Students graduated from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, May 18. As the presence of the graduate school has grown on the Florida campus, this year marks the first commencement ceremony for students in the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Florida, where students will earn their Ph.D. The medical school graduates who will earn their M.D. were part of an innovative program that allows students to complete their first two years of didactic study in Arizona or Minnesota, and then finish the final two years of clinical study in Jacksonville.
Thirteen students graduated from the school’s Florida campus on May 18. They join more than 90 other Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine students in Arizona and Minnesota graduating on those campuses later this month. Five words were focused on during the ceremony: joy, gratitude, kindness, purpose and forward. Each was a powerful reminder and call to action as students take their next steps. These students will move on to residencies and scientific positions at Mayo Clinic and across the country, helping ease the physician shortage, leading research activities and becoming future healthcare leaders.
“Education at Mayo Clinic is the undercurrent to the successes of Mayo Clinic by training the workforce of today and the future. Today, we celebrate the future of health care,” says Dr. Fredric Meyer, Waugh Executive Dean of Education, Mayo Clinic. “As you graduate and go out into the world, you have the responsibility to care for patients and carry forth Mayo Clinic values, to advance the betterment of society, instilled throughout your training. My advice is to do good, make the world a little better.”
Dr. Jannifer Lee was the first-ever Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences student commencement speaker in Florida. Dr. Lee shed light on what it means to be a Ph.D. student at Mayo Clinic and how many don’t understand all that goes into the graduate’s education.
“In the routine grind, it’s so easy to lose sight of our unique role as doctorates-in-training at Mayo Clinic. We had the privilege of working alongside the world’s leading scientists and doctors, pioneering discoveries that can directly impact patients’ lives. What an important position to be in,” says Dr. Lee.
Dr. Jordan Dutcher was the commencement address speaker. She is an anesthesiology resident at Mayo Clinic in Florida and a recent Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine graduate in Florida. Dr. Dutcher spoke on imposter syndrome, something common in medical schools across the country. “There is a humility associated with it (imposter syndrome) that has helped mold us into the high-impact, low-ego leaders we are today. This humility also drives us away from complacency and toward providing the best care for our patients,” says Dr. Dutcher.
She concluded her remarks by saying, “May the way you practice, with kindness and integrity, someday spur on questions from your own patients and colleagues who suspect the traits of a Mayo Clinic-trained physician in you. And may your response be filled with pride when you answer, ‘Yes.'”
Journalist: Broadcast-quality b-roll video can be found in the downloads at the end of the post.
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.