On Friday, June 13, Geisel School of Medicine celebrated the academic accomplishments of 116 of its Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science (MS), and Master of Health Administration (MHA) graduates at the 2025 Health Science Education Class Day.
The annual Class Day event, held on Dartmouth’s Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center lawn with family and friends in attendance, gave the graduates a chance to reflect on their educational journeys and the special relationships they have formed as members of the Dartmouth community.
Geisel Associate Dean for Health Sciences Craig Westling, DrPH, MPH’09, MS, welcomed everyone to the ceremony, which featured keynote speaker Emmanuel Mensah, D’09, MD, MBA.
“In a world shaped by complex health challenges and profound inequities, you, our graduates, are needed more than ever,” said Westling. “You are bringing with you not only rigorous training and robust skillsets, but also a deep sense of purpose and compassion. We thank you and are excited to see the impact you’ll make.”
In his address, Mensah, who serves as the chief medical officer of ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital and clinical assistant professor of medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, reflected on some of his experiences growing up in Ghana—where one of his favorite phrases, “keeping it real,” reflected the giving spirit of its people.
To illustrate this, Mensah told a story about the neighbor of an orphaned 13-year-old girl with HIV who had taken her to see him when he worked at an HIV clinic. When he asked her why she remained so devoted to caring for a child that wasn’t hers, she responded, “Doctor, life is about being a blessing onto others. This child doesn’t deserve to suffer because of the consequences she was born into. I’m just ‘keeping it real.’”
He then shared five meanings of the phrase that he hopes the graduates will take with them on their respective journeys: “serving others, asking questions and pushing the status quo, facing failure and having resilience, being humble, and focusing on the things that matter.” In congratulating the Class of 2025, Mensah added, “Go far, go together, go with purpose, keep it real, and most importantly, may your work be your proverb to the world.”
Alumni speaker Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH’23, who specializes in sports medicine and foot/ankle surgery at the Bass Medical Group in California, told the new alums to “keep networking; your connections to Dartmouth are more important than AI. And remember, AI means something different thanks to former Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens—adapt and improvise, good advice on how to succeed in this world.”
In his closing remarks, Geisel Dean Duane Compton, PhD, commended John Ross and Victoria Callahan for their student speeches at the previous day’s MPH/MS Healthcare Research Awards Ceremony.
“John, you emphasized the importance of adherence to core values in public health as a guiding principle. And Victoria, you talked about how you remain grounded and fulfilled through your commitment to a purpose that’s larger than yourself. Those messages carry extra meaning in our world today given events where people and populations are increasingly marginalized by geopolitics,” said Compton.
In admiration, he added, “All of you have committed to applying yourself to making advancements that will improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and populations. In choosing a professional career path in this way, you are choosing a value of altruism and generosity toward helping others. There’s no higher calling than that.”
Class Marshals for the Class Day event included: Courtney Elaine Camenzind (MHA), Yihan (Ethan) Zhang (MS – Epidemiology), Jessica Nicole Leishman (Online and Hybrid MPH Program), and Pooja K. Patel (Residential MPH and MS Healthcare Research Programs).
If you missed the 2025 Health Sciences Education Class Day Ceremony, watch the video here:
Health Sciences Awards Ceremonies
At Thursday’s Health Sciences MPH/MS Healthcare Research Awards Ceremony, Geisel Assistant Dean of Public Health Programs Alicia Battle, PhD, MS, welcomed all in attendance before introducing student speakers John Ross (MPH/MS cohort) and Victoria Callahan (Hybrid MPH cohort).
“To our awardees, congratulations on your well-earned accomplishments,” said Battle. “You embody what is possible when passion and purpose align. May this recognition energize you to continue striving for even greater impact in your journey ahead.”
