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Celebrating UConn Health’s Class of 2024

Husky Pride Shines at UConn Health’s 53rd Commencement
Lauren Woods | Mon, May 6, 2024

On May 6 pure Husky pride was in the eyes and smiles of the hundreds of graduates from UConn Health’s three schools proudly walking across the stage at the Jorgenson Center for the Performing Arts in Storrs to receive their health care degrees from the University of Connecticut.

UConn Health is the number one producer of Connecticut’s health care workforce including doctors of medicine and dental medicine, and many scientists and public health experts too.

UConn Health’s Class of 2024 included 48 new dentists from the UConn School of Dental Medicine, 98 new physicians from the UConn School of Medicine, and over 75 scientists and masters of public health from the UConn Graduate School programs with degrees across Doctor of Philosophy in biomedical science; Doctor of Philosophy in public health; Master of dental science; Master of public health; Master of science in biomedical science; and Master of science in clinical and translational research.

UConn Health 53rd Commencement
 

Since 1972, UConn Health has produced 4,184 physicians and 1,993 dentists, and trained more than 1,000 public health experts and 700 scientists.

The Class of 2024 had an incredibly special Commencement speaker wishing to personally congratulate and share her Husky pride with them, UConn President Dr. Radenka Maric.

“Go Huskies! I am so proud of you and congratulations,” shared Maric with the UConn Health Class of 2024. “It’s a hard journey but I know you are the best! Your heart and dedication to your profession is amazing.”

“Next is the long journey to change the world,” said Maric who in her Commencement address heartwarmingly reminisced how one of her proudest moments of being UConn President was witnessing UConn Health students and staff providing free dental care and health screenings to over 1,000 underserved Connecticut residents in need during a two-day Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic hosted at UConn Health. 

UConn President Dr. Radenka Maric delivering her Commencement Speaker address to UConn Health’s Class of 2024 (Photo by Thomas Hurlbut).

The three School deans echoed President Maric’s Husky pride.

“As of today, you are now part of our proud legacy and carry the flag for UConn as the number one source of current and future physicians and surgeons for Connecticut,” shared Dean Dr. Bruce T. Liang who also serves as UConn Health’s Interim CEO. “It gives me great pleasure to congratulate each of you newly minted physicians and scholars for making it through the medical school with your hard work together with your fellow classmates, faculty, staff and families!”

UConn School of Dental Medicine Dean Dr. Steven Lepowsky shared with the Class of 2024, “You have distinguished yourselves through academic achievement and by your commitment to service. You have inspired us with your empathy, your compassion, and your talents. I ask you to always remember that you have been given an incredible opportunity to improve the lives and well-being of others. 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.”

“Our world needs people like you more than ever before. You have the power to imagine better! This is a start of a new journey,” shared Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of The Graduate School, Kent Holsinger, in his address to those receiving a graduate degree in Master of Public Health or a Doctor of Philosophy.

Holsinger urged UConn Health’s graduates to use their status and voice to give voice to others without one. Holsinger is retiring after serving 12 years as Dean and Vice Provost and over 38 years overall at UConn. Leslie Shor, Ph.D., has been appointed to succeed him.

“I wish each and every member of the Class of 2024 the very best – wherever life takes you,” said Dean Lepowsky.

“We cannot wait to see what you do next!” added Dean Liang.

Barbara E. Kream, Ph.D., associate dean of The Graduate School also shares her immense pride of her graduate students and all they have accomplished during their UConn Health programs.

“To the students and their families, I send my warmest congratulations and best wishes for a bright and happy future,” says Kream.

Student Speakers Shine at Commencement

Inspiring Commencement student speaker with a passion for global health from the Graduate School programs was Nuratu Quarshie, who earned a Master of Public Health degree. After graduation, she plans to work in the global health sector in her pursuit of a more equitable world.

“My inspiration to enter public health came from my upbringing in Ghana, where I witnessed the firsthand impact that access to quality health care and surrounding determinants of health can have on individuals and communities. ‘How can I help as many people as possible?’ This question was my primary motivation,” says Quarshie.

“Being a part of UConn, for me, signifies not only academic achievement but also a commitment to service, leadership, and lifelong learning. It represents a journey of personal and professional growth,” says Quarshie who proudly bleeds UConn blue. “Walking across that stage, getting my degree—it’s the peak of years of hustle, sweat, and a whole lot of heart.”

Commencement student speaker from the Graduate School now a Master of Public Health was Nuratu Quarshie (Photo by Thomas Hurlbut).

While born in Atlanta, she was raised in Ghana. She founded the Health Haven Foundation for marginalized communities in Ghana, which aims to provide accessible and comprehensive primary care services.  She is also actively engaged in efforts to provide nutritious meals for primary school students in Tanzania, acknowledging the interdependence of health and education. Quarshie’s dedication extends beyond borders, as she mentors young girls in Cape Coast, Ghana, empowering and guiding them to pursue careers in public health and STEM fields. Her innovative capstone project to address critical health disparities focused on “Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health Through Mobile Clinic Services for Women in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

In her Commencement graduate school student speaker address, she applauded the support her and the fellow students received by the UConn community that believes in all their potential.

