Postbac Premed Program Classes of 2022, 2021, and 2020 Celebrated at Class Day Ceremony

Lisa Rosen-Metsch, Dean of the School of General Studies and Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, opened the ceremony by welcoming the graduates and their guests. 

She then introduced the Class Day Keynote Speaker, Dr. Marcelle Abell-Rosen ’97PBPM. Dr. Abell-Rosen is a board-certified internal medicine physician in private practice in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Her practice is recognized for its innovative use of technology to create a highly patient-centered environment, including a rapid triage system and use of multiple tech-based communication modalities with patients and colleagues. 

Dr. Abell-Rosen congratulated the graduates for completing the rigorous program during a challenging period of medical history. She spoke about her nonlinear journey to medical school, and emphasized that it was through these challenges that she became the doctor she is today. 

Dr. Abell-Rosen began her journey as a pre-medical student at Duke, drawn to medicine by the death of her brother at eight months old from Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Due to financial constraints and the stress of waiting tables while studying Organic Chemistry, Dr. Abell-Rosen pivoted to study public policy, which helped her think about healthcare with a broader lens. She then pursued a Master's degree in Public Health at the University of California at Berkeley, during which she traveled to Thailand to work on Hepatitis and HIV prevention programs. She found out she was pregnant during her second semester of the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program, and balanced motherhood as well as starting her journey in medical school.

“You followed your passion through your own path and you found ways to pivot quickly and solve problems with creativity and vision to get you to this celebration. Embrace your superpower as your past experience has given you a unique and valuable perspective and knowledge and wisdom. Some may call this grit – but whatever it is, we need more of it in medicine. Medicine is both an art and science and the best doctors practice both. Patients who are suffering need doctors who are willing to find solutions for them, not to tell them why they can’t,” she said. 

She also emphasized that students take care of themselves and their colleagues. “We need you and – we need you for the long haul! The medical journey is a marathon. You need to be able to re-fuel your tank,” she said. “Your colleagues have been in the trenches with you; be there for each other and stay engaged as voices at the table on issues that affect you and your ability to practice good medicine.”

Next, Dean Rosen-Metsch introduced the Postbac Alumni Key Award winner, Charlie Dubach-Reinhold. The Alumni Key Award is awarded each year to a student who has achieved distinction both academically and through service to the community. 

Following the awards, James Colgrove, Dean of the Postbac Premed Program, addressed the Class of 2022 and congratulated them for their dedication to improving the healthcare system over the course of a challenging few years. 

“As if the Columbia science curriculum were not difficult enough, the epidemiological and social upheavals of the last two years have thrown unimaginable challenges in your way, and at every turn, you’ve met those challenges with resolve, courage, and resilience. If there was any doubt at the beginning of your postbac studies that you have what it takes to be healthcare providers, there is no doubt any more. You’ve shown your command of the sciences and your commitment to building a better world. You’ve completed your coursework in premedical, pre-dental, or pre-veterinary studies and you’re embarking on the next stage of your professional journey, and I am proud to celebrate with you, and to honor your scientific expertise, your wisdom, and your care,” he said. 

Dean Colgrove then presented the graduates of the Postbac Premed Program. 

Following the presentation of graduates, the student address was delivered by Paul Izard, who served as the Vice President of Medical Specialties of the Postbac Premed Student Council. 

"Each one of you is a fascinating individual. Whether you’re a career changing Ph.D. or straight out of undergrad, single and working or a single parent, lean into your story. You each have a unique set of life experiences. They are what set you apart and what will make you the rounded empathetic physicians your future patients need you to be,” he said. 

Before coming to Columbia, Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Washington University at St. Louis, and then enlisted in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, where he served for five years as an infantryman. He is active in the Columbia community as a GS Student Mentor and a member of the Cardiology Pre-Medicine Mentoring Program. He also volunteers at the Hand Surgery Division at NYU Langone Health for orthopedic surgery, where he will continue to work full time as a research coordinator while he applies to medical school. 

"This is a lifelong journey we’re on, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to put off your happiness until you meet some nebulous future goal. It is called the practice of medicine for a reason. We will never be done learning, and there will always be another step to take. So I encourage you all to find joy, and beauty, and, most of all, peace wherever you stand."