.

These students are all recipients of a Certificate of Recognition for completing the Leadership in Rural Medicine Rural Physician Program.

(Conferral of degrees, hooding reading graduate names) This concludes the presentation of graduates from the MSU College of Human Medicine, Upper Peninsula campus.

Thank you.

We now have a presentation of a posthumous degree.

Mackenzie Kowalczyk Paul matriculated into the College of Human Medicine in August 2022, as a member of the class of 2026.

Kenzie passed away tragically and after a long illness in January of 2026.

Kenzie grew up in the Upper Peninsula in rural Michigan.

Michigan was core to her being.

She was a member of the Leadershi in Rural Medicine Archer program in aspired to a career in rural medicine focused on women's health.

Her faculty fellow doctor Matt Emery, described Kenzie as vibrant, warm, friendly, and remarkably persistent in the face of recurrent challenges.

You kenzie's classmates have remembered her as intelligent, kind, and exceptionally warm.

From the very first day of medical school.

In time, you also came to admire her athleticism, her fun loving spirit, and her remarkable gifts as an artist expressed through her beautiful drawings and poetry.

Throughout her journey, Kenzie remained steadfast to her core values of faith, hope, love encouraged, facing challenge with grace and quiet strength, she used her experience in artistry to encourage and empower others.

Above all, she held a deep and abiding faith and love for her family.

Mackenzie would have been an extraordinary physician, one who listened attentively and cared profoundly for her patients.

At the recommendation of interim Dean Rayamajshi, and with the endorsement of the Provost and approval of the president of Michigan State University, it is an honor and a privilege to present the posthumous degree of Doctor of Medicine to Doctor McKenzie Kowalczyk Paul.

Accepting her degree and her memory, I. Her dad, Kevin Kowalczyk and her husband, Brandon.

Paul.

Thank you.

Next, we'll be doing the conferral of the academic degrees to that trustee, Bahar-Cook.

Will you please join me at the podium?

I now ask the candidates for the Doctor of Medicine degree to please stand up.

If able.

The facult of the College of Human Medicine certifie that these applicants have now complete the requirements of the degree.

Doctor of Medicine.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Michigan State University, I confer upon each of you the degree of Doctor of Medicine.

Congratulations.

Your oath will be administered by Robin Demuth, associate dean for undergraduate medical education.

Doctor Demuth here.

Okay.

How awesome this day has been.

Graduates I'll have you continue to stand.

And if you would turn to the very last page of your program, we will read the oath together.

We read the oath together when you matriculated at a wonderful white coat ceremony.

And I'm glad to get to join you today as you join us as colleagues.

So please join me.

I do solemnly swear by that which I hold most sacred, that my ultimate responsibility is to the people I serve, that it will be my privilege to maintain their health, treat their diseases, and help them realiz their fullest potential in life.

That I will recogniz my responsibility as a teacher of my patients, of students, and of the public, that I will respect the rights and feelings, preserve the privacy and honor the dignity of my patients.

That I will striv to demonstrate honesty, goodwill and integrity both in the execution of my duties and in my personal life.

That I will not hesitate to offer help to or seek assistance from my fellow professionals to improve the services that we deliver.

That I will continue to improv my skills, expand my knowledge, and reexamine my needs as a rational, emotional, and spiritual being that I will serve my community and address the needs of society, thereby bes serving the needs of my patients in the pursuit of these goals let me be humble and thus grow.

Let me care and thus act courageously.

Let me be kindled in this fine confidence.

I am ready to enter the profession of medicine and I accept it as my calling.

So, graduates, this is also the moment where you can move your tassel to the left side.

If you have not yet already.

Congratulations to you all.

I guess I don't know, but maybe you can be seated now, that's not on that agenda.

I came up with it.

Next.

It's my utmost pleasure to introduce the chai of the College of Human Medicine alumni board, Doctor Khan Nedd.

Doctor Nedd graduated from the college in 1986 and is a board certified internal medicine physician and CEO of Armstrong Health.