UConn Health 53rd Commencement: Now Dr. Bruce Anthony Rheaume with his family including son Anthony who helped Dad accept his UConn medical degree on stage at Commencement.

“Here, at UConn, I found my ‘why,’ a platform not only to apply scientific principles but to address the broader determinants of health, advocate for equity, and contribute to meaningful change across borders,” Quarshie shared. “They’ve prepared us to tackle the real-world challenges that await us. As we embark on our careers, let us carry forward the lessons of collaboration, compassion, and innovation that have been instilled in us.

“We are now part of a global effort to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities,” Quarshie added.

Dental School Commencement student speaker and now Dr. Anthony Pérez-Pino (Photo by Thomas Hurlbut).

Dental School Commencement student speaker and Class of 2024 graduate was Anthony Pérez-Pino from Miami. He is the first in his Cuban family to earn a doctoral degree in the United States. He carries with him his high school’s motto ‘men for others’ and is dedicating his life to serving others as a dentist.

After achieving the degree of his dreams from UConn, Pino heads to residency training in orthodontics at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City where he aims to acquire the skills necessary to make a lifelong impact on his patients and serve his community.

“Choosing this institution to pursue my DMD education, was among the best decisions of my life. My experience as a student here has surpassed all of my expectations, and I will look fondly at these times,” says Pérez-Pino. “This school feels like a giant family, and it’s a privilege to be a part of it.”

Pérez-Pino adds, “I am immensely proud of all of us. We went through a lot of hardships to get here, and this is going to be a very memorable day for all of us. I feel blessed to share this moment with the Class of 2024.”

UConn Health 53rd Commencement: New Dr. Maria Elena Navedo accepted her UConn medical degree on stage in Storrs with the help of daughter Gianna.

In his Commencement dental student speaker address he shared, “To the parents, extended family, partners, friends, faculty, and classmates who have been our bedrock—this is as much your accomplishment as it is ours. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day nor by a single individual, our success is the fruit of a supportive community that stood with us every step of the way.”

Pino concluded, “As we bid farewell to this significant chapter of our lives, let’s carry forward these memories, lessons, and wonderful friendships into our next endeavors. Congratulations to the Class of 2024, and here’s to the remarkable journeys that lie ahead.”

Commencement medical student speaker and now Dr. Perpetual Essence Adachukwu Chiamaka Taylor.

In her Commencement medical student speaker address graduating Perpetual Essence Adachukwu Chiamaka Taylor shared, “I am so proud of you all as my classmates- it felt like just the other day, we were the incoming COVID class and now look at us!”

“I am still in awe that the time has finally come to receive my M.D.” says Taylor who was raised in Cromwell, Conn. She has been interested in becoming a physician since she was a little girl and her experiences witnessing her youngest brother, Jayden, suffer from congenital heart disease as an infant and need open-heart surgery inspired her to pursue pediatrics. Also as a Christian, she has always believed in taking care of those who cannot care for themselves – a value that has guided her throughout her life.

After being a behavior technician and caring for a young boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder, the experience was the first of many to entice her toward pursuing a career in child psychiatry. After graduation Perpetual’s is headed to residency training in Pediatrics/Psychiatry/Child Psychiatry at Brown University Rhode Island Hospital. Her ultimate dream is to work in a pediatric emergency room, stabilizing children with medical and/or psychiatric crises and treating every patient and their family member with compassion, dignity, and humility.

When she thinks of UConn, she will always remember her “excellent scientific and clinical training” and most of all “the people” at UConn.

“I’ve made fond memories and lifelong friends through UConn,” Taylor says.

Faculty Recognition

At Commencement the 2024 UConn Health Board of Directors Faculty Recognition Award was presented to Robert Aseltine, Jr., Ph.D.

Aseltine is the professor and chair in the Division of Behavioral Sciences and Community Health in the School of Dental Medicine and director of the Center for Population Health at UConn Health. NIH-funded Aseltine is a medical sociologist whose work is broadly focused on the utilization of health care claims, electronic health records, and patient reported outcome data for health surveillance, monitoring, and clinical decision support. Over the past 30 years, Aseltine has led studies investigating diverse health outcomes, mental health and substance abuse, and suicide prevention.

“Dr. Aseltine has an impressive record of academic accomplishments, dedicated service, and contributions that have led to improvements in the health and wellbeing of at-risk individuals and communities,” said School of Dental Medicine Dean Lepowsky. “He is most deserving of this honor from the UConn Health Board of Directors.”

 

 

 

Watch the livestream of UConn Health’s 53rd Commencement.