Congratulations Class of 2020

Class of 2020,

Thank you for entrusting Campbell Medicine to provide you your medical education and training. Thank you for allowing us to guide and support you through the last four years.

You are a very special class to me; I arrived in Fall 2015, and you are the very first class I saw move all the way through – interviews, White Coat Ceremony, a medical mission trip with some of you - so you are a very special class to me. I was looking forward to sharing graduation week and the ceremony with you and your families to celebrate your accomplishments and all you are going on to do. While we did not get to share that special time in person, we hope the celebration video, book and gifts commemorate your accomplishment and convey how very proud of you we are.

You are entering medicine at an incredibly critical time and an incredibly challenging time. COVID-19 has forever changed the practice of medicine and all aspects of our lives. You are entering medicine at a time when there is substantial need from so many patients. We focus on those in rural and underserved regions, but there are patients everywhere who are in tremendous need of good physicians to take care of them. You have so many opportunities to touch so many lives right now.

As you move forward into this next stage of residency training and practice, remember the simple things. Always let your patient guide you. Always advocate for your patient and what’s in their best interest. When you are with your patients, be present, be compassionate, and be kind. And take that approach into your personal lives as well – medicine is grueling and residency is grueling. Give yourself some grace – be kind and compassionate to yourselves, your families, your friends, and your loved ones. Approach your patients and your lives in a very osteopathic fashion making sure to take care of body, mind and spirit. Do that for your patients and do that for yourselves.

Again, thank you for the special memories you have brought all of us, the joy you have brought us, and the special class that you are. Thank you for choosing to enter a career of service to others. Thank you for representing the profession and CUSOM so well. Thank you to your families, your spouses, your friends, and your loved ones for the care and support they have given you over the past four years.

Don’t forget about us – we will always be here for you – you are a member of our family. Join the alumni association and be actively engaged with CUSOM. We are so proud of you for all you have done and will do.

- James Powers, DO Interim Dean and Chief Academic Officer

COMPASSIONATE MINDS. HEALING HANDS. 2020 VISION. - Class motto

"Cementing the legacy of those who came before, we work diligently to care for our communities. Embracing our diversity, we stand together with clarity of purpose as we learn, serve, and heal." - Class Statement

Comments from Dr. Steve Halm, DO | Graduation Celebration Keynote Speaker

"Remember the canvas you've painted throughout medical school as you've developed your own art of medicine in how you communicate with patients.

Each of you now has a blank canvas as you begin your career. Take with you the same tools that you learned throughout the infamous 14/9 patient encounters, and now use them as a physician, and apply them to your life:

1. Knock gently in life.

2. Look at people in their eyes – really look.

3. Smile more.

4. Shake hands and hug more.

5. Seek opinions of others.

6. Create options in life.

7. Be thankful and forever grateful for this opportunity, and be open to sharing your gratitude with everyone – your spouse, your family, your patients – everyone.

Take life in 14-minute chunks, hone your skills, and join me on team skins. Today on this special day, it’s all about you. Congratulations! Tomorrow and for every day thereafter, don’t make it ever about you and you’ll be superstars." - Dr. Steve Halm

Comments from Ryan Machiele | Class President

"Medical school has been a tremendous privilege for all of us to identify what our limits are and then to have the resources to work past them. To move the goalpost a bit, to identify a weakness and be able to turn it into a strength with mentorship and support and guidance. And I want to acknowledge, the hard work that it took to do that, but also the amount of guidance and mentorship and nourishment that got us through this in order to come out on top - to become better and more competent and more capable through facing challenges and staring down our weaknesses.

I think that our graduation is a celebration of us jumping into careers as people who will be entering situations that are tricky. People who will be treating diseases that are heartbreaking and handling situations that are sad. And so I don’t think this is a tension that will necessarily go away. But, I do want for us to really celebrate - where we are and where we’ve been." - Ryan Machiele, Class President

Comments from Chris Walker | SGA President

"I want to leave you with a reminder to be joyful in what you do. Be grateful for the opportunities you have, take a minute to enjoy your personal pursuits, find your sense of joy and cultivate it. Take care of yourself, take care of each other as much as you care for your patients. Reach for what makes you happy and keep it alive and well. I’m proud of each of us. Good luck with everything you set out to do, and always remember that your peers care about you and will always be there for you." - Chris Walker, SGA President

Congratulations Campbell Medicine Class of 2020!