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In the hoods that denote their degrees, the new physicians gather for a Class Day photograph. (Photo by Flying Squirrel Photography)
The Geisel School of Medicine celebrated the accomplishments of 88 new graduates of its MD program during Class Day ceremonies on June 6 at Leede Arena.
In addition to receiving hoods denoting their degree, graduating students received sage advice from Dartmouth faculty, alumni, peers, and special guest speakers.
The Class Day address was delivered by Lorna B. Stuart, a family physician for more than 30 years and medical director of The Clinic, a nonprofit medical clinic in Phoenixville, Penn., designed to “provide quality health care to the uninsured in an atmosphere that fosters dignity and respect.”
Stuart encouraged the graduates to keep compassion at the center of the care they provide.
She said that as physicians, “whether in a university hospital or a community clinic, we must remember this—compassion must be the cornerstone. We cannot always cure, indeed we frequently cannot cure a patient, but we can always heal.
“Heal with a warm handshake, heal by looking at the patient and listening to the patient, heal by helping the impoverished patient with some inexpensive choices, heal with a smile. Compassion is healing, and no matter how rushed, how tired, how busy you are, you can smile, you can shake a hand, you can sit by a patient’s bed to talk, you can hold a hand. None of this is beneath you. This makes the difference between a doctor and a beloved physician.”
