Vaibhav Gupta (CAMED’25) gives a thumbs up as he takes his seat at the MD/PhD convocation ceremony May 15 at BU’s Track & Tennis Center.

Commencement 2025

Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Convocations a Joyous Affair

Ceremonies mark a milestone as MD, PhD, and Graduate Medical Sciences grads embark on careers in healthcare

In her remarks welcoming Boston University’s 2025 MD and PhD graduates, their families, and friends during their convocation ceremony at BU’s Track & Tennis Center Thursday afternoon, Karen Antman, dean of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and provost of the Medical Campus, described the ceremony as one of the most joyous events in academic life.

“Our graduates gather together today with faculty, families, and friends to publicly recognize the credentials that they have earned and to celebrate their major life transition to the doctorate,” Antman said.

The MD and PhD convocation awarded 21 PhD, 159 MD, 5 MD/PhD, one MD/MBA, one MD/JD, one MD/MPH and 2 MD/OMFS (Oral Maxillofacial Surgery) degrees. Of those grads, 17 earned cum laude honors, 5 magna cum laude, and 3, Keith Gagnon (CAMED’25), Noelle Wojciechowski (CAMED’25), and Melani Zuckerman (CAMED’25), summa cum laude.

Jhonatan Henao Vasquez (CAMED’25) was chosen to speak for PhD students. He said the new graduates face political and societal uncertainties that will define the future of science and their place in it.

“In facing these challenges, we will do what we have always done. We will adapt. We will push forward. We will advocate for one another,” said Vasquez, who immigrated with his parents to the United States from Colombia when he was two years old and is the first in his family to attend college.

“Our journey has taught us that uncertainty is not a roadblock, it is a call to action. It is an opportunity to innovate, to challenge the status quo, and to forge new paths.”

Selected as the student speaker by his MD classmates, Richard Wu (CAMED’25) is the child of parents who immigrated to the United States from China. As an undergraduate, Wu worked with AmeriCorps teaching underserved preschoolers. In medical school, he led mentorship and teaching student organizations and served as an advocate for students and patients.

“This is a class with a deep-rooted passion for justice in all domains of life,” he told classmates. “We must take our charge as the future of medicine seriously and not remain silent in the face of changing political tides, but dive into the uncomfortable truths…for the sake of our patients, our profession, and our world.”

For their convocation speaker, the graduating students selected best-selling author, physician, and journalist Sheri Fink, who won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for her investigative reporting on deaths at New Orleans Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina.

“Never let go of the humility you have now as a student,” Fink advised graduates. “Maintaining humility will help you stay accountable to those you have the honor of serving. It’ll also give you the chance to keep growing and learning throughout your life.” Fink, who also has a PhD in neuroscience, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science from BU during Sunday’s All-University Commencement ceremony. 

The necessary will, courage, and tools 

The Graduate Medical Sciences convocation was held the morning of May 15 at the Track & Tennis Center, bestowing 35 master of arts degrees, 322 master of science degrees, and 5 combined degrees.

“Your hard work here has prepared you, and we are confident that you have the will, the courage and the tools that are necessary to make a difference to all of our futures,” said C. James McKnight, a School of Medicine associate provost and dean of Graduate Medical Sciences. 

“We’ve grown into people who know how to show up, especially when it’s hard, who can make the leap, even when the outcome isn’t certain, who trust ourselves and believe in our ability to make it happen,” said Joshua Kidwell (CAMED’25), who graduated from the GMS Master’s in Medical Sciences program and is headed to Creighton University School of Medicine to pursue an MD. He was one of three student speakers chosen by their peers.

Speaker Yousuf Al Naseri (CAMED’25) was born in Baghdad. His parents immigrated to the United States to secure a better life for their children, Naseri said. Raised in Maryland, he graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a BS in biology, received an MS in oral health sciences at the GMS ceremony, and will enter BU’s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine in the fall.

“Everything in life is a privilege. It is a privilege to study, to be able to invest in yourself, and it is a privilege that a school like Boston University takes a risk on you and opens its doors for you to succeed,” Naseri said. “During the difficult moments of your future studies, careers, or research endeavors, I urge everyone to shift their perspective from viewing tasks as obligations to recognizing them as privileges.

“Shifting your mindset from ‘I have to’ to ‘I get to’ will transform your duties into opportunities.”

As an immigrant from Guatemala, Cynthia Ordonez Salguero (CAMED’25) told the assembled audience that growing up, she felt she had to be cautious of others and pretend everything was okay. “I developed all kinds of strategies to keep my family and me safe,” she said. 

Graduating with an MA in mental health counseling, Salguero noted that her role as a therapist meant letting go of those survival strategies. She found she had to change her internal script from survival to embracing the world, her community, and the support they can give.

“I believe the future will mirror the life you’ve already known: beautiful and brutal, marked by soaring highs and crushing lows, sudden losses that shake you, and moments of joy that remind you why you keep going,” Salguero said. “Your community will be your anchor, your strength and your lifeline. As the old African proverb goes, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’”