Highlights from Commencement 2009
©Brook Photo
With access to health care topping the current political agenda, Puliafito acknowledged the challenges and opportunities ahead for the 193 graduates who received the Doctor of Medicine degrees at the ceremony in the Shrine Auditorium. “Equipped with your formidable clinical skills and with a strong moral and ethical compass, I guarantee that you will be personally and professionally challenged in ways that you cannot imagine today,” he said.
Eight of the graduates received a Doctor of Philosophy in conjunction with a medical degree, and three received a joint degree with a Master of Business Administration.
At the Keck School ceremony, Puliafito reflected on reports of medical professionals’ involvement in Central Intelligence Agency interrogations of prisoners.
“The ethics of medicine are rooted in the basic idea that society can trust physicians in all circumstances to do no harm,” said Puliafito. “The American Medical Association’s code of ethics clearly states that physicians must oppose and must not participate in torture for any reason because participation in torture undermines the physician’s role as healer. ... As you start your medical careers, I urge you to uphold the highest standard of medical ethics, no matter how challenging the circumstances. We expect nothing less.”
(Read a transcript of the dean’s remarks.)
USC Executive Vice President and Provost C.L. Max Nikias predicted a coming revolution in the field of medicine, one that the current graduates will lead. “Many of you will go on to take roles that past generations, maybe even this generation, would see as miraculous, as you bring sight to the blind and help the lame to walk, and help the elderly live longer than ever before,” said Nikias. “Your accomplishments will be astonishing.”
Peter Katsufrakis, vice president of assessment programs, National Board of Medical Examiners, gave a commencement address at the Keck School ceremony. Katsufrakis is a former associate dean for student affairs of the Keck School.
He presented graduates with his top ten pieces of advice for new doctors, concluding with a singular message to embrace challenges.
“What I wish for you all, is that you have a really hard time in medicine,” said Katsufrakis. “I hope there are moments where you don’t know what to do, and it scares you to death. I want you to question your qualifications, and rarely, but sometimes, question your right to be a doctor. And when you do that, I hope that every time, you come away feeling stronger, and more sure of yourself, and more committed to the rightness of the path you have chosen.”
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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