Class of 2026 Commencement Ceremony Marks New Chapter

Surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, the Class of 2026 received their hard-earned degrees—among them 202 doctor of medicine (M.D.) degrees; 49 doctor of physical therapy (D.P.T.) degrees; nine doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees; 83 master of science (M.S.) degrees; 57 master of public health (M.P.H.) degrees; and nine doctor of public health (Dr.P.H.) degrees.

The student speakers set the tone. Each reached for something honest that reflected years of hard work and self-examination.  

“Every single day in our careers we will have the chance to do something not everyone gets to do,” said Katelyn Lawson, D.P.T. ’26, the SHSP student commencement speaker. “We get to help people move forward. Sometimes that means helping someone take their first step again. Sometimes it means helping someone find their voice again. Sometimes it simply means helping someone believe that progress is still possible. Not every moment will feel extraordinary. In fact, most of them will feel very ordinary—a conversation, an exercise, a small improvement that might seem insignificant to anyone else. But those small moments add up. They rebuild confidence. They restore independence. They remind someone that their life is still moving forward. And that is the quiet power of the work we’re about to begin.”  

Antonia Schonwald, M.D.-Ph.D. ’26, M.S., the GSBMS student commencement speaker, declared that she found her community at the College after looking back at a letter she wrote to her future self. “Science and medicine will ask enormous things of us—they already have,” she said. “The question that follows us out of this room is not just what kind of scientists and doctors we will be, but who will be the person standing beside us. The second sentence of that same letter encouraged me to step bravely into the unknown. What I didn’t know then but understand now is that I never had to step into it alone. None of us did.”

Lillian Huang, M.D. ’26, ‘M.S. ’21, SOM student commencement speaker shared, “Even as we graduate into an evolving, sometimes imperfect, health care system, we will always meet it with good faith and a commitment to improvement. It is essential that we never lose sight of the human experience medicine is meant to serve.”  

The keynote speakers brought wisdom earned over careers—and a shared charge to look outward. SHSP commencement speaker Sonia Mehta, M.D., M.B.A. chief executive officer region II, corporate chief medical officer and chief academic officer at Prime Healthcare, urged SHSP graduates to lead from a place of genuine listening. “The best patient and community care often arises from a diverse perspective and collecting wisdom, whether you’re working on a public health campaign, a rehabilitation plan or a complex ethical dilemma,” she said. “Above all, remember that every individual you encounter, whether a patient in your clinic, a population group you are analyzing, or a policy you're crafting, brings a story, an entire life, filled with hopes, dreams, and fears. It is your responsibility to listen, understand, and respond with passion.”

Sabine Hildebrandt, M.D., FAAA, associate scientific researcher and associate professor of pediatrics of Boston Children’s Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics and lecturer of global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School, offered her remarks to graduates of the SOM and GSBMS as she reflected on her medical career. “This is just a wonderful day to share with you of not only looking back onto what you have achieved but also of looking forward to the next steps in your lives,” said Dr. Hildebrandt, who earned an honorary degree for being a leader in ethics in anatomy and devoting her career to examining how scientific knowledge is created, transmitted, and sometimes corrupted. “In your faces, I see the hope that is now carrying you on —and with you, all of us.”

The ceremony was made especially meaningful by honoring Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the SHSP, vice president for government affairs, and professor of public health and pediatrics, with an honorary degree in recognition of his decades of dedication at NYMC as its longest-serving dean, as well as through his work with the U.S. Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Health and Human Services, all focused on protecting and improving the well-being of communities.

Alan Kadish, M.D., president of NYMC and Touro University (TU), addressed the assembled graduates and guests. “The choice you’ve made to enter the health sciences at this difficult time, is extraordinarily valuable and important, and I thank you for joining the field of those who are going to make the health of this nation better,” he said.  

Neil W. Schluger, M.D., dean of the SOM and professor of medicine led the new physicians in the Hippocratic Oath, after which Mill Etienne, M.D. '02, M.P.H., FAAN, FAES, vice chancellor, associate dean for student affairs, and associate professor of neurology and medicine, administered the military oath of office to U.S. Navy Lieutenant Patricia Weinstein, M.D. ’26.

Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and chief executive officer, brought the ceremony to a close with a charge urging graduates to meet the tests he placed before them: to take actions that benefit others and not just to see, but to truly observe. “Find what is genuine in yourselves and then you can move mountains and meet the tests I have placed before you. Go exploring your life in this world.

View the commencement photo gallery and videos of Commencement and other NYMC events are available on the NYMC YouTube channel.