Geisel Celebrates Health Sciences Education Class of 2025

On Friday, June 13, Geisel School of Medicine celebrated the academic accomplishments of 116 of its Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science (MS), and Master of Health Administration (MHA) graduates at the 2025 Health Science Education Class Day.

The annual Class Day event, held on Dartmouth’s Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center lawn with family and friends in attendance, gave the graduates a chance to reflect on their educational journeys and the special relationships they have formed as members of the Dartmouth community.

Geisel Associate Dean for Health Sciences Craig Westling, DrPH, MPH’09, MS, welcomed everyone to the ceremony, which featured keynote speaker Emmanuel Mensah, D’09, MD, MBA.

“In a world shaped by complex health challenges and profound inequities, you, our graduates, are needed more than ever,” said Westling. “You are bringing with you not only rigorous training and robust skillsets, but also a deep sense of purpose and compassion. We thank you and are excited to see the impact you’ll make.”

In his address, Mensah, who serves as the chief medical officer of ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital and clinical assistant professor of medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, reflected on some of his experiences growing up in Ghana—where one of his favorite phrases, “keeping it real,” reflected the giving spirit of its people.

To illustrate this, Mensah told a story about the neighbor of an orphaned 13-year-old girl with HIV who had taken her to see him when he worked at an HIV clinic. When he asked her why she remained so devoted to caring for a child that wasn’t hers, she responded, “Doctor, life is about being a blessing onto others. This child doesn’t deserve to suffer because of the consequences she was born into. I’m just ‘keeping it real.’”

He then shared five meanings of the phrase that he hopes the graduates will take with them on their respective journeys: “serving others, asking questions and pushing the status quo, facing failure and having resilience, being humble, and focusing on the things that matter.” In congratulating the Class of 2025, Mensah added, “Go far, go together, go with purpose, keep it real, and most importantly, may your work be your proverb to the world.”

Alumni speaker Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH’23, who specializes in sports medicine and foot/ankle surgery at the Bass Medical Group in California, told the new alums to “keep networking; your connections to Dartmouth are more important than AI. And remember, AI means something different thanks to former Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens—adapt and improvise, good advice on how to succeed in this world.”

In his closing remarks, Geisel Dean Duane Compton, PhD, commended John Ross and Victoria Callahan for their student speeches at the previous day’s MPH/MS Healthcare Research Awards Ceremony.

“John, you emphasized the importance of adherence to core values in public health as a guiding principle. And Victoria, you talked about how you remain grounded and fulfilled through your commitment to a purpose that’s larger than yourself. Those messages carry extra meaning in our world today given events where people and populations are increasingly marginalized by geopolitics,” said Compton.

In admiration, he added, “All of you have committed to applying yourself to making advancements that will improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and populations. In choosing a professional career path in this way, you are choosing a value of altruism and generosity toward helping others. There’s no higher calling than that.”

Class Marshals for the Class Day event included: Courtney Elaine Camenzind (MHA), Yihan (Ethan) Zhang (MS – Epidemiology), Jessica Nicole Leishman (Online and Hybrid MPH Program), and Pooja K. Patel (Residential MPH and MS Healthcare Research Programs).

Written by Timothy Dean

POSTED 6/17/2025 AT 10:55 AM IN #ClassDay #Graduation #mph #MS #2025 #MHA