Every spring, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) hosts a commencement ceremony to celebrate students who are earning Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees. The same dedication to acknowledging each medical school graduate was given to the Class of 2020 — except this year the graduates were recognized virtually.
This was WVSOM’s first-ever virtual graduation ceremony. The move from an in-person to an online event concluding the students’ four years of medical school was necessary due to safety guidelines. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, didn’t stop WVSOM employees from making every effort to help graduates feel special during the celebratory occasion.
This year, 188 participating medical students in the Class of 2020 received their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees during the school’s 43rd annual commencement ceremony on May 30.
WVSOM President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., said a virtual graduation ceremony was unique in the school’s history.
“The coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us in so many different ways. We especially understand that today as we honor the women and men of the Class of 2020 in a virtual ceremony rather than being together on our beautiful campus one last time as a class,” he said. “Graduating from medical school is a big deal. In spite of the challenges of the times, we are here today to honor and celebrate you for your incredible accomplishments. I hope you are with family members and other loved ones celebrating this moment. I hope you are soaking up the glory of your achievement, which you have earned and so richly deserve.”
Sherri Young, D.O., Class of 2003, delivered the keynote speech to graduates, their families and friends, WVSOM faculty and guests, and other viewers. At the start of her speech, she shared a message about how plans can change and a person’s life can take a turn for the unexpected.
“I’d like to impress you by opening with a quote by some well-known philosopher or scholar; however, I think John Lennon of the Beatles said it best: ‘Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.’ Four years ago, when you started medical school, you planned to be on a stage today,” Young said. “We are celebrating the Class of 2020 but in a different way … Before, there would be a huge tent with thousands of people. You’re watching graduation at home by yourselves or with a couple of family members or loved ones. This is a different time. Life happens.”
Young is the executive director and the health officer of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and is the first woman and the first osteopathic physician to hold the office. She is considered one of West Virginia’s leading experts on immunizations and gave a keynote address at the International Zika Conference and Workshop. She addressed how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the medical field and will affect graduates preparing to enter residencies and begin their careers as physicians.
“A virus has caused just about everything in the world to come to a screeching halt — everything from the economy to the state to the national government. It has changed everything we do in our daily lives. You are graduating medical school. After four years of hard work and long hours your life is coming together. Now suddenly we’re pulled apart. The world may never go back to being exactly the way that it was before. Your professional life isn’t going to be exactly how you envisioned it, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. During the pandemic, we’ve learned a thing or two about washing our hands, keeping social distance and taking care of ourselves as well as taking care of others.”
The virus, Young said, has made everyone a bit more human, and she expects graduates in the Class of 2020 will pick up the pieces and figure out where to go in their careers.
“You are the arbiters of the new normal. But you’re not invincible; we are not invincible. You’re human and it’s OK not to have all the answers. Don’t be afraid to cry. Don’t be afraid to be afraid. The first pulse you take in any emergency is your own. Know that you can’t fix everything, no matter how much you may want to.”
Young concluded the keynote address by sharing the importance of teamwork and calling on the graduates to use the pandemic to write their page in history.
“On behalf of me, my family, the faculty and your new D.O. family, I salute you for your accomplishments. Be proud of yourselves, embrace your profession and, most of all, welcome to the family,” she said.
One member of the WVSOM family is Class of 2020 President Emmanuel Dimitri Foko Tito, who explained in the class address how his classmates were a team from the beginning, sharing class lectures and board materials, learning how to listen to recorded lectures at double speed and reminding one another of deadlines.
“Four years ago, we came together from various cultures, family dynamics and majors of all kinds. But we realized we all had one thing in common, a goal that united us, to become physicians. Some classmates came with a base of medical knowledge; others got their first taste of the complexities of medicine; some of us were enthusiastic, others were anxious; and a small group were pretty chill. But we were all excited and ready to rise to the challenges we were all soon to face,” Foko Tito said.
He recalled how each member of the Class of 2020 left behind family and friends in order to dedicate time to studies and to take care of patients they had yet to meet. He also shared how the town of Lewisburg adopted each one of them and enriched their lives.
“I’ve heard the expression, ‘I’m a part of all those who I have met.’ To have met these people, to have formed these bonds, to have had the privilege of receiving the education with honor today, and to have the opportunity to contribute to others has been a gift of a lifetime,” he said. “We are a part of all we have met here at WVSOM. As we move on, let us not forget we are not just physicians, we are osteopathic physicians. We understand the patient beyond the illness — their history, their circumstances. We cannot forget about the marginalized, those without access to adequate health care, patients of various socioeconomic status, those without transportation or means to receive adequate care. We must advocate for all of them.”
Nemitz expressed empathy for the graduates who have faced unexpected obstacles throughout their four years, from entering medical school when a flood devastated southern West Virginia, to being the first class to experience a combined residency match within a single accreditation system, to beginning their careers as physicians amidst a global health crisis.
“This is an incredible class and they have endured some unusual events during their four years as medical students,” he said. “Throughout it all, the members of the Class of 2020 have shown professionalism, grit and determination to succeed while also remembering to help others.”
Nemitz quoted William Osler, co-founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital, in a thought to share with the graduates: “The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head.”
He said the graduates have been given a solid foundation on which to practice medicine, but added that their education is just the beginning.
“Remember that you are part of the rich osteopathic medical tradition. Your hands can be your eyes, and your spirit and intuition can guide you as much as your mind. Remember to take care of yourself, your mind, body and spirit. You will not be able to help others if you don’t care for yourself,” Nemitz said.
Nemitz and Craig Boisvert, D.O., FACOFP, vice president for academic affairs and dean, led the ceremony and awarded the degrees. The WVSOM Board of Governors Chair Steven Sarver; WVSOM Faculty Council Chair Peter Ward, Ph.D.; WVSOM Alumni Association President Robert Olexo, D.O.; and West Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association President E. Michael Robie, D.O.; provided brief messages to graduates.
Others who made contributions to the graduation ceremony were Dallas Marsh, a member of the graduating class who sang the national anthem, the Greenbrier River Brass Ensemble, which provided the processional and recessional music, and Ward and Rebecca Morrow, Ph.D., who read the names of graduates as each was honored individually.
The ceremony concluded with the dean leading the reciting of the osteopathic oath, which officially acknowledges the transition from student to physician.
Along with the graduates’ diplomas and graduation programs, WVSOM gifted graduates with extra items to assist in their celebration. They received a bookmark, photo props, confetti, champagne lollipops, West Virginia specialty items such as popcorn and chocolate, a WVSOM-sealed insulated Yeti cup, WVSOM pennant and umbrella, and from the WVSOM Alumni Association a yard sign, cooler and engraved brick to be placed at the front of the school’s main building on campus.