鈥淭hat's my brother!鈥
鈥淏e my doctor!鈥
And, most simply, 鈥淚 love you!"
The shouts and cheers came early and often as 169 students from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2026 crossed the stage at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, completing their medical school journey in front of an exceptionally enthusiastic crowd eager to celebrate their newest physicians.
The 52nd Morsani College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony May 7 capped off a week鈥檚 worth of celebrations and marked the culmination of years of grit and determination.
Among the new graduates was Monica Moore, MD, PhD, who became the first-ever graduate of USF Health鈥檚 eight-year joint . Moore began medical school in 2018 and earned her PhD in biomedical sciences with a concentration in molecular physiology before completing the final phase of her training as a physician-scientist alongside her fellow MD graduates. She will begin residency training in family medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
鈥淭his moment is bittersweet, but I鈥檓 more than ready to move on to the next chapter,鈥 Moore said. 鈥淭he most meaningful part has been watching the MD-PhD students who have come after me grow into their own paths. In many ways, it鈥檚 just the beginning for me and for the future of the program.鈥
For Parker Penny, MD, who will continue his training as an internal medicine resident at the University of Louisville, commencement represented the achievement of a lifelong dream. Standing alongside his classmates who became lifelong friends, he said their support made the four years seem a little shorter.
鈥淏eing a doctor was the only real goal I ever set for myself,鈥 Penny said. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 feel real when I started medical school. Now that it鈥檚 here, it felt like it went by too fast.鈥
Commencement is a full week of celebration at the Morsani College of Medicine, honoring the remarkable accomplishments of graduating students in the classroom, clinic and community.
The week began May 4 with the Honor Society Induction Ceremony, welcoming the newest members of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Medical Honor Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) and the . The class of 2026 featured 33 AOA members, 27 GHHS members, and 12 RGHS members.
Gabriela Pinero-Crespo, MD, achieved the rare distinction of being inducted into all three honor societies. She will complete a transitional period as an internal medicine resident at USF Health before moving on to her dermatology residency at University of Texas Southwestern.
On May 6, the class of 2026 Awards Ceremony gave fourth-year medical students one final opportunity to celebrate one another before graduation, recognizing top performers and outstanding achievements as nominated by departments, faculty and peers.
Among the most coveted honors presented each year is the Jagdish and Jyotsna Kothari Doctor鈥檚 Doctor Award, a peer-nominated recognition given by fellow students to the classmates they would most want to care for themselves and their own families. The recipients of this meaningful honor were Amruta Potdar, MD, Anthony Schinelli, MD and Madeline Zipperer-Giblin, MD.
When commencement day finally arrived, the newly minted physicians recited the Oath of Hippocrates and were called doctors for the first time.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure there were many days when graduation seemed like a distant shimmering vision, an oasis in the distance. But you made it here,鈥 said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, dean of the Morsani College of Medicine and executive vice president of USF Health. 鈥淵ou will be the physicians who chart this future and bring us into a new era of healing that only yesterday we couldn鈥檛 have dreamed possible.鈥
The ceremony also marked the first degrees conferred by USF President Moez Limayem since assuming the role in Feb. With an infectious smile, Limayem shook hands with each graduate as they crossed the stage, symbolizing the transition from student to physician and the responsibility that comes with caring for patients.
鈥淵ou are the problem solvers our communities are counting on. The world is looking to you 鈥 not only as healers, but also as leaders and advocates for change,鈥 said Limayem. 鈥淓ach of you will be the doctor who listens, who serves and who never stops seeking knowledge 鈥 the doctor who remembers their why.鈥
Rithvic Jupudi, MD, was selected by his classmates to deliver the student address. Rather than focus only on the class鈥檚 accomplishments, he reflected on the relationships and support systems that helped them reach the milestone together.
鈥淚 want you to remember the connections and the friendships here 鈥 Remember you are capable of so much love as you forge new friendships in residency and beyond,鈥 Jupudi said. 鈥911爆料网 all entered medical school with the desire to help people. I see 169 good people who want to make the world a better place.鈥
The ceremony also included a special Promotion-in-Rank Ceremony for two graduates who will serve as physicians in the U.S. Armed Forces. After taking the Oath of Hippocrates, newly promoted Air Force Capts. Cole Kiser, MD, and Allison McIntosh, MD, changed into their dress blue uniforms to take the Oath of Commission, dedicating their careers to caring for service members and their families.
In keeping with military tradition, family members joined them on stage to pin their new rank on their shoulders.
As the ceremony concluded, the graduates embraced each other and reflected on their journeys together. Dayna Goltz, who will serve her residency at the University of Southern California training in diagnostic radiology, expressed gratitude to the friends and family who supported her through medical school as she pursued her dream. She also had special thanks for her alma mater.
鈥淢y four years of medical school have been the most challenging and the most rewarding of my life,鈥 said Goltz. 鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly grateful for the environment it provided to learn medicine and to learn more about myself. I鈥檓 graduating medical school with so much excitement for the future and immense gratitude for the friends and mentors who have supported my dream to be a physician.鈥