Mayo Medical School and Mayo Graduate School 2003 Commencement Ceremony Held

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Ninety-one new physicians and medical scientists have received their M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Medical School (MMS) and Mayo Graduate School (MGS) held a joint commencement ceremony for their 2003 graduating classes on Saturday, May 17, in the Siebens Medical Education Building located on Mayo Clinic's downtown Rochester campus. Richard Weinshilboum, M.D., a Mayo physician, researcher and pioneer in the field of pharmacogenomics, delivered the commencement address.

"It is exciting to see these graduates advance in their careers – they have worked so hard to attain the skill and knowledge required to practice medicine and research," said Anthony Windebank, M.D., dean of Mayo Medical School. "We are entering a new era of medical practice and research. These graduates will lead us through the revolution in medical care that will take place in the next 25 years."

Forty-three students received medical doctorate (M.D.) degrees. Twenty-four students received master's degrees, and 24 students were granted doctorate degrees (Ph.D.) in biomedical research. MGS and MMS awarded five students, who have completed eight years of training as physicians and biomedical research scientists, with M.D./Ph.D. degrees.

"All of our graduates have an important role in the future of medicine," explained Richard A. Robb, Ph.D., associate dean of Mayo Graduate School. "Our Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. graduates will help to fulfill an increasingly needed role as scientists who can advance basic biomedical discoveries and translate them into improved diagnoses and treatments for patients."

Mayo Medical School was established in 1972 and is among the top-ranked medical schools in the U.S. The medical school annually accepts 42 new students and has a total annual enrollment of 166 students. Mayo Graduate School was established in 1989 and grants Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D. and master's degrees in seven biomedical science fields. The school has an enrollment of 182 students.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Richard Weinshilboum is a long standing consultant at Mayo Clinic, and a world-renowned researcher who has helped to identify the genetic reasons why individual patients respond differently to medications. His ground-breaking research has helped make it possible to predict and prevent life-threatening, genetically determined drug reactions to disease treatments for childhood leukemia, inflammatory bowel disease and organ transplantation.

Contact:
Susan Fargo Prosser
John Murphy
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511 (evenings)
e-mail: newsbureau@mayo.edu

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