Graduates were joined by members of the Columbia University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, School of General Studies administrators, and Postbac Premed alumni, family, friends and classmates.
Honorees and their guests were formally welcomed by School of General Studies Dean Peter J. Awn who highlighted the importance of becoming a well-rounded physician, particularly at this moment of historical change in health care.
The welcome was followed by the keynote address given by Dr. Stephen Nicholas, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons associate dean for admissions and professor of clinical pediatrics and clinical population and family health. In his address, Nicholas captured the spirit of what it means to be a physician by reciting the Hippocratic Oath.
The keynote address was followed by a presentation of the graduates, each of whom were individually congratulated by faculty members, administrators, and Dr. Nicholas.
A highlight of the ceremony was the student address entitled "In Praise of Us,” given by Max Cohen, a former filmmaker and Vassar College graduate. Cohen praised the professors who helped make him a better scientist and highlighted those moments where he was in awe of the body of knowledge that he was, as he put it, "only skimming the surface." He also included a special remembrance of Postbac Premed student Morgan Ashe who passed away earlier this year.
To close the ceremony, Victoria Rosner, Associate Dean of the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program, congratulated graduates and thanked all those who supported Postbac students throughout their tenure at Columbia University. Rosner also paid tribute to Postbac Premed student Morgan Ashe.
