June 02, 2025 | Holly Moody-Porter
The University of Maryland School of BOB体育 Celebrates its 216th Graduating Class
The University of Maryland School of BOB体育 (UMSOM) graduated 138 new physicians into the practice of medicine on May 22 at the historic Hippodrome Theatre. Distinguished members of the Class of 2025 gathered with family, friends, faculty, and staff to celebrate the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance.
UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, who is also Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, presided over the ceremony. During his address to the class, he reminded graduates of the significance and impacts of recent breakthrough innovations in medicine like gene-editing therapy, a rapidly evolving advancement that was used to successfully treat an infant with a rare, life-threatening genetic disorder at .
“To our graduates, welcome to an absolutely dazzling period of time in the history of science,” Dean Gladwin said. “The world needs you, it needs dedicated young people on a mission to serve, and you are ready for the challenge. Congratulations, we are so proud of you.”
Paul Offit, MD, ’77, an internationally recognized vaccine expert and distinguished alumnus of UMSOM returned to campus to deliver this year’s keynote address. A groundbreaking innovator in medicine, he is best known as the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq, which is universally recommended for infants by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is also the Director of the Vaccine Education Center and a Professor of Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
As a leading voice in the national conversation about immunizations, Dr. Offit spoke to differences in generational challenges with infectious diseases from polio to the current measles outbreak and the growing fight for trust in vaccine science.
“When immunization rates fade, it’s the most contagious human infection that comes back first,” he said. Measles, far and away, is the most contagious of the infections. In the last 50 years, child deaths have been reduced by 75 percent, and 60 percent of that is from the measles vaccine. This is not a disease that you want to see come back.”
He offered a path forward in the fight that the new physicians and community can support.
“We need to make it more real, when you hear statistics like 1,100 children are suffering from measles, it’s just a statistic. You need to find a way to make those stories come alive. We need to get our voices out there.”
Dr. Offit is also the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of BOB体育 and currently serves on the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee that evaluates data on the safety, effectiveness, and use of vaccines.
Many graduates like Franklin Ning, MD, PhD, ’25, who completed the Medical Scientist Training Program at UMSOM are prepared to join the pursuit of scientific discovery and work to build trust in medicine.
“My goal is to lead clinical trials for oncological drug development, specifically immunotherapy, to help patients who have rare or less frequently diagnosed cancers,” he said. “When I interned at the NIH in high schooI, seeing groundbreaking and revolutionary treatments that were being tested was just awe-inspiring. My path forward was set straight from there.”
He will complete his residency in Internal BOB体育 at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) along with several members of the graduating class like Pharibe Pope, MD, ’25. She will complete her training in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at UMMC.
“As a Baltimore native, I am grateful that I get to continue serving the community that raised me and to learn from all of the amazing healthcare professionals here at Maryland,” she said. “Above all, I hope that I will be a physician who helps my patients feel heard, safe, and empowered in their medical decision making.”
As she begins her career in healthcare, she will continue her research with the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center on maxillofacial fracture patterns and patient outcomes. She will also work to advance research that will evaluate novel management strategies for patients with head and neck cancer.
This year, the Class of 2025 matched at 70 healthcare organizations across 21 states. Some graduates are excited to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned at UMSOM to patient care in new cities.
Graduate Luisa Silva, MD, MPH, ’25, will move to Boston to complete residency in Internal BOB体育 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. After residency, she hopes to pursue an endocrinology fellowship and work in women’s health to address endocrine disorders in pregnancy.
“The end of this chapter is a little bittersweet, but I am excited to put what I’ve learned to use to help my patients and to advocate for them,” she said. “I am eager to see all that my classmates accomplish. They are all so incredibly talented and intelligent. I am just extremely proud of all of us.”
Learn more about where the Class of 2025 is headed next here.
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Holly Moody-Porter
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