In a moment filled with pride, reflection, and celebration, the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) welcomed members of the MD Program Class of 2025 to the medical profession during the annual Graduation and Diploma Ceremony, at Lisner Auditorium on May 18.
Keynote speaker Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, 20th director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), took the opportunity to challenge the graduates to wield their credentials not just with confidence, but with integrity and purpose.
“Trust isn’t built by having all the answers,” Cohen, who serves as a national advisor with Manatt Health — the health care practice for Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, told the newly minted physicians. “It’s built through access to information and the ability to ask questions about that information.” Her message — grounded in transparency, relationship-building, and results — reflected what she considered a critical skill for physicians, the ability to inspire and maintain trust.
The celebration marked not only the culmination of years of rigorous training, but also the resilience of a class that began its journey amid a global health crisis. Earlier that morning, graduates participated in the university-wide commencement on the National Mall before gathering with family, friends, faculty, and mentors for the formal hooding, signing of the Honor Code, and recitation of the Hippocratic Oath — symbolic transitions from students to physicians.
In her opening remarks, Barbara Lee Bass, MD, RESD ’86, FACS, vice president for health affairs, dean of the GW SMHS, and Walter A. Bloedorn Chair of Administrative Medicine, and professor of medicine, acknowledged the challenges the class faced and the significance of their accomplishments.
“It was in the early days when you joined us, when vaccines were finally widely available, which had been guided and aided very much by the wonderful vaccine clinical trial work that was done right here at GW,” Bass said. “Despite those challenges, this class has repeatedly risen to those challenges, and stepped up to be part of the solution.”
This year’s graduates are not only part of a historic cohort that endured the upheaval of COVID-19 during their formative training, they also hold the distinction as the first MD class to graduate as GW enters its third century of medical education.
“I am so glad [you] were part of that bicentennial recognition moment, the legacy of those very first students,” said Bass. “GW is now moving into its third century of excellence. Together, we get to carry on our tradition of excellence.”
Delivering her keynote address, Cohen, a longtime public health leader, commended the graduates for their perseverance and reflected on the evolving responsibilities of physicians today.
“You have earned the right to sit here today, donned in your caps and gowns, sitting at the threshold of a career that is as noble as it is demanding,” she said. “GW has always stood tall in moments that call for leadership and integrity … this institution has consistently shown what it means to meet the moment and shape the future.”
In her keynote remarks, Cohen emphasized the importance of trust in the physician-patient relationship, noting that while the title “doctor” conveys an initial credibility, it’s through action that trust is earned.
She highlighted a photograph of her friend and classmate Jill Catalanotti, MD, MPH, associate dean for clinical public health at GW SMHS, wearing a graduation T-shirt beneath her robe with the phrase: “Trust me, I’m a doctor.” The sentiment, Cohen said, captured both the privilege and responsibility the title carries.
Drawing from her own experience in national leadership, Cohen outlined three pillars for building trust: transparency, relationship building, and confidence — each essential, she said, for delivering results that matter to real people.
“Build trust by being transparent, even when it can be scary,” explained Cohen. “Strengthen trust by showing up, especially when it is inconvenient. And earn trust by delivering results that matter to real people with real lives.”
Representing the Class of 2025, student speaker Shaher Gamal Issa reflected on the unique path that brought the graduates to this milestone.
“We entered these halls during a pandemic that transformed health care before our eyes,” Issa said. “Yet through these unprecedented challenges, we persevered. Today, we are officially physicians.”
Issa reflected on the symbolism of the white coat, not simply as a badge of expertise, but as a reminder of their responsibility to serve.
“Let us wear our longer white coats not as a symbol of achievement, but as a daily reminder of our commitment to be a spirit of healing in a world that desperately needs it.”
Closing the ceremony, Bass returned to the podium to deliver her final charge to the Class of 2025 before leading them in a recitation of the Hippocratic Oath. She reminded them of the broad roles they are now poised to assume — as clinicians, scientists, educators, and policy leaders.
“My congratulations actually have a tinge of pride,” said Bass. “We are now delivering to our public, our city, our region, our nation, and even our world, a new cohort of talented physicians who will go on to be valuable contributors to the health of the communities you will serve.”
“None of these things — from patient-centered compassionate care to transformational policies in health care access and delivery — just happen,” she added. “They happen because of people with passion and with skills and training like those which you have acquired here at GW over these last four years.”
