Global Health Commencement Ceremonies Honor 81 Graduates

At two commencement ceremonies last Friday, the Duke Global Health Institute honored its largest global health class ever - 81 graduates. The Class of 2013 includes 27 graduates of the Master of Science in Global Health (MSc-GH), 48 Global Health Certificate recipients, and six graduates of a global health-related Program II.

DGHI Director Michael Merson praised the accomplishments of the graduating class, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, saying, “I am inspired by the commitment of our students to make the world a better place. Parents, you should be very proud of your children for displaying this passion inside and outside of the classroom, and no doubt in their future pursuits. “

At MSc-GH Commencement ceremony, DGHI Director of Graduate Studies Chris Woods and Chancellor for Health Affairs Victor Dzau challenged MSc-GH graduates to become changemakers in global health.

“I am so proud of everything you’ve contributed to Duke, both individually and collectively,” said Dzau. “You have helped position Duke University as a leader in global health education in the United States and in the world.  You are tomorrow’s leaders.  Always remember that your journey began here at Duke.”

MSc-GH graduate Madeline Boccuzzi won the DGHI award for Outstanding MSc-GH Student, for her leadership in the program and on campus, as well as her thesis project on supply chain management in Laos.

At the undergraduate ceremony, 54 undergraduates from 16 different majors -- public policy to biomedical engineering and psychology -- were recognized for their accomplishments. DGHI Director of Undergraduate Studies Gary Bennett commented that the graduates had forged unique educational paths and impressed faculty with their remarkable global health fieldwork projects, passion and drive.

Global health certificate graduates Sadhna Gupta, Michael Maranzano, Anamika Saha and Grace Zhou won the DGHI award for Outstanding Capstone Research Project. The team developed and carried out a project that introduces an education curriculum in Robeson County, North Carolina that can aims to prevent prescription drug abuse among school children.

The 2013 graduating class is indicative of the growing interest in global health at Duke. This fall, the MSc-GH will welcome its largest class ever. Meanwhile, Duke will offer one of the nation’s first liberal arts majors in global health and a global health minor.

“While today’s graduates won’t have the opportunity to pursue the major, they have paved the way so that others can and we are most grateful to them,” said Merson. “The addition of the major and minor now means that Duke offers the most comprehensive portfolio of global health education opportunities of any US university.”

DGHI faculty members David Boyd and Sumedha Ariely were selected by students as the recipients of the 2013 Global Health Faculty Awards. Read more.

The Global Health Commencement ceremonies kick-started graduation weekend. At Sunday’s commencement, Duke alumna and global health leader Melinda French Gates delivered an inspiring speech to the Class of 2013. Read more.