Beginning's End
Extensive training, critical hands-on experiences and invaluable mentorship prepared the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Class of 2024 to become healthcare leaders and innovators. In May, that preparation paid off during Commencement Week as graduates celebrated the end of their medical education journeys during Commencement Week. Here’s a quick glimpse into some of the memories made.
209 total Doctor of Medicine graduates in the class of 2024:
- 72 Master of Science in Anesthesia
- 27 Master of Public Health
- 31 PhD
- 35 Physician Assistant
“Commit your purpose, for you all are giants. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
- Monica Lypson, MD (MED ’96), Rolf H. Scholdager Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and vice dean for medical education, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Accomplished Alumni
2024 School of Medicine alumni and achievement award winners at the Homecoming and Reunion Weekend:
- James W. Brodsky, MD (MED ’79) Distinguished Alumni Award (MD category)
- Michael Lobritz, MD, PhD (GRS ’07, molecular biology and microbiology; MED ’09) Distinguished Alumni Award (PhD or MD/PhD category)
- Christopher P. Brandt, MD (WRC ’80, MED ’84) The Clifford J. Vogt, MD ’34 Service Award
- Carl A. Robson, MD (MED ’66) Special Recognition Award
- Paige Cramer Lacatena, PhD (GRS ’12, neurosciences) Early Career Leadership Award
- George Picha Jr., MD, PhD (GRS ’74, ’76; MED ’80) Lifetime Achievement Award
- Wanda Cruz-Knight, MD (MED ’97) Robert L. Haynie, MD ’78, PhD ’72 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award
- Belinda Yen-Lieberman, PhD Honorary Alumnus of the Year Award
Looking Back - And Forward
Reminiscing about the past, learning about the future at Homecoming and Reunion Week.
When they were students, interactive escape rooms and artificial intelligence were something that many Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine alumni couldn’t even imagine.
And it certainly wasn’t something they’d ever consider to be part of medical education.
But that’s exactly what they saw when they toured the Zubizarreta Immersive Learning Suite and Simulation Center at their alma mater during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend in November.
While many alumni marveled at the advances in medical education at the Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion (top right), others reconnected at the annual MedConnect Mentoring and Networking Brunch, or the Dean’s Distinguished Lectures, featuring keynote speakers Richard Woychik, PhD (GRS ’84, molecular biology and microbiology), director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and Gary E. Beven, MD (MED ’89), chief of the Space Medicine Operations Division at NASA Johnson Space Center.
Past met present when both alumni and students gathered for the annual Dean’s Welcome Back Soirée, which featured the 2024 Medical Alumni Awards.