The 2024 UW School of Medicine Investiture of Doctoral Hoods and Physician’s Oath Ceremony was held on Friday, May 24, in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall. 57 UW School of Medicine Spokane students were among the nearly 250 graduating students in the 75th class to receive their MD degrees from the University of Washington.
The keynote speaker, elected by the class of 2024, was Michael J. Stephens, MD, clinical assistant professor of Family Medicine, and a member of the Spokane Foundations faculty since 2015. Dr. Stephens urged the students to reflect on the words and meaning of the Physician’s Oath. He showed students his personal copy of the oath he took 30 years ago and still carries with him to this day as a reminder.
“The words you are about to say – they matter. And that you are saying them out loud, in front of us, matters. By saying the words of the oath, you’re sealing a covenant between you and the rest of us,” Dr. Stephens told the graduating students before leading them through a reflection on the meaning of several lines.
A short video excerpt of Dr. Stephens’ address quickly became the most-viewed video on the UW School of Medicine Instagram site. If you’d like to hear the complete address you can find it on the UW School of Medicine’s YouTube channel.
You can also watch a livestream recording of the ceremony. For your convenience, this link takes you to the Spokane student’s section of the investiture of the doctoral hoods.
