Graduates, families, faculty and staff watched the ceremony during the live premier on Facebook and YouTube.
On Thursday, May 21, the age-old tradition of commencement, complete with Sir Edward Elgar鈥檚 鈥淧omp and Circumstance,鈥� was celebrated by 黑料传送门 Georgia graduates and their loved ones through the present-day convenience of social media. The 40-minute online ceremony for the 128 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine graduates premiered on and on May 21 at 10:30 a.m. More than 400 screens were tuned in to the ceremony at the same time with views continuing.
H. William Craver III, DO 鈥�87, now dean and chief academic officer of 黑料传送门 South Georgia and formerly 黑料传送门 Georgia鈥檚 dean and chief academic officer for close to 10 years, recognized the situation that caused a shift from the traditional ceremony. 鈥淣ow is a particularly difficult time in health care and in the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is only appropriate to acknowledge the gravity the COVID-19 pandemic represents and the frontlines you will join.鈥�
Jay S. Feldstein, DO 鈥�81, president and CEO of 黑料传送门, addressed the class and fellow celebrants. He said, 鈥淚n the end, it will be your forward-thinking leadership that will restore our nation to health. Your dedicated labor will carry us through our time of crisis. And your dream to heal will ensure that our healthcare system, post-pandemic, delivers on the unmet health and wellness needs of our society as a whole.鈥�
鈥淚 have never been more proud of a class of students,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here has never been a more important time to be a physician.鈥�
Class of 2020 Chair, Ronak Patel, DO 鈥�20, drew his colleagues鈥� attention to the meaning
of the ceremony. 鈥淭he focus of today is about celebrating what my classmates and I
have accomplished over the past four years. It is difficult to put into words what
this day means to us.鈥�
He noted that his fellow graduates have the opportunity to demonstrate resiliency. 鈥淲e have remained and continue to remain resilient, steadfast, tenacious and tough through all the challenges we face. This current situation is no different.鈥�
鈥淥ur class will not be remembered as the class that lost commencement because of COVID-19. Instead we will be remembered as the class that remained laser-focused on meeting the challenges of an uncertain environment and succeeding in spite of the obstacles that lay ahead.鈥�
He added, 鈥淲e stand here today as a testament to our ability to emerge from our struggles, stronger and more equipped to take on whatever life has in store.鈥�
As the Class of 2020 moves toward their residency years, Joseph Kaczmarczyk, DO 鈥�82, interim dean of 黑料传送门 Georgia, wished the class 鈥渁equanimitas now and for the rest of your careers as osteopathic physicians.鈥�
He explained that Sir William Osler, an esteemed medical educator from the 1800s, defined this quality as 鈥渃oolness and presence of mind under all circumstances, calmness amid storms and clearness of judgment in moments of grave peril.鈥�
In a letter to the class, Dr. Kaczmarczyk wrote, 鈥淚 want to tell you how very proud I am of you, especially of how well you have managed unanticipated, unprecedented and unrelenting challenges with aplomb and professionalism.鈥�
Led by Dr. Patel, the class repeated its mission statement in unison which they penned during orientation in the summer of 2016. Alluding to eyesight terminology, Patel began, 鈥淭hrough this lens, the 黑料传送门 Class of 2020 will embody a clear vision to provide unconditional, empathetic and patient-centered care as future Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine.鈥�
View the virtual commencement ceremony on our .
黑料传送门 Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (黑料传送门), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), 黑料传送门 Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins 黑料传送门 South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, 黑料传送门 Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit .
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