Commencement speaker shares advice to fuel the fire of advocacy with graduating medical students
During the 51社区 Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Commencement ceremony, speaker Tyree Winters, D.O., told the college鈥檚 238 graduates to be advocates.
Story by Lisa Forster, Photos by Ben Siegel, Rich- Joseph Facun and Dylan Townsend | May 18, 2023
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During the 51社区 Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Commencement ceremony, speaker Tyree Winters, D.O., told the college鈥檚 238 graduates to be advocates. Winters, who graduated from the college in 2007, has spent his career serving others and is widely known for creating 鈥淗ip Hop with a Doc,鈥 a nationwide dance exercise program for kids.
鈥淚 always knew that I had to use every opportunity to serve others. This has been my ministry and as new osteopathic physicians, I hope that you will hopefully join me in this ministry as well,鈥 said Winters, the categorical pediatric residency program director at Goryeb Children鈥檚 Hospital in New Jersey. He also serves as the diversity, equity and inclusion lead physician for the Department of Pediatrics鈥 Division Chief Committee and as medical director of Overlook Medical Center鈥檚 Pediatric Health Start Clinic, which offers care to children in the New York metropolitan area who otherwise would not have access.
Winters told graduates that advocacy looks different for each person, and as a physician, they will have many service opportunities.
鈥淓very action that you take can influence the lives of others especially when you have D.O. behind your name,鈥 said Winters. 鈥淧eople are going to sit up and take note of the things that you say. They will treat you differently compared to your fellow human beings whose voices may be stifled, ignored or even silenced. You will have a choice to make. Will I or won鈥檛 I? Use this position to speak for the voiceless, fight for the helpless and love the unlovable.鈥
He told graduates that as he prepared for his speech, he wondered what could have been said at his graduation 16 years earlier that 鈥渨ould have added more fuel to my own fire in advocacy?鈥 So, he shared with students a list of advice he wished he鈥檇 received. He began by telling students that their patients deserve the best of their doctors every day. He said it will be important for the graduates, especially on tough days, to remember why they became doctors and to center themselves by focusing on their purpose. He told them there is no perfect job or institution and to concentrate on changing the things they can and accepting what they cannot change at that moment. He warned them that they will make mistakes.
鈥淓xtend yourself grace, the same grace you would extend to somebody else who made a mistake. Extend it to yourself. It鈥檚 the hardest thing to do as a physician,鈥 Winters said.
He also encouraged students to 鈥渃orrect them every single time they mispronounce your name. Courageous doctor with that unique and beautiful name, be proud of it. If someone can pronounce Daenerys Targaryen, then, darn it, they can pronounce Dr. Nwaobasi, Dr. Nguyen, Dr. Gutierrez. Teach them over and over again,鈥 Winters said.
He pointed out the same goes for every time someone mistakenly assumes they have an M.D. instead of a D.O. degree.
鈥淐orrect them,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou worked too long and too hard for this degree to be ashamed of your D.O. degree. Never be ashamed of it. I wear it like a badge of honor.鈥
Winters brought up imposter syndrome, a fairly common feeling for many medical students who may question their abilities and think they aren鈥檛 good enough.
鈥淵ou count yourself out before someone else even gets the chance to. It鈥檚 got to come to an end,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou have to know that you have so much more to offer. There is someone who needs your voice to be an advocate for them.鈥
Additional tips from Winters included:
- Ask for help; it鈥檚 a sign of strength.
- Laugh daily; it鈥檚 good for your soul, mind and spirit.
- Be thankful for the little things; it will empower you to change things for the better.
- Invest in your physical, emotional and spiritual health.
- Remain humble.
- Remember the roots of your medical training.
Winters saved what he said was his most important advice for last. Reflecting on the sacrifices his late mother made for him while he was in medical school and the support of his parents, he urged the graduates to call their parents and loved ones and tell them they loved them and appreciate what has been done for them.
鈥淚 hope that you take these words to heart. Remember that you have received world class training, and you have everything you need to become a successful osteopathic physician. I pray you will continue to change the world and not let the cares of the world change you. Remember you are an advocate,鈥 Winters said in closing.
