LETTER FROM THE DEAN

Graduates,

Although my time as dean has coincided with only a small part of your medical education, the Dell Med Class of 2023 will always hold a special place in my memory. Yours will be the first diplomas I’ve had the privilege to sign, your degrees the first I’ve conferred. It is an honor.

Our school’s reputation for advanced medical education precedes us. The curriculum that you’ve completed is bold and innovative, marked by team-based learning, space for self-discovery, expanded clinical opportunities, engagement with community partners, and more. As a result, you will not be mere physicians but physician communicators, physician partners, physician caregivers and physician leaders. Your reputation, too, will precede you.

We say here that we are educating a new kind of doctor, dually prepared to provide excellent care to individual patients and to enact systemic change that improves health at scale. As you go forward into your careers, remember your charge.

Change comes in many ways. In medical education, change is made one physician — one leader — at a time. Your time is now, and I have no doubt it will be a remarkable one.

Congratulations, doctors.

Claudia F. Lucchinetti, M.D. Dean, Dell Medical School Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin Frank and Charmaine Denius Distinguished Dean’s Chair in Medical Leadership