The Class of 2020 President David Gelovani, M.D., and his 273 classmates are the first group in the more than 150-year history of the Wayne State University School of Medicine to graduate from medical school virtually.
They became physicians in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation and dramatic reinvention of the traditional hooding and commencement ceremony, Match Day, Senior Week, the charitable Lampoon show and many other celebrations. Instead of standing shoulder to shoulder with classmates, they sat at a computer, watching the moments for which they had been waiting unfold on a monitor.
“However, this surely is a proud moment for my classmates and their families, friends and colleagues,” he said. “We are becoming physicians during a unique moment in medical history that will change the way people live their daily lives, interact with each other, and ultimately, the way we practice medicine. I am humbled and proud to be graduating with this cohort of outstanding physicians.”
Dr. Gelovani will begin his residency with Henry Ford Health System’s Internal Medicine program in July.
While at WSU, Dr. Gelovani was a founding member of the First Aid First Student Organization, medical clinic coordinator of the Community Homeless Interprofessional Program Clinic, and an inductee of the Aesculapians Service Honor Society and Gold Humanism Honor Society.
In his final year, he received the Herbert Mendelson Enthusiasm for Medicine Endowed Award and the Stephen Abrahamson Award for Innovation in Medical Education Research. He won the latter for his research project on the importance of presenting subspecialty cases to student interest groups in medical schools.
Dr. Gelovani hopes to stay in touch with each of his classmates, following their careers closely and celebrating their many achievements to come.
“Our classmates have accomplished so many great things in such a short amount of time. We have changed the landscape of medicine through enacting legislation, remarkable research, community engagement academic excellence and more. Every classmate I have interacted with has left me inspired by their passion, ingenuity and resilience,” he said.