Thirty-six medical students graduated from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Monday, May 12. They join more than 50 other Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine students in Florida and Minnesota graduating on those campuses throughout May.

The medical school and Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences jointly celebrated the first M.D.-Ph.D. student to graduate in Arizona. The M.D.-Ph.D. program on the Arizona campus provides a unique opportunity for students to pursue world-class training to become a physician-scientist, fostering both clinical excellence and scientific discovery.

Graduates will take their next steps as residents and researchers at Mayo Clinic and across the country, pioneering discoveries, easing the physician shortage, and becoming healthcare leaders.

Speakers focused their remarks on reinforcing the importance of character and values.

"I urge you to return to the values that have anchored your training here,” said Dr. Jewel Kling, the vice dean of Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and the Suzanne Hanson Poole Dean of Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Arizona. An internal medicine physician and division chair of Women's Health, she described Mayo Clinic values that include respect, integrity and compassion.  

"These are not just aspirational words — they are lived commitments," she added. "They are what make Mayo Clinic what it is and what will shape the kind of physician you choose to be."

Dr. Vikram Gill delivered the student commencement remarks, and, as a graduate and soon-to-be physician, reflected on his time in medical school. "How would you like to be remembered?" he asked graduating classmates. 

"The residents and attendings I remember the best are the kind and gracious ones. Not necessarily the smartest or most accomplished ones or the ones with the most publications, but the ones that asked me my name, asked me where I am from, asked me about my hobbies, and showed that they cared about me as a person. Medical school taught us to think like doctors, but I hope we never forget how to also think and feel like human beings," said Dr. Gill.

Dr. Annie Rusk, a Mayo Clinic pulmonary and critical care physician, was the commencement address speaker. Dr. Rusk shared the significance of storytelling in her life and the importance of self-determination. "There will be unexpected turns on your journey," said Dr. Rusk. "Your character and actions during these challenges will ultimately be what defines you. Take these moments in stride, and when faced with a challenge, ask yourself, 'Does this path lead to the physician and person I would like to be?'" 

Graduates have worked side by side with world-renowned experts at Mayo Clinic to create new ways to address patients' future needs and lead positive change in medicine. They will lead innovative and transformative efforts in healthcare, and they will apply their knowledge to develop creative solutions for some of the most complex problems facing patients and health systems today.

Commencement recordings

Visit the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science website to view the commencement ceremony recordings from Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network."

About Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine is a national medical school with four-year medical degree programs in Rochester and Arizona. The school also offers a Florida program, enabling students to complete their first two years of medical studies in Arizona or Minnesota, and their final two years of learning in Florida. For more information, visit Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine.

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

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