Students celebrate convocation
"I remember times where, in really challenging patient moments, the strength you have to pull through is often driven by the strength that your patients have to keep on going.
"I think it's these moments when you reflect on where you are and where you're going that, I think, are really important for students."
Irfan Kherani, former president of the Medical Students' Association and vice-president of medical education for the Canadian Federation of Medical Students, is one of more than 350 learners from five undergraduate programs and 12 graduate programs in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry who accepted their degrees at the spring 2015 convocation ceremony on June 5, marking their important next steps into their respective fields.
For Kherani, that integration means moving to Ottawa, where he will join the ophthalmology residency program. The highly competitive program was his first choice, and he's confident that he has the clinical expertise to rise to challenge. In fact, he notes that the faculty's "long standing tradition of strong clinical teaching" is one of the reasons that he came to the U of A.
"I think every member of my class is very thankful that we have such strong and dedicated faculty here at the U of A who prioritizes clinical training," he says in a sentiment shared by lead of the Faculty of Medicine & Denistry.
"Not so long ago, I stood exactly where our graduates are standing now, and I can recall the thrill of entering a career that I hold so much passion for," says Richard Fedorak, interim dean of the faculty and an alumnus of the MD class of 1978. "I'm confident that our newest colleagues have been equipped with the tools they need to excel and uphold the University of Alberta's tradition of world-class clinical care and research."
The faculty welcomed another special guest at the ceremony: Dennis Slamon received an honorary doctor of science degree. Slamon gained international fame in the field of oncology for his role in developing Herceptin, a drug that targets a gene alteration that is present in approximately 25 per cent of patients fighting breast cancer. Over the course of his career, he has a multitude of accolades, including a Canada Gairdner International Award-generally considered a precursor to the Nobel Prize in Medicine-and an American Cancer Society's Medal of Honor. He is currently director of clinical/translational research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and director of the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
During his address, Slamon recounted an adage of a devout farmer who, out of faith that his "maker" would care for him in times of severe flooding, missed salvation in the form of rescue by two boats and helicopter. When the farmer drowned, his maker asked why he hadn't taken the salvation he sent offered on those occasions.
When Salmon and his colleagues began examining the molecular composition of breast cancers in various women-work that led to the development of Herceptin-he says this adage was a guiding principle. "Don't miss the obvious," he warned graduates.
"Let me say that I share the excitement that you've heard from the stage today about what you have to your future. … What you have available to you, in terms of the technologies that are now available, what you've learned about, how you can apply them, is absolutely remarkable. The future is indeed yours. Seize it and don't forget the boats and the helicopters."
Since it was founded in 1913, the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry has graduated approximately 14,000 health professionals in the fields of medicine, dentistry, dental hygiene and medical laboratory science, as well as researchers with advanced degrees in biological and medical sciences.