Record rain and flooding couldn’t stop Baylor’s 2015 Commencement ceremony, where 184 medical students and 92 students from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences earned their degrees. The ceremony was held Tuesday, May 26, at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for Performing Arts in downtown Houston.
Baylor President, CEO and Executive Dean Dr. Paul Klotman talked to the graduates, who were joined by a large crowd of family, friends and faculty members, about the challenges and opportunities in healthcare.
“Despite having more information than ever, we don’t have the answers to the biggest challenges facing us now. In fact, the ratio of information to knowledge is higher than the last 400 years in medicine when gross anatomy provided vast amounts of new information with no knowledge of function,” he said.
“The biggest challenges in America remain without solutions,” he said, citing healthcare issues related to cost of care, payment for care, providing insurance for the uninsured, and health care for the poor and for undocumented residents.
“But where there are challenges, there is opportunity. And the opportunities in healthcare have never been greater,” Klotman said. “Whether it is new approaches to the discovery of drugs, transformational technologies to expand access to or delivery of care, or novel ways to approach the health of populations, the opportunity to innovate and transform has never been more apparent.”
“Incremental change will not solve the healthcare challenges we face in our country,” he continued. The scientists and physicians graduating today who embrace change and innovation and look for the uncharted path, will be the ones who solve the problems we face.”
A number of honorary degrees were conferred at the ceremony, and the Commencent address was given by Melanie Gray, a partner at Winston & Strawn’s Houston office, who challenged the students to recognize the importance of mentorship, both in being a good mentor and continuing to seek mentors as they progress in their careers.
For full coverage of 2015 Commencement, read the online press release, see photos on Baylor’s Facebook, and visit Baylor’s Momentum blog.
BCM Family 