VP&S Celebrates the Class of 2025

The Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Class of 2025 celebrated graduation with friends and families on May 21. The ceremony honored 136 students who received MD degrees from VP&S and 44 students who received PhD degrees in biomedical sciences from Columbia’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The students selected Siddhartha Mukherjee, associate professor of medicine at VP&S, to deliver the graduation address. Mukherjee is an oncologist, researcher, and author whose books have made a vast contribution to the public discourse on human health, medicine, and science. "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer" earned the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, and "The Gene: An Intimate History" won international awards and was recognized as one of the most influential books of 2016.

In his address, Mukherjee shared his view of medicine and science as an eternal search – for cures for diseases and solutions to complex problems. Once you arrive at the seeming end of one search, he said, the search transforms as new questions are uncovered.

“Medicine, of all professions, creates a perpetual yearning, a lifetime of desire for that which you cannot find,” Mukherjee said.

He shared a poem translated from Urdu by the poet Aqhlaq Muhammed Khan, who wrote under the pseudonym Shahryar:

 “That which I searched for

I never found

But in that search, I discovered the whole cosmos

Unbound”

“Through medicine, and through science, and your search, you’ll discover the whole cosmos,” Mukherjee said. “The universe of science, humanity, of longing, love, desire, failure, hope, humility, and success. You will meet humans at a time that is the most acute for them—when time stands still and tilts to a right angle, a moment that matters, perhaps, more than any other moment in their lives.”

The class of 2025 graduates into a challenging environment for medicine, scientific research, and public health, with considerable uncertainty about what the future holds. In his remarks, James M. McKiernan, interim dean of VP&S, commended the graduates on their resilience, courage, and compassion in the face of immense difficulty.

“We need your leadership to help navigate these times,” McKiernan said. “In addition to the challenges that arose this semester, other big questions continue to emerge, such as the use of AI in medicine, or the impact of climate change on human health. You have chosen careers that require lifelong learning and adaptability. But with your knowledge and expertise, you have the opportunity to make an immense impact on not only your patients and your colleagues, but also on society at large. And in this, I find optimism that the future can be brighter than our past.”

Four other programs at VP&S also held commencement ceremonies: the Institute of Human Nutrition, the program in genetic counseling, programs in occupational therapy, and the programs in physical therapy.

Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s three other schools also held graduation ceremonies this week. Learn about the Class Day ceremony at the Mailman School of Public Health, and meet graduates from VP&S and the School of Nursing.

Graduation and Commencement Awards

This year’s commencement included the presentation of the Stevens Triennial Prize, awarded to an individual whose original research on any medical subject is deemed to be the most meritorious. Wafaa El-Sadr, executive vice president for Columbia Global and University Professor, received the Stevens Triennial Prize.

Several VP&S faculty members received awards at the VP&S ceremony for service, teaching, research, or humanism:

• David Hirsh, Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics: Distinguished Service Award
• Laura Lennihan, professor emerita of neurology: Distinguished Service Award
• Briana Short, assistant professor of medicine: Charles W. Bohmfalk Award for Pre-Clinical Years
• Christopher Migliore, assistant professor of medicine: Charles W. Bohmfalk Award for Clinical Years
• Donald Quest, J. Lawrence Pool Professor of Neurological Surgery: Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award
• Mohammed AlQuraishi, assistant professor of systems biology (in computer science): Doctor Harold and Golden Lamport Research Award in Basic Sciences
• Hemali Phatnani, assistant professor of neurological sciences (in neurology): Doctor Harold and Golden Lamport Research Award in Clinical Sciences
• Said Saab, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology: Distinguished Teacher Award given by the Class of 2025

Several students and faculty members from across CUIMC were recognized by Columbia University for their contributions:

• Matthew Tiberino (CDM), Emma Tucker (VP&S), Jasmin Martinez (Mailman), and Shermin Koh (Nursing) received Campbell Awards, which recognize exceptional leadership and Columbia spirit.
• Ana Maria Kelly, associate professor of nursing, School of Nursing, and Helen de Pinho, associate dean of educational programs in the Office of Education, Mailman School of Public Health, received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching.
• Shermin Koh, a doctor of nursing practice student in the Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track, School of Nursing, received the 2025 Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Student Instructor.
• Jacquelyn Y. Taylor, Helen F. Pettit Professor of Nursing and professor of medical sciences (in medicine) at Columbia School of Nursing, received the 2025 Faculty Service Award.