Congratulations to the HMS/HSDM Class of 2025!
The grads process from the steps of Gordon Hall to the score of “Pomp and Circumstance” played by the Longwood Symphony.
Society advisors place doctoral hoods on the graduates.
Medical and dental grads receive their diplomas and are congratulated by their deans.
Family, faculty, and friends cannot contain their pride and joy at the graduates’ accomplishments.
HMS Class Day Student Speaker Jowan Watson called upon his classmates to “hold on, to this glorious moment, this miraculous achievement.”
MD students adorn their regalia with crimson stethoscopes, a symbol of their transition from students to physicians.
“No matter what corner of medicine you choose as your own, you will help heal the world,” said Class Day Keynote Speaker Paula Johnson.
The grads share a bond that will carry into their careers as doctors and dentists.
HMS Class Day Student Speaker Kushal Kadakia acknowledged friends and family, “Each of us has a village to whom thanks are owed.”
The new doctors will begin their residencies this summer.
Five HSDM graduates and one HMS graduate are commissioned in the military and four veterans are honored in a ceremony following Class Day.
The class reads their oath to honor and see their patients in their full humanity and to advocate for them.
More than 200 new MDs and DMDs gathered with family, friends, and faculty on Harvard Medical School’s campus Quad on May 29 to celebrate their graduation from HMS and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
In their time at HMS, members of the Class of 2025 mapped the path that carries thoughts to action in the central nervous system, probed the molecular machinery of the immune system, and built computer models to read radiology reports and help predict which patients need additional imaging. They measured how state and federal policies can affect the health of vulnerable teens, analyzed the impact of disability on patient participation in clinical trials for new cancer treatments, and identified which people with celiac disease are at greatest risk of dangerous low bone density.
In addition to their remarkable academic accomplishments, members of the graduating class founded biotech startups, worked to address the unique health care needs of military veterans, and led efforts to serve those affected by gender-based violence, among other endeavors to advance patient care and medical science, said HMS Dean George Q. Daley in his Class Day remarks.
“I am moved by your passion, your dedication, and your pursuit of good health for all people,” he said.
Keynote speaker Paula Johnson, HMS alumna and president of Wellesley College, offered lessons from her experiences as a physician, educator, public health advocate, and mother to remind the graduates that they already have everything they need to make the world a better place.
“Never forget your power to improve a life — or a structure that affects many lives,” she said. “No matter which corner of medicine you chose as your own, you will help heal the world.”
Facing a challenging moment
Many of the day’s speakers addressed the challenging context that the newly minted doctors and dentists will face as they begin practicing amid increasing misunderstanding of basic tenets of public health; falling trust in health care professionals and scientists; and threats to federal funding of research, especially scholarship related to global health, health inequities, and other areas crucial for providing the highest quality health care to all people.
But they also expressed great confidence in graduates’ ability to make positive change. Indeed, Daley urged the graduates to see the obstacles as a call for action and optimism, not a deterrent, noting that true opportunity arises not from ideal conditions but from actions taken when it matters most.
“I have faith in each and every one of you to persist with your crucial work, whether in the clinic, the laboratory, the office, or some other equally important domain, not in spite of the current climate but because of it,” Daley said. “Because the moment is calling on you.”
HSDM Dean William Giannobile added, “In today’s world, we see too much cruelty, inequity, and intolerance. We see the proliferation of misinformation that leads to poorer health outcomes and puts lives at risk. Your strong character, brilliant minds, and resilience are what is needed most right now.”
Johnson underscored these messages in her speech, which focused on the role of physicians as citizens during turbulent times.
She noted that the graduates will confront significant demands as they become leaders responsible for ensuring that clinical care and biomedical research work to make the lives of all people better.
“Each of you will find your own way to apply your skills and answer your interests,” Johnson said. “I know you will be good to those who rely on you to heal them when they cannot heal themselves. I know you will remain humble, even as you move mountains.”
Fittingly, the weather on Class Day alternated between towering storm clouds and moments of bright sunshine.
Presenting the HMS/HSDM Class of 2025
The Class of 2025 includes 166 MDs and 37 DMDs. Of the new MDs, 28 also earned PhDs and 11 earned master’s degrees during their time at HMS.
Six graduating HMS and HSDM students were also set to be commissioned in the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy in a ceremony later that day.
Graduates hailed from all over the United States and from Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Spain, and Syria.
Throughout the day, students reflected on the lessons they learned from their professors, peers, and patients. They celebrated the loved ones who supported their journeys and the friends who helped them get through their toughest moments. They embraced their responsibility to determine what the future of medicine will look like.
“As always, our graduates are incredibly inspirational and give us hope for the future of medicine,” said Fidencio Saldaña, HMS dean for students.
Dental graduate Subin Jeong plans to combine interests in dentistry and community health by spending some time during each year of residency at a primary care clinic in El Salvador. She expects to eventually pursue a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Kaustav Gopinathan, who earned an MD-PhD in the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, was inspired by a cardiology class to develop tools that allow scientists to use microfluidics devices (small amounts of fluid flowing through tiny channels) as a kind of biological computer in which simulated blood vessels act like transistors. This could open a new world of high-speed testing for drugs and other biomedical fluids.
“There are so many interesting, important problems in biology. I think of them as opportunities,” Gopinathan said. “I’m looking forward to finding new ways to use technology to solve these problems.”
MD graduate Michael Liu, who will be pursuing a residency in internal medicine and primary care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, recalled how he and his colleagues spent years working toward this moment — cramming for exams; pulling all-nighters on the wards; and pouring themselves into countless essays for college, medical school, and residency programs.
“Today, we begin turning the dreams written on those pages into reality,” said Liu, who in May was first author on a JAMA paper tracking terminated NIH grants.
“At a time when the world needs us more than ever, we get to step up as doctors — ready to serve patients, uplift communities, and help shape a healthier and more hopeful future for all.”
Images: Steve Lipofsky and Steve Gilbert
