UConn Graduates the Next Generation of the Health Care Workforce
On May 12, UConn Health’s 54th Commencement graduated its Class of 2025, adding 113 physicians, 51 dentists, and 94 scientists and public health experts to the health care workforce of Connecticut and our nation.
UConn Health is proudly the longstanding number one producer of Connecticut’s health care workforce. In fact, since 1972 it has produced 4,297 physicians, 2,044 dentists, and nearly 800 scientists and public health experts.
The hundreds of new graduates of UConn Health’s three schools—the School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, and the UConn Graduate School—received their diplomas in the Jorgenson Center for the Performing Arts at UConn Storrs.
The health professions graduates were inspired by the very special Commencement speaker’s address by Connecticut’s number one public health official, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Manisha Juthani.
The Commissioner shared with the graduates how, “Today, you join a profession that has the privilege of being present for life’s most profound moments—births and deaths, diagnoses and recoveries, breakthroughs and setbacks. Treat that privilege with the reverence it deserves.”
The Commissioner added, “You’ve been trained at UConn Health to be more than just technically proficient practitioners or researchers. You’ve been trained to be healers, scientists, and advocates who see the whole person, the whole community. Remember the patient whose pain you relieved, the research breakthrough that expanded knowledge, the community health initiative that improved lives.”
Commissioner Juthani concluded, “In your faces today, I see the future of health care in Connecticut and beyond!”
Radenka Maric, president of UConn, also addressed the graduating class. “Going forward you are going to be a healer.”
She reminded the hundreds of new UConn made physicians and scientists to always remember to “give back” and concluded “congratulations, go Huskies!”
The Deans of the three Schools also spoke at Commencement.
In her remarks Leslie Shor, Ph.D., vice provost for Graduate Education and dean of the UConn Graduate School shared, “To all our graduates of the Graduate School – way to go! This is a commencement and commencement means beginning. You are just getting started! Congratulations to all the graduates.”
“Your class has done exceedingly well, with UConn experiencing its largest medical Match Day ever, with 60 percent of you matching to your No. 1 residency program choice, and 81 percent of you matching to one of your top three,” shared medical school dean Dr. Bruce T. Liang while addressing the School of Medicine’s Class of 2025. “I know you will carry your unique and triumphant medical educational experience as a badge of honor with you forever. And you also get to carry with you the great pride and prestige of being a UConn-trained doctor, bringing cutting-edge medicine and community service to others in their greatest time of need, and always with the UConn touch of empathy, kindness, and compassion. That’s what it means to be a UConn doctor.”
In addition, Dean Liang led a moment of silence to remember Dr. Dustin Moore of the Class of 2025 who recently passed away, asking his fellow graduates to always remember him “for his compassion, kindness and unwavering courage as he fought even as his dreams were cut short.” Also, heartwarmingly when Dr. Dustin Moore’s name was called aloud as a Class of 2025 graduate the audience gave him a standing ovation.
Dr. Steven Lepowsky, dean of the School of Dental Medicine, delivered his address to the School’s Class of 2025: “You have accomplished much during your time with us. You have distinguished yourselves through academic achievement and by your commitment to service.”
Lepowsky added, “You have inspired us with your empathy, your compassion, and your talents. I congratulate you on all of your remarkable achievements, but I challenge you to continue to strive for excellence in all that you do – for that is truly the hallmark of a UConn grad.”
“I am immensely proud of our graduate students who have worked very hard to earn their degrees. To this bright and accomplished group, I extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes as they take the next steps in their careers,” shares Barbara E. Kream, Ph.D., associate dean of The Graduate School with her Class of 2025 graduate students.
“We cannot wait to see what you do next Class of 2025! Go Huskies!” concluded Dean Liang.
Student Speakers Shine at Commencement
Three outstanding graduates were selected by their peers to speak at graduation.
“To my family—Mom, Dad—thank you. I know it wasn’t easy to come to America, to start from scratch. Being a first-generation American-born child and student wasn’t always easy, but your sacrifices made this day possible. Every overnight shift, every white coat ceremony, every anatomy exam—I carried you with me. This degree is not just mine—it belongs to you. To my aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and grandparents—this is for you, too. We made it,” exclaimed Dr. Daniella Dennis, UConn School of Medicine Commencement student speaker who will be staying at UConn for emergency medicine residency training. She grew up in nearby New Britain, Conn. Her parents immigrated to America from Jamaica in the late 1990s. Her mother was a Certified Nursing Assistant which introduced her to the medical field. Before UConn medical school she was an EMT and a patient care technician during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is the proud first-generation college graduate and first doctor in her family.
Dennis said, “Now we’re stepping into our next chapter—our new careers as physicians. Class of 2025, congratulations. We made it. I love you all. Let’s go make the world a little better—one patient at a time.”
“It’s an absolute honor to be standing here today representing the Graduate School,” shared Commencement student speaker and Class of 2025 graduate Kristina Delgado, Ph.D. who earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Science. “If you had told me years ago that I’d be standing here today, giving a commencement speech, I probably would’ve laughed—and laughed hard. Growing up on a farm in South America, I never imagined I’d become a Ph.D. Then again, I never could’ve imagined myself at 18, a U.S. Navy sailor launching jets off an aircraft carrier, or four years later as a laboratory scientist working with tier-one infectious agents.”
“Let’s be bold!” Delgado added, “We chose these paths—medicine, dentistry, public health, and biomedical research—because we care. We are driven by a desire to help, to heal, to discover, and to improve lives. That shared purpose is what unites us. And now, with our degrees in hand, it’s time to turn the passion that brought us here into action. It is our time! Keep growing. Keep showing up. Keep making a difference because the world needs what we bring. From this moment on, it is our turn.”
The dental school’s Commencement student speaker was Dr. Kristina Dubois who earned her DMD degree. She has always been captivated by people’s smiles and guided by a deep sense of empathy and a passion for helping others, so she naturally gravitated toward a career in dental medicine. She is a dental assistant turned dentist.
“Each patient who enters our practices brings their stories, hopes, and fears. Whether it’s the comforting smile we share with a nervous child or the patience and empathy we extend to an anxious adult, we must approach every interaction with compassion and understanding, even when our patients lie about how often they floss. But let’s be honest, don’t we all,” said Dubois.
She concluded, “My fellow graduates, as we embark on our professional journeys, I encourage each of you to carry this message with you. Throughout each patient encounter, remember that your words, touch, and empathy leave a lasting impact. We are not merely practitioners of dentistry; we are healers and caregivers. Let’s never reduce our work to procedures and paperwork. Let’s choose to be the kind of doctors who make our patient’s feel seen, heard, and safe.”
Watch the replay of the livestream of UConn Health’s 54th Commencement.
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