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Commencement Program 2024

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The Doctors are In!

Celebrating the University of Houston’s First Medical School Graduates

Story by Bryan Luhn | Design By Marcus Allen

Drs. Sakina Chinwala, Brittanie Cockrell and Christian Colin at the College of Medicine's first commencement ceremony.

Dr. Valerie DeLeon at the College of Medicine's inaugural commencement ceremony.

Dr. Cenk Cengiz at the College of Medicine's inaugural commencement ceremony.

Graduation day. A rite of passage, a major milestone on the academic journey. Students, resplendent in their regalia, close one chapter in their lives and open another with the turn of a tassel and the toss of a trencher.

But there was a little more pomp, and a lot more circumstance, when 22 students at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine crossed the commencement stage on Saturday, May 11.

They were the first students ever to earn a medical degree from the University of Houston.

“The Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine has long been a dream of mine and the University of Houston community,” said UH President Renu Khator. “Conferring a medical degree to this first class is truly a historic moment for UH, our city and state. Most significantly, these doctors have been given a unique education that has empowered them to make a lasting impact on our underserved communities.”

When it opened in July 2020, the Fertitta Family College of Medicine was the first new medical school in Houston in nearly 50 years, built on a unique mission and promise.

“Four years ago, you began a journey of service and dedication to your community leading up to this moment,” said Tilman Fertitta, chairman of the UH System Board of Regents and the College of Medicine’s namesake. “It is our hope that this experience and the challenges you overcame along the way have ingrained you with the knowledge, the wisdom and tools to provide quality, compassionate health care for our underserved communities.”

And for the College’s founding dean, whose work began four years before the first class arrived on campus, it was a signature moment in a storied career in medicine.

“This is a time to celebrate, not just for our students, but for the College of Medicine, as well,” said Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the Fertitta Family College of Medicine. “What they accomplished these past four years is remarkable and we achieved our goal of training new medical students to be doctors. It’s proof of concept in a lot of ways.”

Tilman Fertitta, chairman of the UH System Board of Regents and the College of Medicine's namesake.

UH President Renu Khator

Dr. Stephen Spann, UH vice president for medical affairs and founding dean of the College of Medicine.

“I told the students we were building the airplane as we were flying it, but they had grit, and they were adaptable and resilient through it all.”

– Dr. Stephen Spann

On a Mission

In 2014, when Khator unveiled plans for a new medical school that would produce a diverse group of graduates committed to providing compassionate, high-value and high-quality health care to underserved populations, no one could foresee the first class arriving six years later in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.

“Starting a new medical school is never easy, but we started during COVID which made it even more difficult,” Spann said. “I told the students we were building the airplane as we were flying it, but they had grit, and they were adaptable and resilient through it all.”

The 30 students in the inaugural class, eight of whom will graduate next year, were chosen from more than 1,700 applicants, each of them receiving a $100,000 four-year scholarship to cover tuition and fees. More than half of the students were the first in their families to go to college and nearly three-quarters were considered underrepresented minorities in medicine.

“This first class came here with compassion and a unique desire to help medically underserved communities,” said Dr. Brian Reed, professor and chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Fertitta Family College of Medicine. “Fortunately, they didn’t lose sight of their reasons for pursuing medicine along the way.”

And against the backdrop of the worst health crisis in a century, the students eagerly accepted that mission and courageously stepped into the unknown to begin their medical journeys.

“I wanted to go to a medical school that was committed to primary care, addressing the social determinants of health and serving underserved populations, and that’s what the Fertitta Family College of Medicine is all about,” said Dr. Rosemary Agwuncha, a graduate from Austin, Texas, who will specialize in family medicine. 

Dr. Ashlynn Mills, a fellow graduate and aspiring surgeon from Omaha, Nebraska agreed.

“I identified with its goal of educating a diverse group of physicians to care for underserved and underrepresented populations,” Mills said. “I was energized to apply for this inaugural class.”

Dr. Zikora Stephens

The Final Year

Dr. Rosemary Agwuncha

The fourth and final year for this inaugural class was filled with triumph and anticipation.

In March, students learned where they would spend their residencies during Match Day, a rite of passage that was the first real sign they were transitioning from medical school to the front lines of medicine.

Now, with diplomas in hand, they step into the world as doctors, ready to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

“Being a medical school graduate is an answered prayer, the realization of a goal I set for myself in high school,” said Dr. Zikora Stephens, a Houston native who will specialize in OB/GYN. “I have made my community of family, friends and mentors proud. I am incredibly happy to be living in this moment.”

Graduation is the grand finale of their medical school experience, a testament to their knowledge, passion and perseverance.

“It’s surreal, exciting and such a blessing to achieve something I’ve been working towards for most of my life,” Agwuncha said. “When I look back on the past four years, I am extremely grateful for my teachers, mentors, classmates and loved ones who’ve helped me on this amazing journey.”

“When I look back on the past four years, I am extremely grateful for my teachers, mentors, classmates and loved ones who’ve helped me on this amazing journey.”

– Dr. Rosemary Agwuncha

It is also a time to reflect on the journey just completed, and the one still to come.

“It’s a dream realized, my persistence and personal standard of excellence has paid off,” Mills said. “I have been rewarded with a great responsibility to provide compassionate, quality health care to my patients and be a champion for health equity in the communities I serve.”

A Bright Future

As the inaugural class bids farewell to the Fertitta Family College of Medicine, the future of the program is bright. 

“Medical school is challenging in many ways, but the goal is to come out of it as great a physician as you can be and fully commit to your patients and colleagues,” Stephens said. “Study well, but treat yourself well, too.”

These trailblazers showed what is possible, not only fulfilling their own dreams but inspiring and paving the way for the students who follow them to one day realize theirs.

“When it comes to your career, your life, never lose sight of your values or why you chose to begin this journey in medicine,” Agwuncha said. “We didn’t get here by ourselves, so remember to share your wisdom, and support and encourage those around you.”

The mentees are now the mentors, sharing insights gained from their experiences in clinical rotations, patient interactions and research endeavors with the next generation of students.

“Please continue to foster your intellectual curiosity and maintain your values through medicine,” Mills said. “This program will grow you in ways you don’t expect, so embrace the process and enjoy the ride.”

“This program will grow you in ways you don’t expect, so embrace the process and enjoy the ride.”

– Dr. Ashlynn Mills

The magnitude of the moment was not lost on those who made this vision of a new medical school a reality.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to support these students in their pursuit of medical knowledge and academic excellence,” Spann said. “Their compassion and commitment to patient care is inspiring, and they will no doubt pave the way for a brighter future in health care.”

Like proud parents, celebrating the closing of one chapter and the start of another.

“The joy I am feeling for these graduates is like watching one of my own children succeed, and I couldn’t be happier for them,” Reed said.

Click here to meet all the College of Medicine’s inaugural graduating class.

Dr. Ashlynn Mills

UH President Renu Khator joins the 22 graduates in the College of Medicine's inaugural class.

Dr. Anthony Carona at the College of Medicine's inaugural commencement ceremony.

Dr. Brandon Gonzales (center) at the College of Medicine's inaugural commencement ceremony.

Graduates show their Cougar pride during the playing of the UH Alma Mater at the College of Medicine's inaugural commencement ceremony.

The inaugural graduating class is joined by (front row, left to right) Regent Jack Moore, Senior VP for Academic Affairs and Provost Diane V. Chase, President Renu Khator, Chairman of the Board of Regents Tilman Fertitta, VP for Medical Affairs and Founding Dean Dr. Stephen Spann and Regent Durga Agrawal.