The newest medical doctors to graduate from the Wayne State University School of Medicine said farewell to their home of the last four years June 2

under unique circumstances, and are launching their health care careers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 500 people tuned in to watch  the School of Medicine virtually celebrate its 274 graduating medical students via a special broadcast at commencement.med.wayne.edu.

The virtual ceremony was another byproduct of COVID-19, the ongoing pandemic that led to the cancellation of all in-person events at Wayne State University since mid-March.

The ceremony began with members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra playing the traditional graduation tune, “Pomp and Circumstance,” remotely. Then, Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Career Development Margit Chadwell, M.D., welcomed viewers as the ceremony’s emcee, and addressed the new doctors directly.

“Coronavirus may have felled our commencement, but it has not destroyed our resolve. Your extraordinary achievements stand as a testament to what we knew about you all along, and what the rest of the world will now discover. That you are second to none in your academic achievements, your commitment to service, your clinical preparedness and your Warrior spirit,” Dr. Chadwell said.

A live chat coinciding with the streaming video garnered an abundance of congratulatory messages for the Class of 2020 from family and friends, as well as staff and faculty of the School of Medicine.

“Congrats Ankush Chandra! So proud of you and looking forward (to) seeing what great things you are going to do next,” read one message.

Another feted graduate Michael Gaona. “Dr. Gaona! Lil hermano! So proud of where God is taking you. You are an amazing role model. Love you more than you know. Continue to shine the light God gave you. You are making a huge difference in this world,” Michelle Gaona wrote.

The video, filmed last month in the school’s Shiffman Medical Library, included addresses by Dean Mark Schweitzer, M.D.; WSU President M. Roy Wilson; WSU Board of Governors Chair Marilyn Kelly; Vice Dean of Medical Education Richard Baker, M.D.; Medical Alumni Association President Jack Folbe, M.D. ’89; Class President David Gelovani; and keynote speaker Jack D. Sobel, M.D., distinguished professor of Medicine who served as dean of the medical school from 2014 to April 2020.

Dr. Sobel acknowledged the pandemic’s effect on the new physicians, the city of Detroit, and the future challenges of clinical medicine.

“I shepherded you into the School of Medicine in 2016, and I am honored to see you launched into your careers in a matter of days,” Dr. Sobel said. “Not for 100 years has a graduating class been called to step into a future with more purpose, energy, vision and hope than the Class of 2020. Congratulations as you go forward to meet the infinitely challenging rewards of your chosen career.”

Dr. Gelovani, who will start his Internal Medicine residency with Henry Ford Health System in Detroit next month, reminded his classmates of all the good they have done in their four years as medical students, from community engagement to remarkable research.

“I am humble and proud to be graduating with this cohort of outstanding physicians. Our classmates have accomplished so many great things in such a short amount time. As we move forward, we will remember our times at medical school fondly, and hope to follow your career closely with excitement. I will see you at the reunions,” Dr. Gelovani said.

In an especially poignant moment, Dr. Baker administered the Hippocratic Oath to the graduating physicians, with several students appearing on screen, both on their own and in a split-screen effect, reciting the entire oath together.

Finally, Dr. Chadwell announced each new doctor’s name as a scrolling graphic featured their name, photo, residency placement, specialty, and honors, honor societies and awards.

“Your accomplishments are no less significant because of this first virtual commencement,” Dean Schweitzer reminded the graduates in his first graduation address at WSU. “You and your families have every right to be proud, and to celebrate this important milestone.

The current pandemic may have altered this tradition, but it certainly has not halted it.”