MACON/SAVANNAH – Mercer University's School of Medicine will hold its commencements this week, with a Macon ceremony on Friday and the Savannah commencement on Saturday. The commencements are the first of the University's five over the next two weeks. In all, the University will confer more than 1,800 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in May during five commencements in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah.
The School of Medicine's Macon campus will hold the University's first 2013 commencement ceremony on Friday at 1 p.m. in the University Center's Hawkins Arena, with 114 participants. In addition, the University will confer an honorary Doctor of Science degree to commencement speaker and distinguished Medical School alumna Dr. Jean Rawlings Sumner at the Macon ceremony.
The School will honor distinguished faculty and graduates at the ceremony as well. Justin B. Beverly will receive the faculty Humanism in Medicine Award and graduating student Lauren Hollman Fried will receive the student Humanism in Medicine Award.
The 41 graduates from the School of Medicine's campus at Memorial University Medical Center mark the second graduating class for the Savannah campus. The ceremony will take place at the Savannah Arts Academy at 1 p.m. The commencement speaker will be Dr. William J. Hoskins, executive director of surgical activities at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
In addition to the conferring of degrees, the ceremony will include honors for students and faculty. Savannah native and graduating student Lindsey Boxxe will receive the student Humanism in Medicine Award and third-year class president Aly Smith will receive the University's James T. McAfee Vision and Leadership Endowed Scholarship.
There will also be posthumous honors for Dr. Gage Ochsner, chair of surgery, who passed away April 26. Dr. Ochsner earned both the Distinguished Service Award and the Faculty Humanism in Medicine Award, which is voted on by students. He joined Memorial Health in Savannah as chief of trauma services and surgical critical care in 1995, and he would also assume the role of director of surgical education in 2001. Dr. Ochsner also served as professor of surgery and later as chair of the Mercer School of Medicine's Department of Surgery in Savannah, where he received the Outstanding Clinical Faculty Award six times. This year's award was his seventh.
Macon
School of Medicine
Speaker: Dr. Jean R. Sumner, charter class member of the School of Medicine
Friday, May 3, at 1 p.m.
Hawkins Arena, University Center
Candidates for degrees: 114
Savannah
School of Medicine
Speaker: Dr. William J. Hoskins, executive director of surgical activities at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Saturday, May 4, 1 p.m.
Savannah Arts Academy
Candidates for Degrees: 41
