Graduation 2024

The 2024 graduation ceremony honored 142 students who received MD degrees and 86 students who received PhD degrees in biomedical sciences.  

Anthony Fauci, MD, chief medical adviser to the president of the United States from 2021 to 2022, delivered the graduation address. He reflected on the challenges and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, which profoundly impacted the Class of 2024 and changed the landscape of patient care and scientific research.

He addressed the spread of anti-science beliefs, misinformation, and the “normalization of untruths” and stressed the urgent need for health professionals to push back on these trends. “Seek and listen to opinions that differ from your own, but critically analyze information, which you have learned to do so well here at Columbia, so that you can discern and challenge weak assertions built on untruths.

“Our collective future is in your hands. You and your humanity are the keys to optimal patient care and are integral to the path that you have chosen.”