He holds fellowships in hospital leadership and process improvement and has significant expertise in education and research, having served as an adjunct professor at the College of Human Medicine, he has decades of experience leading innovative and diverse health care teams across the state of Michigan, and is renowned for his work addressing health care disparities and diversity and equit and inclusion in various fields, and believes that collaboration around just causes creates the greatest opportunit for changing and saving lives.

It is my honor to introduce Doctor Khan Nedd.

Doctor Doctor Khan Nedd, I thank you.

I promise I' I will be the largest obstacle between you and the celebration with your families.

So good afternoon.

My name is Kha Nedd, as stated, class of 1986 and chair of the Alumni Board.

It is my distinguished privilege as representative from the Michigan State College of Human Medicine Alumni Offic to officially welcome the class of 2026 to the profession of medicine.

What a time to be entering this amazing career of medicine.

So much is changing and so quickly.

The opportunities for patients are simply astounding.

Still, at the core of the practice of medicine is a fiduciary, therapeutic relationship grounded in empathy, trust, and ethical principles where you as healer, clinicians, acts to protect the patient's interests.

It bridges rigorous scientific, evolving knowledge with the art of medicine.

The theme here is patient centeredness.

Your careers must be characterized by tilting the scales towards good than harm.

It is why we call it the practice of medicine.

Today you are bestowed this title of Medical Doctor, which is the start of a journey of a lifelong learning that will propel you into incredible places in and out of medicine.

Stay open, stay humble, be approachable, always listen, and forever learning.

Today you are also transitioning into something new.

You are now an alumnus, not just of the class of 2026, but you are forever an alumnus of Michigan State College of Human Medicine.

You are one of us at many touch points in the last four years.

The alumni body through the alumni office has had many influence in your education.

As you venture out into your medical careers, we know tha there will be many opportunities and challenges ahead.

We want t learn from those opportunities in your challenges.

You are not alone.

There are a host of Spartans out there.

Pleas reach out to the alumni office so we can connect you proactively.

Seek out Spartans wherever you are.

From time to time you will hear from us by email and sometimes in person.

Stay connected.

To do better, we do better together.

Travel.

Travel well, serve well and live well as they say.

We are Spartans MD.

Go Green.

Go white.

Thank you.

It's a long way down for this mic.

This time, especially after Doctor Khan Nedd.

Near the end of each graduation, we witnessed the military promotion and oath of offic of our students entering service to all of us through the US military services.

It is my honor to welcome Mesa to Rafa College of Human Medicine, class of 2012 to lead the ceremony.

Doctor Michael Zerafa.

Thank you.

Dean Rayamajshi.

And congratulation to the graduating class of 2026.

As a CM graduate, myself and Army Reserve officer, it is a great honor to speak at today's ceremony.

Thank you for having me.

Once again.

I'm here today to recognize our graduates who have the privilege of serving in the world's greatest military in some form or another.

I've been directly involved at CMS since 2008.

A lot has changed since then.

When I was a student, we carried around iPods because our flip phones couldn't log procedures that we saw.

It's a different world now.

Military medicine has changed quite a bit to from the initial rotary wing, game changing evacuations used in Vietnam through the Advanced Logistics and multi coalition medical care.

We did in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We have built a system that can stabilize, rapidly, evacuate and resuscitat patients while we're under fire.

And all we've don is make it faster, smarter and more effective.

Today's battlefield however, is even more complex, more technical and much less forgiving.

We will continue to adapt and dominate.

We always will.

So there's always chang and there always will be change.

But one thing that will endure is who we are.

Here at the College of Human Medicine at Cbmm, we exist to deliver expert care to those who need i most, especially the vulnerable.

That mission is always constant to the five graduates on stage, the patients who you will serve.

They're warriors.

They are lethal, discipline and dominant on the battlefield, but they're also vulnerable individuals.

Under every uniform is a story, often with its own hardships, fears, responsibilities.

At some point, each one of yo will face a moment that matters when your skill, judgment, and composure will directly impact the health and survival of a fellow serviceman.

You won' get to choose when this happens, but you'll be ready.

You'll be ready because of your military training.

As you grow into professionals and leaders of the Army, Air Force, and Navy, and we pray that you lead us into peace.