The awards ceremony recognized the following student accomplishments:
Henry Masters Awards
Residential: Nicole Winn
Hybrid: Ariel Shirley-Layton
Karen Ashley Leadership Awards
Residential: Pooja Patel, John Paul Ross
Hybrid: Brieanna Gerner
Teaching Excellence Awards
Residential: Bill Nelson, PhD, MDiv
Hybrid: Robin Larson, MD, MPH
Social Justice Awards
Residential: All Graduating Class Members
Hybrid: All Graduating Class Members
Delta Omega Inductions
Residential: Katherine Axel, Bridget Ceplo, Audrey Douches, Aidan Ferrin, Rachel Gillcrist, Mazie Lebowitz, Emily Levonas, Pooja Patel, Isabella Romeo
Hybrid: Jan-Christopher Franca, Brieanna Gerner, Jessica Leishman, Marie Skoczlas, Madeline Weiman
Faculty: Daniel Lucey, MED’81, Meghan Longacre, MS, PhD
Independent Internship Awards (and their projects)
Rachel Gillcrist – Examining the Role of Female Poverty as a Mediator in Environmental Exposures and Adverse Birth Outcomes
Shaina Joshua – Examining Barriers to Vaccine Provision in Primary Care Offices
Emily Levonas and Elham Malik – Commissions on Public Health: a Look at Indiana and Maryland and Lessons for Vermont
Integrative Learning Experience Awards
Katherine Axel – Supporting Self-Insured Employers Seeking Value-Based Pharmacotherapy Benefit Plan Solutions in the U.S. Commercial Market
James Feng – Sociodemographic, Geographic, and Temporal Determinants of Immunotherapy Treatment Access for Advanced Stage Melanoma: an Analysis of National Electronic Health Record Data
Aidan Ferrin – Rebuilding Relief: a Policy Framework for Non-Opiod Chronic Pain Treatment Adoption and Utilization in Medicaid Populations
Rachel Gillcrist – Assessing the Relationship Between the Built Environment and Health in Urban Refugee Settlement Communities: a Mixed-Method Study in Philadelphia
Ishaan Kumar – Learning from Hospital Global Budgets in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model: a Policy White Paper
Jhaerie Kay Sebastian – Improving Mental Health Services for Adolescents in Manilla, the Philippines: a Policy Paper Proposal
Practicum Awards (and their projects)
Amrah Hasan – Improving the Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy process by standardization of criteria
Jessica Ramcharan – Enhancing the Sustainability of the Nursing Workforce in Guyana: Global Health Pathways for Capacity Building and Quality Improvement
Ashlyn Reining – Preparing for Disease X: Risk Factors and Mitigation Measures for Future Zoonotic Outbreaks
Alyssa Shewmaker – Nourish to Flourish: a Mixed-Methods Study Evaluating Food Insecurity at a Private and Rurally Located College in Northern New England
Ariel Shirley-Layton – Indigenous Peer Support Program at the University of Arizona: a Public Health Approach to Empowering Indigenous Students
Alyssa Troutner – Evaluation and Implementation Plan for Empowered Relief: a Virtual Chronic Pain Intervention
Student Speakers
Residential: John Ross
Hybrid: Victoria Callahan
If you missed the 2025 Health Sciences MPH/MS Healthcare Research Awards Ceremony, watch the video here:
MS in Epidemiology, Health Data Science, and Medical Informatics Awards
Another awards ceremony for Geisel’s MS programs in Epidemiology, Health Data Science, and Medical Informatics was held late Friday afternoon at Anonymous Hall, where the following awards were given out:
MS Health Sciences Student Award: Mo Qi Wang
MS Health Sciences Faculty Award: Carly Bobak, PhD
Student Speaker: Yihan Zhang
Graduate Studies Award
In addition, at the Guarini Investiture this weekend, graduate student Xin Li received the John W. Strohbehn Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research. The Strohbehn Award is given annually to a graduating PhD candidate in one of the graduate programs based in the medical school who best exemplifies qualities of a scientific scholar—intellectual curiosity, dedication, and commitment to the pursuit of new scientific knowledge and to teaching—as well as a sense of social responsibility to the research community.
**All photos by Rob Strong**