After reciting the Hippocratic oath on a sunny afternoon at the UCLA campus, 146 medical students became the next generation of doctors to graduate from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The May 30 commencement was the 71st graduation ceremony held by the David Geffen School of Medicine. Following years of dedicated study and training that began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2025 graduating class celebrated the significant milestone in their medical career surrounded by cheering family members, friends and loved ones.
Many graduates now move on to their residencies at universities and health systems across the country, including one-fifth of graduates continuing their work at UCLA.
Recently appointed UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk, MD, PhD, MPH, was the keynote speaker. A former federal secretary of health of Mexico and current UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor, Frenk spoke of the constants that guide people forward in an ever-changing world.
“Carry with you the things that endure: kindness, service, the passionate leadership that can cut through the fog,” Frenk told the graduating class. “Let them be your north star, guiding you through every blow of the wind and shift of the ground. You are the bridge to our future. And remember that wherever you go, UCLA and the David Geffen School of Medicine will be a part of you.”
Steven Dubinett, MD, dean of the medical school, lauded the significant accomplishments of the students and noted the difficult circumstances in which their medical education began amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From the day you first donned your white coats to this culminating moment here today, your class has worked hard to achieve this goal,” Dubinett told the graduates. “I emphasize again that your class started medical school during a global pandemic, and now you are graduating during a time of great challenge … We commend you for your efforts to contribute meaningfully throughout these unprecedented times.”
The commencement also included several videos of the 2025 class reflecting on their years at the medical school and the traditional class promise by select students spoken in their native languages.
“I have been so lucky to find a community of people here who have inspired and shaped and motivated me. They’ve also challenged me to dream big and think about the ways that I hope to make a mark on the world,” said Sara Sakowitz, MD, MS, MPH.
“It wasn’t until med school that I genuinely found my tribe. Being able to see how these relationships have genuinely developed over time has been amazing and honestly that’s the number one thing I can thank DGSOM for,” said Darwin Gutierrez, MD.
