Graduation Week is just around the corner, with virtual events running from Friday, May 7, through Sunday, May 16. Like last year, all of the annual honor society inductions, award presentations, and diploma ceremonies will be held virtually. Despite the online format, as the graduates prepare to enter the health care workforce or take the next step in their educations, they will have several opportunities to gain inspiration from health care leaders. Below are some of the upcoming graduation highlights.
Friday / May 7
GW Alpha Chapter Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society’s Annual Leaders in Medicine Lecture, noon–1 p.m. Janine Austin Clayton, MD, associate director for research on women’s health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and director of the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, will present, “Thank You for Not Stepping on My Foot: Becoming a Graceful and Sought-After Leader.” The event is co-sponsored by the GW SMHS Clara Bliss Hinds Society for Women in Medicine.
Wednesday / May 12
84th Annual Kane King Dodek Obstetrical Honor Society Reception, 5:30 p.m. Presenting the 2021 Founders Lecture will be Haywood Brown, MD, senior associate vice president of academic affairs at the University of South Florida Health and vice dean of faculty affairs at Morsani College of Medicine.
Thursday / May 13
GW Alpha Chapter Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society Internal Medicine Grand Rounds Lecture, 1–1:45 p.m. The 2021 GW Alpha Chapter AΩA Visiting Professor Janine Austin Clayton, MD, will present the grand rounds lecture, “Lead the Way to Sex- and Gender-Informed Medicine.” Following the lecture, there will be an interactive career development workshop open to faculty, residents, and students, titled “Making It Happen and Letting It Happen.”
GW Alpha Chapter Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society Class of 2021 Induction Ceremony, 7:15–9 p.m. Members of the GW Alpha -Chapter of AΩA will host a virtual Induction Ceremony featuring AΩA Visiting Professor Janine Austin Clayton, MD. In addition to the student class of inductees, awards for voluntary clinical faculty, faculty, and residents will be presented.
Friday / May 14
Physical Therapy Graduation and Awards Ceremony, 1 p.m.
Department of Physician Assistant Studies White Coat Celebration, 4:30 p.m.
Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences Celebration, 6–7:30 p.m.
A pre-recorded Graduation Celebration for the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership will be available on the GW SMHS graduation website
Saturday / May 15
Health Sciences Celebration, 4 p.m. Lorenzo Norris, MD, associate dean for student affairs and administration , at GW SMHS and chief wellness officer for GW Hospital, the GW Medical Faculty Associates, and GW SMHS, and Kevin O’Connor, DO, associate professor of medicine, senior medical advisor for health sciences programs at GW SMHS, and physician to the president, will present the charge to the graduates. The annual Ozgur Ekmekci Interprofessional Leadership Award for on campus and online program recipients, as well as awards for outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, will also be presented.
Sunday / May 16
MD Celebration, 2:30 p.m. The 2021 MD Graduation Keynote Speaker will be GW SMHS alumna Luciana Borio, MD ’96, senior vice president of In-Q-Tel, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of then-President Elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board during his transition period. She is an expert in advancing clinical trials, the developing medical countermeasures for health emergencies, and crafting public health responses to the Ebola and Zika outbreaks.
More information about GW graduation celebrations
Sunday / May 16
University-Wide Celebration, 1:00 p.m. The 2021 Keynote Speaker will be Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian, University Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient
