Tina Aswani-Omprakash, MPH, gave an impassioned speech that drew a lengthy applause and standing ovation.
For the master’s students who had just completed their academic studies at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, there was much to celebrate—achievement at the highest level, resilience during challenging times, and the knowledge and skills they now possess as they advance their careers.
There were 223 graduates in the Class of 2023 across nine programs: Master of Science in Biostatistics, Master of Science in Biomedical Science, Master of Health Administration, Master of Science in Health Care Delivery Leadership, Master of Science in Biomedical Data Science, Master of Science in Clinical Research, Master of Science in Genetic Counseling, Master of Science in Epidemiology, and Master of Public Health.
At a commencement ceremony held on Friday, June 23, at Stern Auditorium, there was a celebration of what the graduates had achieved and the promise that they hold for a world rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an impassioned speech that drew a lengthy applause and standing ovation, student speaker Tina Aswani-Omprakash recounted how she endured a life-threatening case of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the umbrella term for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which derailed an early career in finance.
She spoke about a seven-year stretch of 20 surgeries and failed medications, and the 12 years she was forced to remain silent. “It was a difficult coming out story for me, as mine was a journey mired in cultural stigmas toward Western medicine and life-saving ostomy surgery,” revealed Ms. Aswani-Omprakash. “Nevertheless, I felt that it was something that had to be shared and that had to be de-stigmatized because I didn’t want anyone else suffering in shame or silence like I had for so many years.”
When she created an immensely successful blog, Own Your Crohn’s, and heard from IBD patients from all over the world, “I knew I was destined to pursue public health,” she said, adding that it took her four years to complete the Master of Public Health program and graduate with this year’s class.
Along the way, Ms. Aswani-Omprakash formed an alliance with gastroenterologists and patient advocates to create the nonprofit South Asian IBD Alliance and led a global effort to help better understand phenotypes of disease by race and ethnicity, among other notable efforts. Today, she is working in Mount Sinai’s Division of Gastroenterology (where Crohn’s disease, named after Burrill B. Crohn, MD, who, with two other Mount Sinai gastroenterologists first described the disease) doing clinical research involving wearable devices.
“Here I am, nearly 40 years old, restarting my life and telling you all that you, too, can make a difference,” Ms. Aswani-Omprakash told her fellow graduates. “Never let any illness, or age, or any setbacks in your life hold you back from achieving your dreams and pursuing the change you wish to see in the world.”
Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, welcomed the graduates.
Presiding over the ceremony were Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean for Academic Affairs at Icahn Mount Sinai and Chief Scientific Officer for the Mount Sinai Health System, and Marta Filizola, PhD, Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Dr. Nestler told the graduates that they were now positioned to take on new challenges in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. While “the virus itself is now endemic and joins many other routine viruses…our society is facing an accelerated uptick in the emotional consequences of the social deprivation, inflation, and other challenges the pandemic brought,” Dr. Nestler said. “It is not surprising that we are now facing a second pandemic, this one involving stress-related illnesses, namely, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and drug addiction.”
He added with optimism: “Your advanced training at Mount Sinai prepares you all to take on these and other major challenges facing us with the boldness and creative solutions they require. I am confident that you and your generation will make a difference and leave our local, national, and global communities a better place than we find them today.” Dr. Nestler is also Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience and Director of The Friedman Brain Institute.
Marta Filizola, PhD, congratulated the graduates on their many achievements.
Dr. Filizola congratulated the graduates on their many achievements. “You have seen your studies through and added to your growing abilities, and now, when you are needed most, you will be applying your new skills,” she said. “We’ve worked together to prepare you to meet some of the greatest challenges these fields have ever faced, and we know you are ready for them.”
She also recognized the remarkable diversity of the class, which “makes our institution stronger. The backgrounds our students brought to our programs spread across nationalities, socioeconomics, race, gender, and sexuality, and have been an asset to all of our experiences. Diverse opinions in science, research, and health care are critical, and these various backgrounds have broadened each of our perspectives.” Dr. Filizola is also the Sharon & Frederick A. Klingenstein/Nathan G. Kase, MD Professor of Pharmacological Sciences, Professor of Neuroscience, and Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health.
Carlos del Rio, MD, a world-renowned clinician and epidemiologist, received an honorary Doctor of Science degree for his trailblazing work in understanding, preventing, and effectively treating infectious diseases, with a special focus on research into the early diagnosis of HIV, and more recently, COVID-19 infection. Dr. del Rio is the Leon L. Haley, Jr. MD Distinguished Professor of Medicine and the Interim Dean at Emory University School of Medicine, and Professor of Global Health of Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health.
In a speech to the graduates, Dr. del Rio acknowledged, “You have done most of your studies during a time of an unprecedented pandemic…As I reflect on my own career, I realize that it was defined by a pandemic, the HIV pandemic, that was first recognized in 1981.”
World-renowned clinician and epidemiologist Carlos del Rio, MD, received an honorary Doctor of Science degree.
He added that he continues to be concerned about how any new pandemic—and the current epidemics of gun violence, opioid use, and misinformation about public health—will impact the graduates’ lives and careers.
Dr. del Rio concluded his speech with an easy-to-remember bit of practical advice to help graduates navigate their future endeavors.
“Stay H-I-P,” he said. “That’s it: Stay H-I-P.” He explained: “The ‘H’ is for humility, a willingness to learn from anyone, any time, at any venue.” It “also stands, for honesty…leading with your heart…for humor, and also for healing. The ‘I’ is for imagination and intellectual curiosity…The ‘P’ is for passion…it also stands for pause…and also for perspective, to encourage and respect differences. Stay HIP, and you will be successful.”
The graduates celebrated commencement with their families and friends.