Heritage College Executive Dean Ken Johnson, D.O., echoed that sentiment saying, 鈥淚t is you, the Class of 2023, who will lead the transformation of patient care. It is you, the Class of 2023, who will carry forward the rich tradition of our college and our profession. Today, we celebrate you: your grit, your determination, your perseverance and your achievement.鈥
Like the class before it, the COVID-19 pandemic overlapped with the Class of 2023鈥檚 medical training. Kristina Kazimir, Class of 2023 Student Government Association president on the Dublin campus, told graduates that despite the difficult times, they supported each other and celebrated each other鈥檚 successes at every milestone in medical school.
鈥淭ogether, we鈥檝e made bonds of friendship and community that helped us flourish and grow in ways we never expected. And we will all be better doctors, and people for it. Class of 2023 continue to find your people. Do not settle for anything less than what you deserve to become the best possible version of yourself. Go where you feel appreciated, valued and know you always have your OUHCOM family to lean back on,鈥 said Kazimir.
Graduates assembled underneath the Convocation Center Saturday morning in preparation for their graduation ceremony.
The graduates of the Heritage College join a network of more than 4,500 proud Heritage College alumni.
Graduates enter the Convocation Ceremony to begin the Class of 2023 Commencement Ceremony.
More than 50 percent of the Class of 2023 will pursue a primary care specialty. Approximately 70 percent of the class will stay in Ohio for graduate medical education training.
Following graduation, students continue with postgraduate training during residency. They learned in March which residency program they matched to. The college鈥檚 98 percent match rate exceeds the national average for both D.O.s and M.D.s.
The graduates heard from several outstanding speakers during the ceremony, including Class Speaker Kristina Kazimir, who reflected on the environment and the community that helped the Class of 2023 to flourish. 鈥淐lass of 2023: Continue to find your people. Do not settle for anything less than what you deserve to become the best possible version of yourself. Go where you feel appreciated, valued and know that you always have your OUHCOM family to lean back on."
"Every action that you take can influence the lives of others, especially when you have D.O. behind your name. People are going to sit up and take note of the things that you say... Use this position to speak for the voiceless, fight for the helpless, and love the unloveable," Commencement Speaker Tyree Winters, D.O., told the graduates.
It was a memorable, meaningful and emotional ceremony, as the Heritage College celebrated the achievements of each member of the Class of 2023.
Family, friends and loved one were recognized at Commencement for the support they gave to students to help them achieve their goal of graduating from medical school.
Executive Dean of the Heritage College Ken Johnson, D.O. congratulated the 238 graduates saying how proud he was as he鈥檇 watched them transform from first-year medical students into physicians.
51社区 President Hugh Sherman told the medical school graduates that they join a worldwide community of more than 280,000 proud 51社区 alumni. 鈥淵ou also join a community of noble professionals devoted to health, healing and caring,鈥 he said.
144 members of the Class of 2023 were hooded by their mentors, many of whom are Heritage College graduates and faculty members.
In Heritage College tradition, Commencement culminated with a Kabuki Drop, revealing the newly-graduated Class of 2023.
After students were hooded, the new graduates recited the osteopathic physician鈥檚 oath, a contemporary version of the oath of Hippocrates, which affirms values central to all physicians and surgeons.
In all, 238 newly-minted Heritage College graduates departed the Convocation Center to make their mark as physicians. In the words of Commencement Speaker Tyree Winters, D.O., "Continue to change the world and do not let the cares of this world change you."
Smiles abounded as graduates and their loved ones reunited outside of the Convocation Center after the ceremony.
Proud family members and friends warmly congratulated the graduates after the ceremony.
It was a day that the OHIO graduates will always remember, and they likely will have plenty of photos from this special day, too.
It was a day to celebrate the Heritage College graduates for, as Executive Dean Ken Johnson, D.O., said in his remarks, "your grit, your determination, your perseverance and your achievement."
Eight students of the 51社区 Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2023 received commissions during a ceremony following commencement. They will be pursuing a career in military medicine and caring for members of the Armed Forces and their families. Disclaimer: It is not the intent of 51社区 to imply an endorsement by any service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
During the ceremony following commencement, three students were commissioned as second lieutenants into the Army, four as second lieutenants into the Air Force and one as ensign into the Navy. Disclaimer: It is not the intent of 51社区 to imply an endorsement by any service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.