RSOM Class of 2024 Includes 125 New MDs
The Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University celebrated 50 years with its 2024 convocation on May 14, as 125 graduates received their Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. Since the first graduating class of 18 people in 1974, more than 5,000 people have earned MD degrees from the school.
The new MDs will start their careers as resident physicians, practicing at hospitals and academic medical centers in New York State and 19 other states nationwide. For those staying in New York, more than one-third will begin their careers at Stony Brook Medicine.
Peter Igarashi, MD, Knapp Dean of the RSOM, opened the ceremony by honoring the legacy and generosity of Jim Simons, the Stony Brook University alumnus, philanthropist, founder of Renaissance Technologies, and benefactor to the University, who passed away on May 10. The medical school was renamed to the Renaissance School of Medicine in 2018 in recognition of a gift by more than 100 families at Renaissance Technologies.
“Many of you entered medical school in 2020 during the worst waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it was a time of fear and uncertainty before vaccines and effective treatments,” Igarashi said. “It took great courage to enter healthcare at that time. You did that to pursue your dream of becoming a physician. Today that dream becomes a reality. Your perseverance has paid off, and your resilience will serve you well as you continue your training in medicine.”
Physician researchers and other scientific investigators within the RSOM have contributed greatly to the advancement of medicine. Their accomplishments include the development of the first monoclonal antibody to prevent blood clots and the discovery of the cause of Lyme disease.
William Wertheim, MD, MBA, interim executive vice president for Stony Brook Medicine and Endowed Chair in Graduate Medical Education, saw the moment as fitting, celebrating the 50th convocation with such an extraordinary class.
“All of you start your careers in medicine when the need for physicians is great, and the need for empathy, clarity, and an ability for physicians to make the science of medicine accessible to their patients is substantial,” Wertheim said. “I am confident that the skills you have learned while at Stony Brook have laid this foundation for your careers.”
Anthony S. Fauci, MD, who led the national response to the HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 pandemics, addressed the Class of 2024. Dr. Fauci is Distinguished University Professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and the McCourt School of Public Policy, Distinguished Senior Scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, former director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and a key advisor to seven U.S. Presidents.
“Your journey has been exceptional, and in some cases unprecedented,” Fauci said, adding that the lessons learned from the pandemic will help prepare the new physicians not only for the next pandemic but for their careers more broadly.
He gave three pieces of advice for the graduates to consider as they move into medicine — expect the unexpected, beware of the insidious nature of anti-science, and recognize the consequences of a divided nation. He encouraged the class to focus on patients as the beneficiaries of all they do, and stated that “our collective future is truly in your hands.”
Stony Brook Paves the Way
Two graduates who matriculated at Stony Brook for eight years under the BS to MD track, known as the Scholars for Medicine Program, cherished their Stony Brook education.
Kunal Shah, raised in Queens, NY, after his parents immigrated from India, became interested in caring for children at an early age thanks to his experience as a child helping his toddler cousin, who was treated for medulloblastoma.
Shah’s interest in pediatrics only expanded as he helped to care for numerous patients and families at Stony Brook Children’s. He hopes to specialize in pediatric cardiology and will begin a residency in Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital.
Shah’s freshman year roommate, Mahesh Tiwari, was also from Queens, and was inspired by his mother’s vocation as a primary care physician, seeing the difference physicians can make in people’s lives. He pursued his interests in science, community health issues, and music. While at Stony Brook, Tiwari founded the Camerata Choir within the RSOM and continued to build a music career as an organist on Long Island and in New York City.
“The flexibility of the Stony Brook academic program enabled me to study and excel in organ performance, as well as receive an unparalleled education and conduct research on the health needs of Long Island communities,” he said.
Tiwari will pursue his life as a new physician as an internal medicine resident at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson in New Jersey.
For a look back at the beginnings of Stony Brook Medicine, its Health Sciences Center, the launch of the medical school and what evolved and grew into the RSOM, see this timeline.