2022 Spring hooding ceremony celebrates Ohio State’s medical students

On Thursday, May 5, graduating medical students gathered at The Ohio State University Mershon Auditorium for The Ohio State University College of Medicine's 2022 Doctoral Convocation, also known as the Hooding Ceremony. The placement of the doctoral hood recognizes students completing their medical degrees and welcomes them into the profession of medicine. The ceremony also touts the many achievements of its graduating class.

During the ceremony collective speakers shared their admiration for Ohio State's medical students. Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, dean of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, shared her reverence and some sage advice with the 2022 graduates, reminding them to take care of themselves so they have the strength to care for others.

“Medicine is a calling, not a job,” said Dr. Bradford. “This is the day that marks the beginning of the next step in your journey to becoming physicians who will drive breakthrough health care solutions. You are — and will continue to be — the heroes that the public relies upon. I wish each and every one of you a rewarding and successful career."

Awards were then presented for students and faculty. Kanu Goyal, MD, clinical associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery-Hand Surgery, and Troy Schaffernocker, MD, assistant professor of Internal Medicine, were awarded the 2022 Faculty Teaching Award. Melissa Quinn, PhD, clinical assistant professor of Biomedical Education and Anatomy, was awarded the highly coveted 2022 Professor the Year. Dr. Quinn then gave the keynote speech where she shared that the Class of 2022 was her first medical school class and that she felt like a proud mother, getting ready to watch 197 doctors take their first steps.

She also shared a word of advice, reminding that in the midst of saving lives, physicians should never forget to try to make people smile.

“Hold onto those fresh eyes. Your work is about people and all people matter and how you treat people matters,” said Dr. Quinn. “You are doctors, and you did this together.”

Following recitation of the class oath, graduating students lined up to be adorned in hoods. Graduates then listened intently to a recording of Ohio State's alma mater, "Carmen Ohio." The auditorium was filled with many gleaming eyes.

Preceding the Hooding Ceremony, the Ohio State College of Medicine held its Honors Convocation to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of its medical students. Awards included:

• Zachary Jay Smith for the Daniel Howland Prize
• Sheila Chienyenwa Okere for Excellence in Public Health, awarded by the U.S. Public Health Service Physicians Professional Advisory Committee
• Kevin Johns, MD, clinical assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, for the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation
• Kariss Michelle Alcorn, Jennifer Tianyao Dai, Catherine Ann Fabian, Elizabeth Aurora Page and Carly G. Sobol for the Linda C. Stone, MD Program for Humanism and the Arts in Medicine Senior Recognition Awards
• Paige Titus Spieth was awarded Advanced Management in Relationship-Centered Care Student of the Year
• Caitlin Elizabeth Coombes was awarded Advanced Management in Hospital-Based Care Student of the Year

In addition to these accolades, the Ohio State College of Medicine's clinical departments granted a total of 50 awards to the Class of 2022. Daniel Clinchot, MD, vice dean for Education, closed the event by expressing his deep pride in the Class of 2022 and wishing them all the best in their residency programs and careers.

The Ohio State College of Medicine's Class of 2022 includes approximately 150 graduate students from Anatomy, Bioethics, Biomedical Sciences, Genetic Counseling and Health Sciences, as well as more than 450 undergraduate students majoring in biomedical science and health and rehabilitation sciences. This spring, more than 800 students graduated from the Ohio State College of Medicine.

Congratulations to the Class of 2022!