June 8, 2004

108 Men And Women Graduate From UCSD School Of Medicine

By Sue Pondrom

Amid the cheers of family and friends, 108 men and women received their M.D. degrees on Sunday, June 6, 2004, at Commencement Ceremonies for the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

Congratulating the new physicians was commencement speaker Helen Ranney, M.D., UCSD professor emeritus and former chair of the UCSD Department of Medicine, 1973-86. Dr. Ranney, the first woman to chair a department of medicine in the United States, noted that this is a time when the graduates can practice both the art and science of medicine, taking into account all the promise of today’s post-genomic era.

Among the graduates were several award winners (see sidebar) and individuals with eclectic backgrounds.

Graduating medical student Sam Hughes, who also holds a Ph.D. in classical studies, was selected by his classmates to deliver the student speech at commencement, and treated his peers to a quote in Latin about medical science. UCSD Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Edward W. Holmes, introduced Hughes as “Dr. Dr.” Hughes. Hughes will complete his residency training in neurosurgery at UCSD Medical Center.

Among the other graduates:

Gerardo Rodriquez (pictured with fellow members of the Latino Medical Students Association) is the son of Mexican immigrants and the first in his family to graduate from high school, college and now medical school. Planning to become a surgeon, Rodriquez will do his residency training at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.

Lara Hall was the recipient of multiple awards given to 2004 graduates (see photo). Prior to medical school, she spent two years in the Peace Corps teaching health education and sanitation measures to people in the Congo. Noting that she’s always wanted to help the underserved, Hall will do her family medicine residency training at The Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Massachusetts, which serves the urban poor.

Another multiple-award winner, Erin Fortune, was an Americorps volunteer and served at a children’s agency in Nevada as a minority outreach coordinator prior to medical school. She’ll be a pediatrician following additional training at UCSD Medical Center.

Stephen Suydam graduated from the Hastings School of Law and practiced for four years in Los Angeles before entering medical school. Although he enjoyed many aspects of the family law that he practiced, he chose medicine so that he could further contribute to society. During medical school, his independent study project wedded his legal and medical training when he developed a guide for sharing confidential patient information between hospitals. Suydam will do his medical residency in anesthesiology at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Matt Fitzpatrick was a military helicopter pilot for seven years prior to entering medical school. His undergraduate degree had been in liberal arts. He plans to become a psychiatrist, with his residency training at UC San Francisco.

In all, 25 cities will be the next home for UCSD’s medical school graduates as they pursue their residencies in numerous specialties: 36 internal medicine, 14 surgery, 11 psychiatry, 10 pediatrics, 9 obstetrics/gynecology, 7 family practice, 6 anesthesiology, 6 emergency medicine, 2 internal medicine/pediatrics, 2 ophthalmology, 2 neurosurgery, and 1 each in orthopedics, radiology, orthopedic surgery, radiation oncology, family medicine/psychiatry, otolaryngology and plastic surgery. Sixty-eight of the graduates will complete residencies in California, with 17 staying at UCSD.

Media Contact: Sue Pondrom (619) 543-6163