The Class of 2005 raise their hands in affirmation of the Hippocratic Oath, a hallowed rite of passage in becoming a doctor.
A new twist on an old refrain: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice your skills at 1300 York Ave.
Graduates of Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences received their degrees before a sea of enthusiastic family and friends at the Commencement Exercises on June 1 at Carnegie Hall.
Bouquets of red and white flowers lined the stage, as the ceremonies unfolded against the elegant Renaissance Revival backdrop. Jeffrey Lehman, then-president of Cornell University, joined Deans Antonio Gotto and David Hajjar in conferring the degrees of doctor of medicine, master of science, and doctor of philosophy.
Dean Gotto addresses the graduates and their families at Carnegie Hall, from a stage lined in red and white bouquets.
"We want our students to truly master the scientific method, make new discoveries and make this world a better place to live," said Dr. Hajjar, dean of the Graduate School.
The 50 graduates of the Graudate School of Medical Sciences, the largest class in its history, have collectively published more than 100 original research papers in numerous fields.
Dr. Gotto, dean of the Medical College, introduced the 88 physician graduates with pride. "We have a truly outstanding group of young doctors to present," Dean Gotto said.
Dr. Joel Pardee, associate dean of the Grad School, and Dr. David Hajjar, dean of the Graduate School, prepare to confer degrees to the Class of 2005.
Each of the Medical College graduates took the Hippocratic Oath, newly revised by a committee of faculty members and student representatives, before President Lehman conferred upon them the degree of "doctor of medicine." It is a revered tradition for medical students to accept the responsibilities set forth in the oath before entering the profession. (To read more about the new oath, click here.)
Each graduating class was represented by a student speaker, who addressed the audience with a few reflections. This year both students hailed from Nigeria, accentuating the remarkable diversity of the Weill Cornell student body.
Sanford Weill, Joan Weill, and Arthur Mahon convene before the ceremonies at Carnegie Hall.
The student speaker for the Graduate School, Kenolisa Onwueme, considered the axiom, "To whom much is given, much is expected."
"Thank you to those who stood behind us, teaching us, and to those who stand before us, showing us the way," he said, extending his gratitude to supporters at Weill Cornell and beyond.
The student speaker for the Medical School, class president Mustapha Saheed, mused that of all the honors found in a medical education, "the biggest privilege has been getting to know my class." The students bring a diversity of talents - opera singer, teacher, athlete - that exceeds even their diversity of culture.
Dr. Carol Storey-Johnson beams with pride for the graduates.
"When you have 100 talented, intensely focused people living and working together, it could have been a season of 'Survivor,'" he joked. "But we survived, bonded and became a class family. We supported and loved each other. We've learned not only from our textbooks, but from the privilege of taking care of others and of each other."
Each school honored a former graduate with the Alumni Award of Distinction, given for achievements and contributions to clinical research or patient care and service to humanity. The Graduate School's 2005 distinguished alumna, Ellen Heller Goldberg (Ph.D., '71, immunogenesis), was recognized for lifelong contributions to biomedical education and research. She served in the National Allergy and Infectious Disease division of the National Institutes of Health, where she played a key leadership role in biomedical research. She also helped establish and develop the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. As a student, she found her "perfect niche" at Cornell, with its rich biomedical research opportunities, and credits the school with launching her career, opening doors to a new world, and giving her the skills and confidence to help build a medical school from scratch in Santa Fe. "My education at Cornell was one of the best experiences of my professional life. It introduced me to the rigors of scientific research and a whole new world of inquiry. You're embarking upon an incredible journey," Dr. Heller Goldberg told the Class of 2005. "Today's graduates will find their degree and education will lead them to exciting opportunities throughout their lives."
Mustapha Saheed, student speaker for the Medical College, reflects on the uniqueness of its diverse student body.
The Medical School's distinguished alumnus, Dr. John Allen Clements (M.D., '47), is renowned for his crucial role in the discovery, characterization and understanding of the surfactant system of the lung, and for developing an artificial pulmonary surfactant that saves the lives of infants with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. Dr. Clements has also received the prestigious Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research, which cited his "brilliant studies defining and describing the role of pulmonary surfactant." In accepting his award, Dr. Clements expressed the hope that today's graduates will take advantage of today's medical advancements to surpass the achievements of all previous generations. "I wish you all success, good luck and Godspeed," he said.
Reverend Robert S. Smith of Cornell University administered the closing benediction, which expressed the idea that blessing others means sharing one's gifts, especially the gifts of life and wisdom. "May you be blessed by the community of scholars into which you now enter; by the doctors, nurses and patients who will form you during your residency; and by the insights, wisdom, dreams and hopes of many lives from traditions other than your own. In this way," Smith said, "may you discover the depths and riches of your own tradition."