I know also that you'll be read because you're a Cbmm graduate trained to deliver that decisive, effective care to the people when and where they need it most.

I greatly respect your decision to serve.

I'm prou to stand on this stage with you.

And as I say, every year I' thankful that another five Cbmm graduates are joining our ranks.

Today, our Army and Air Force graduates will be promoted from second Lieutenant to captain and our Navy graduates from ensign to lieutenant.

For the Army, this is recognized by a change in branch insignia to a caduceus.

As we begin the ceremony, I will read the official order that promotes these officers.

Following that, our physicians will have their new ranks pinned on their uniforms by special people in their lives.

And pinning is a great honor in our tradition.

I will then join our graduates while we together cite the commissioned officer's oath of office.

It is now my great honor to preside over this ceremony and welcome them into the unique community of military physicians.

Pinners.

Please join us on stage.

Attention to orders.

The president of the United States, acting upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Army.

Secretary of the Air Force and Secretary of the Navy has placed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, integrity, and abilities of Army' Second Lieutenant Dillon Belsky.

Navy Ensign Joshua Robotnik, Navy.

Ensig Maria Sillitoe, Lynn Tag Robles, Air Force second lieutenant Rachel Armstrong, and Air Forc second Lieutenant Tyler Strauss.

In view of these special qualities and their demonstrated potential to serve in the next higher grade army, Second Lieutenant Dylan Palicki is promoted to the grade of captain.

Navy Ensign Joshua Robotnik is promoted to the grade of lieutenant.

Navy Ensign Maria Sillitoe Lynn Tag Roberts is promoted to the grade of lieutenant.

Air Force Second Lieutenant Rachel Armstrong is promoted to the grade of captain.

Air Force Second Lieutenant Tyler Strauss is promoted to the grade of captain, effective this ninth day of May 2026, by order of the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Ease.

Thank you.

Partners.

You may leave the stage.

Group attention!

Raise your right hand and repeat after me.

I state your name.

I like.

Do solemnly swear.

Swear that I will support and defend.

That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States Constitution of the United States.

Against all enemies, foreign and domestic, against all all enemies, foreign and domestic.

That I will bear true faith, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and allegiance to the same.

That I take this obligation freely, and I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or any mental reservation or purpose of evasion or purpose of evasion, and that I will wel and faithfully, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties, to discharge the duties of the offic onto which I am about to enter office, upon which I am about to enter.

So help me God.

So help me God.

At ease.

This concludes our ceremony.

Thank you very much.

Yeah.

Attention.

Left face.

Forward march.

Thank you.

Doctors Zirafa.

I'm humbled.

Equally honored to have been on the other side of the equation here.

I've been in the audienc before, on multiple occasions.

This is the first time serving from the platform.

And those are my word that resonate with me right now is being honored and humbled.

And I can imagine you all felt the same way.

As we celebrated our graduates today, we welcomed 177 new graduates to the profession.

This marks the end of one chapter an the start of your next journey in medicine.

We're so happy to celebrate this with you and your loved ones.

Again, congratulation on your tremendous achievements.

You've accomplishe so much to get to this moment.

As you go forth into residency, I know you'll make the world a better place for your patients and their families as well.

I also want to take a moment to thank the families of our graduates.

As I said before, medical schoo and the profession of medicine require a large amount of mental and emotional effort and a great deal of time.

So to all of you who lent your sons and daughters, your husbands and wives, your significant others, your best friends, your fathers, your mothers, thank you for being a part of College of Human Medicine.

I'd like to do a round of applause for family and friends.

Last but not the least, I still have two more groups of people to thank.

I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every staff and faculty members, including those who are seated in the podium back here, who serve as leaders, as well as others who played integral part in your success.

So they also deserve a round of applause.

Thank you also to the Breslin staff that work hard to make these commencement ceremonies a big success every time we step into this amazing facility.

So thank you to the rest of the staff as well.

Next, we sing the verse of MSU Saros, located inside the back cover of your program.

You can take a look at it and sing along.

Please rise as you're able.

To.

Now, I ask you to remain in your seats until the faculty have completed their processional.

Thank you so much.

For.

The.