May 21, 2015

182 graduate from the School of Medicine

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When Mary Fisher took the stage at the 2015 commencement ceremony for the School of Medicine on Sunday May, 17, she shared a message about the healing and trust required to practice as a physician.

Fisher — author, artist, advocate, social entrepreneur — is a global leader in the arena of social change through positive thought and action. Diagnosed with HIV in 1991, she became an outspoken advocate for AIDS prevention and education and for the compassionate treatment of people with HIV and AIDS.

She said the 182 students graduating Sunday have clearly achieved in their time in medical school both the skills and competencies they need to be good doctors. But, she went on to say, their character and practicing compassion for their patients, is essential.

“Character isn’t competence, but your character will determine if that competence matters to anyone other than you,” Fisher said. 

 “You all have completed a pivotal step in your education and training as physicians, and I welcome you to our profession,” said Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., F.A.C.S., senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the School of Medicine in his welcome the graduates. “We are proud of each and every one of you and wish you all success and happiness in all your endeavors.”

Class of 2015 president Omar Syed Ahmed said in his speech that commencement was a day he and his classmates—whom he called compassionate, intelligent and dedicated—had dreamed about for years.

“When we step onto this stage, we’re student doctors, but when we step off, we’ll be physicians,” he said.

Ahmed was presented the Medical Alumni Association Leadership and Community Service Award. He will go to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to for training in emergency medicine.

Sima Hisham Baalbaki received the Hugh J. Dempsey Award for highest overall academic achievement over the four-year course of medical school. Baalbaki graduated summa cum laude and will begin her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at UAB Medical Center.

Richard H. Cockrum received the Outstanding Patient Communication Award, sponsored by Proassurance Indemnity. Cockrum graduated cum laude and will begin his residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Jacquelynn Parks Luker from the Class of 2015, and Kevin J. Leon, M.D., associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, were presented with the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Awards. Sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, these honors are given each year to a graduating student and faculty member in recognition of their value of humanism in the delivery of care to patients and their families.

A Military Promotion Ceremony was held earlier Sunday morning for four graduates who will enter military training programs.  Col. John McGuinness, M.D., with the U.S. Army Medical Corps, presided over the ceremony and administered the oath of office. Family and friends pinned the military rank on the graduates’ uniforms.

Joining the U.S. Air Force from UAB is Capt. Brandon Scott Withers, who will begin his residency training in psychiatry at Wright-Patterson Air Force Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio.

Joining the U.S. Army are Capt. Emily Deanna Sheikh and Capt. Thomas Gilliam Townes. Sheikh will begin her training in obstetrics and gynecology at Water Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Townes will train in general surgery at San Antonio Military Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Joining the U.S. Navy is Lt. Jody Watson Joynt, who will begin training in obstetrics and gynecology at San Diego Naval Hospital in San Diego, Calif.