McGill’s 2014 Health Sciences convocation was held on the University’s lower campus on the afternoon of May 29, for graduating students from the Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry, including students from the Schools of Medicine, Physical and Occupational Therapy, the Ingram School of Nursing and Communication Sciences and Disorders as well as Research and Graduate Studies students.
With graduates representing the variety of health care professions, the importance of being able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team, a key component in the Faculty’s curriculum was highlighted by Dr. Josh Vorstenbosch, MDCM ’14, the Class Valedictorian. “We’ve done a lot together over the past few years,” he said during his address to the Class. “I think it is the fact that we provide this care together that has made the experience in the Faculty of Medicine so rewarding. So let us continue to work together throughout our careers just as we have during our studies. Let us do this not just for ourselves and our careers but to improve the health and well-being of those around us.”
Convocation marks the culmination of years of hard work and dedication that comes to a head with the reception of one’s diploma. “In a way Nursing has been more work than we could have ever imagined,” noted Cassandra Di Tomasso, BNI ‘14. “But we are really proud of ourselves for making it through and happy to be here to celebrate today.”
Convocation is also a crossroads, marking the beginning of a career for some while for others it marks the next stepping stone on the rung of their education. No matter what the future holds, convocation offers a time to reflect and to bask in the sheer joy of what one has accomplished during their studies. “It’s a fantastic day and a beautiful moment, celebrating with the rest of the graduates of McGill on this memorable day,” said David Anekwe who received his Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Science and is now pursuing his PhD. “It was a very good occasion, a day I should never forget. I’m glad I’m graduating from McGill after the experience and education that McGill has granted me. And I hope that I will be able to have the same impact in my community and in every endeavour in which I find myself.”
Graduating students were joined on the occasion by Dr. Carol Moss Prives, Da Costa Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University who received an honorary doctorate – the third McGill degree for the Montreal native– during the ceremony. Also during the ceremony Dr. Christos Karatzios received the 2014 Osler Award for Outstanding Teaching in medical education and Dr. Brett Thombs, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, was presented with the Principal’s Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers, a prize created in 2013 to honour McGill’s researchers in the early stages of their careers.
Visit the following pages for additional coverage of activities centered around convocation, including awards ceremonies held for the School of Medicine, the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy and the Ingram School of Nursing:
School of Physical and Occupational Therapy’s Awards Ceremony
Ingram School of Nursing’s Awards Ceremony
