The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences will celebrate its 2025 graduates at a commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16.
The event begins at 2 p.m. in Savage Arena on Main Campus. More than 200 students will receive doctor of medicine, doctor of philosophy or master’s degrees.
Dr. Reshma Jagsi, an internationally recognized physician-scientist and advocate for equity in medicine, will deliver the keynote address at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences commencement ceremony on Friday.
Dr. Reshma Jagsi, an internationally recognized physician-scientist and advocate for equity in medicine, will deliver the keynote address.
The College of Medicine and Life Sciences Class of 2025 includes 165 students receiving medical degrees, 41 students receiving master’s degrees and 11 students receiving doctoral degrees.
“We are proud to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of our students and honored to welcome Dr. Reshma Jagsi to campus,” said Dr. Imran Ali, dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “She is emblematic of why we go into this field — to make a difference in our communities and in the lives of our patients. As our graduates go on to the next step in their careers, I know they too will leave a positive mark on the world.”
The recipient of a medical degree from Harvard University and a doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Oxford in England, Jagsi is currently a board-certified radiation oncologist and department chair at Emory University. The author of more than 500 publications, she has devoted her career to improving the quality of care for breast cancer patients as well as studying issues of bioethics and gender equity in academic medicine.
Jagsi said she hopes to inspire graduates to reflect on what drew them to the field of medicine, the people who helped make their accomplishment possible, and their duty to use their voice and professional privilege to be a force of good.
“Equity is not a polarizing concept,” she said. “It is simply the pursuit of respectful, fair treatment of everyone in our society. Not only is it the right thing to do for us to make sure that all people have access to the best quality of healthcare we can provide and that all people have the opportunity to contribute their talents to the healthcare professions — it is the smart thing to do as well. It helps us accomplish our mission of elevating the health of our whole society.”
As UToledo’s newly minted physicians begin their practice, she encouraged them to both serve and listen to their patients.
“Patients are our best teachers,” she said. “One of my patients still texts me every birthday; another recently sent me a book of gratitude prayers; yet another filmed a video to inspire other patients to participate in clinical research. These are the human connections that make this career worthwhile.”
In addition to delivering the keynote address, she will be awarded an honorary doctor of science degree.
The College of Medicine and Life Sciences’ ceremony is UToledo’s final spring commencement ceremony.
UToledo hosted multiple spring commencement ceremonies for the colleges of Arts and Letters, Business and Innovation, Education, Engineering, Health and Human Services, Law, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Nursing and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences May 2, 3 and 11.