Doctors of Medicine:
Dr. Heller Goldberg receives the Alumni Award of Distinction for the Graduate School.
Alizabeth Jenny Acevedo
Kwame Sarpong Akowuah
Emily LaVigne Arch
Paul Scott Baker
Sophie A. Bartsich
Carina Rizzo Bercovici
Jessica Berrios
Jonathan Karl Beschloss
Elizabeth Scardino Booma
Leslie A. Castelo-Soccio
Peter Gar-Jun Chan
Alice Tzu-ying Chen
Alden Vincent Chiu
Jillian Marie Ciocchetti
Aisha Jendayi Cupid
James W. Daniels, III
Omololu Adetokunbo da-Silva
Tricia Desvarieux
Kaili Temple Dilts
Kathleen Meghan Doherty
Jennifer Schwanke Drukteinis
Sophia Mae Edwards-Bennett
Rashiah T. Elam
Michael Dominic Maramba Espiritu
Laura Beth Fanning
Aaron Galaznik
Rachel Anne Gallagher
Julie A. Gedden
Cara Louise Grimes
Rebecca Catherine Haines
Noal Isaac Hart
Samantha Lynn Heller
Valaine Bernadette Hewitt
Bethany Kathleen Hodges
Whitney Burrell Holds
Aton Mordechai Holzer
Howard Chia-Hao Hsu
Jacob Bennett Kagan
Kevin Kalwerisky
Meredith Anne Kato
Jonathan Khedoori Kazam
Hansoo Michael Keyoung
Don Han Kim
David A. Klibansky
Lawrence Daniel Koutcher
Johnny Kwon
Scott David Lawrence
Joshua Ian Levinger
Czer Anthony Enriquez Lim
Markus D. Little
Abner Louissaint Jr.
Neal Luther
Amy Ly
Sean Patrick Lynch
Tal Manor
Devika Maulik
Jessica Brenna McCannon
Ngozi Ifeoma Mogekwu
Anson Marryshow Moise
Jason Alan Moore
Cyrus H. Nozad
Kenolisa Onwueme, student speaker for Graduate School, shares some inspiring words about his journey to Weill Cornell.
Uzoma C. Okorie
Alda Maria Osinaga
Aasim Ilyas Padela
Paul K. Paik
Amudha Palanisamy
Minal K. Patel
Rebecca Diane Riba
Ingride Richardson
Marianna B. Ruzinova
Mustapha Saheed
Jacqueline Danielle Saitta
Timothy Andrew Sanders
Jennifer Susan Scherer
Brian Thomas Shaffer
Jeremy Bradford Shelton
Seth Lawrence Sherman
Joshua Seth Silverman
Raymond E. Soccio
Grace Sun
Zandraetta Tims-Cook
Simon Tom
Yael Simone Varnado-Rhodes
Michael Franklin Walton
Douglas Herbert Weinstein
Asha Wede Yancy
Lawrence John Young Jr.
Daniel Jason Zimmerman
Masters of Science:
Seda Col
Sam Amirfar
Sela Han
James Peter Harnett
Nancy Joanne Hogle
Joshua David Lee
Joseph Errick Ravenell
Marie-Helene Sajous
Doctors of Philosophy:
Roshni Bhakta
Lincoln Charles Bickford
Tsion Bililign
Ellen Felicia Block
Johanna J. Bogulavsky
Stewart Andrew Bullock
Graeme William Carlile
Jian Chen
Maya Elbert
Matthew Jon Gamble
Jennifer Giordano-Coltart
Katie Nicole Gonzalez
Xiaoyu Hu
Danwei Huangfu
Woo Seong Joo
Arno Timothy Klein
Esin Kutluay
From many walks of life, facing many different paths ahead, the Weill Cornell graduates joined in one ceremonial march at a stirring ceremony in Carnegie Hall.
Karen Myra Lee
Jacob Andrew Lesniak
Haiqing Li
Abner Louissaint Jr.
Clay Earl Lyddane
Christy Ann Mannino
Howard Samuel Moskowitz
Jennifer Maria Nunez
Kenolisa C. Onwueme
Stephen William Pitt
Alexander Ploss
Elizabeth Ann Poynor
Michael Anthony Repucci
Davide Filippo Robbiani
Claude M. Schofield
Jeremy Seto
Risa Sara Shapiro
Bryan Richard Soper
Ardesheer Talati
Ligeng Tian
Yufang Zheng
Chetan Vijayvergiya
Jonathan Hale Zippin
Photos by Amelia Panico and Janet Charles.