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Nation’s Newest Physicians Graduate in the Midst of COVID-19

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“I will be an advocate for patients in need and strive for justice in the care of the sick.” No other time in recent history do the words resonating from the Hippocratic Oath convey the importance of the vow that all physicians solemnly swear to hold and value throughout their careers. Today, 63 members of the class of 2020 at 91����’s made that vow virtually, in unison, as they were conferred the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. Family, friends, faculty, staff and others celebrated the occasion with the graduating class using a web-based virtual gathering.

More than half the class of 2020 will start their residency program in a state that is currently considered a hotspot for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seven of the graduates are headed to New York; others will be going to New Jersey, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Louisiana and Texas. In line with the medical school’s mission, 21 of the 63 members of the class of 2020 will conduct their residency in Florida (34 percent) with 25 members who will specialize in primary care including family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics (40 percent). One of the graduates will serve as a physician in the U.S. Army.

Relevant to the current pandemic, one of the most popular residencies among 91����’s class of 2020 is emergency medicine; eight of the 63 graduates (13 percent) will begin training in emergency medicine this July. The class also matched in other highly specialized fields that are among the most competitive in the match process, including neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, urology, among others.

“Congratulations! Today marks an extraordinary accomplishment for each of you, and you are achieving this feat at an extraordinary time in our collective history, as doctors across the globe work alongside other scientists, healthcare workers and public health officials to address the COVID-19 pandemic,” said , M.D., dean of 91����’s Schmidt College of Medicine who addressed the class of 2020 virtually. Today, you officially become doctors, and soon you will be among those on the front lines directly serving patients in need. You are well prepared for this challenge and for the many others that you will face during your medical careers. I wish you all the best as you begin your professional journeys as humanistic physicians.”

Douglas J. McConnell, M.D., an alumnus in the inaugural class of 2015 in 91����’s Schmidt College of Medicine, delivered the keynote address. McConnell practices internal medicine/pediatrics in Tampa.

“I certainly did not think I would be giving the commencement address from my bedroom, but here we are. Graduating during a pandemic is very different than it was for me in 2015,” said McConnell. “The silver lining behind COVID-19 is that there are no experts. Given enough time and effort, a motivated resident can be just as helpful as a seasoned attending. Think about all you have been through in the last few years and how much you have learned. Most importantly, you have learned to assimilate challenges into knowledge. This is why today you are being called a ‘doctor.’ Congratulations on this achievement and good luck on the road ahead.”

Among the various Florida institutions where 91����’s class of 2020 placed are the University of Florida College of Medicine – Shands Hospital, Gainesville; University of Central Florida College of Medicine /GME Consortium, Orlando; University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville; Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami; Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando; AdventHealth Orlando; Memorial Healthcare System, Pembroke Pines; University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa; and 91����’s Schmidt College of Medicine.

The class of 2020 also placed in several top institutions nationally, including Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta; University of Michigan Hospital, Ann Arbor; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Washington, D.C; New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center; Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis; Children's Hospital, Los Angeles; and Nationwide Hospital, Columbus.

“Class of 2020, you are entering the medical profession at an unprecedented time in the delivery of health care in Florida and throughout our nation,” said , M.D., senior associate dean of student affairs and admissions in 91����’s Schmidt College of Medicine. “You have been preparing for this special day for years, and now, you are ready to continue to the next phase of your medical journey. We could not be more proud of your accomplishments and we wish you much success in your careers as physicians. Congratulations.”

91���� President John Kelly provided congratulatory remarks and Bret Danilowicz, Ph.D., 91���� provost and vice president for academic affairs conferred the M.D. degrees. , M.D., senior associate dean for medical education in 91����’s Schmidt College of Medicine announced the candidates, and Markowitz and , M.D., assistant dean for student affairs in 91����’ Schmidt College of Medicine, initiated the Hippocratic Oath.

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Tags: coronavirus | medicine | faculty and staff | students