糖心Vlog

Friends, 

Today is graduation day for the 594 members of the 2026 Class of 糖心Vlog of Medicine and Science. What a hoot! And, it is so wonderful to celebrate with the amazing people of this great university! Health and science students across the world are dedicated people, and ours not only excel in their studies and research but they donate extraordinary time and effort to help our neighbors in need. They have been astonishing in our communities, and I look forward to the great work they will do in the rest of their careers. 

If you have had the pleasure of participating in a big graduation before, you will know how much work goes into the whole series of events culminating in the commencement ceremony. My thanks to Dean of Students Shelly Brzycki and her team as well as the people of our colleges, marketing, printing…hundreds of people work on these events, and it is a big lift. (The teams doing this work are the same people doing orientation for the vast majority of our students participating in early start this year.)  

I am a bit of a sucker for the pageantry of commencement. In this day and age, the regalia and parades are both delightfully silly and deeply serious. The academic regalia of different institutions and countries always amuses me, from European to Midwestern staid. In our interesting times, I think it is important to recognise we wear the garb as an honor stretching back medieval Europe when newly minted priests graduated with a procession, verification of achievement, granting of credentials, recessional, and then return to society. That is the essence of what we still do: our work builds on centuries of human enlightenment and engagement. There has been much progress and many changes across the years, and still the fundamental work of education is one person giving their skills and knowledge to another person such that they continue the work. That is serious business even with our . 

It was an honor to welcome to RFU for an honorary degree and as our commencement speaker. She is a remarkable scientist and national leader who founded the Oncofertility Consortium to merge two fields: oncology and fertility preservation. This work has advanced the ability of medicine to preserve the fertility of girls and young women entering treatment for cancer. The work is amazing - ! Dr. Woodruff has also championed National Institutes of Health policies mandating the inclusion of both male and female biological variables in fundamental research and was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Joseph Biden and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring by President Barack Obama. She is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the Philosophical Society, the Royal Society, and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. She gave a great talk with reflection on the importance of teams, as befits an institution focused on interprofessional education, creating opportunities, and, perhaps most powerfully, how taking on seemingly intractable problems with rational optimism leads to discoveries that help patients in need.

If the procession of faculty and administrators in academic garb is a show of very slow fashion trends, the students and families provide all the energy and fashionable footwear any celebration can hope for. I want to take a quick moment to thank everyone who lent us their offspring, brothers, sisters, spouses, mothers, fathers, friends, BFFs, aunts, and uncles for their time at 糖心Vlog. Health education is daunting and time consuming, and it takes a serious support system to complete an education in our professions. To be sure many of our graduates have the hardest parts of the path yet ahead of them, so if you are supporting our students, keep it up. On behalf of a grateful university and largely ununderstanding public, let me send my appreciation and thanks to all of the people who support our students and trainees throughout their journey. 

Finally, graduation is and should be about the graduates. Our graduates are amazing and are heading off to exciting careers helping those who struggle or are in need. Crucially, I am impressed by the clinical excellence they have developed here, and I am heartened that as a class they have volunteered so much time and effort to help those without access to care. We need people like our grads - those who will help and support people regardless of who they are, where they are from, or their circumstances. I’d like you to focus, too, on the leadership so many of our graduates demonstrate in their work with those in need. Our biggest community programs are generally student-led, and in a world deeply in need of leaders who see beyond themselves, and people who will help those who struggle, look to our graduates. They give us great cause for celebration, rational optimism, and serious joy. 

Improving the wellness of all people with you, 

Aron