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NJMS' 2007 Convocation Ceremony took place on Monday, May 21, affording graduates the opportunity to reflect on their years at NJMS and celebrate their achievements before embarking on their medical careers.
"Congratulations to the Class of 2007," said NJMS Dean Dr. Robert L. Johnson. "I know you will represent the New Jersey Medical School with great honor, pride and distinction."
During the ceremony several faculty members were recognized for their accomplishments, including: Neil Kothari, M.D.; Dorian Wilson, M.D.; Bart Holland, Ph.D.; Kenneth Swan, M.D.; Edwin Deitch, M.D.; and Junichi Sadoshima, Ph.D.
Distinguished guests included UMDNJ Interim President Dr. Bruce Vladeck, who also offered students his congratulations; Dr. Fred Jacobs, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and member of the UMDNJ Board of Trustees; members of NJMS' Alumni Association; and members of the Newark City Council, among others.
Also during the ceremony, graduating students Dr. Carlos Machado, former President of the Student Council, and Dr. Colleen Donovan reminisced about their time at NJMS, recounting the years of hard work and the challenges they encountered.
For Dr. Machado, the first day of medical school was an ominous one.
"Day One: The Blackout of '03," Dr. Machado said. "What a way to start our medical careers! Maybe the blackout was an elaborate metaphor, symbolizing how little we knew about what we were getting ourselves into. Maybe it was meant to symbolize the 'turning off' of our social lives?"
Dr. Donovan summed up the years at NJMS by saying, "In those four years, we have dissected, sutured, scribed, studied, somnambulated, lost a server, gained a server, experienced a blackout and worked harder than we have ever worked before in our lives."
Other highlights from the ceremony included:
- The presentation of the NJMS Distinguished Citizen Award to Tim Reynolds, who donated $2 million gifts to Dr. Robert Heary, who established the Tim Reynolds Family Spinal Cord Injury Center.
- The announcement of a $2,000 scholarship contribution made in the name of journalist and talk show host Geraldo Rivera by graduating student Dr. Brenda Natal and her husband. Rivera, who attended the ceremony, provided an educational grant for Natal 's undergraduate, nursing school and medical school education, fulfilling a promise he made to her eighth-grade class in East Harlem . Rivera vowed to pay for the college education of every student in the class. Only a fraction of the class graduated high school.
- A keynote address by Dr. Arthur H. Rubenstein, executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.