Celebrating Adtalem’s Newest Medical and Veterinary Graduates

Over 1,200 new doctors and veterinarians prepare to enter healthcare workforces this summer. 

Over one celebratory weekend in May 2024, all three of Adtalem Global Education’s medical and veterinary schools—Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM), American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM)—came together for each of the institution’s commencement ceremonies.

More than 1,200 graduates across the three institutions were invited to attend their respective ceremony, with families, friends, academic leaders, and distinguished guests all present to witness the achievements of each newly graduated doctor as they complete school and enter the workforce.

With programs for medical residencies and veterinary internships and residencies beginning this summer, and many other veterinary students going directly into the workforce after graduation, take a look back on the celebrations, parting words of wisdom, and the official start of life as Adtalem’s newest graduates.

Today is Just the Beginning

Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honorable Dr. Terrance Drew, accepted an invitation to speak to the graduates.

I am here today as the first prime minister to have attended [RUSVM's] commencement ceremony. I wanted to attend because the truth is I do not see you as foreigners, I see you as part of the St. Kitts and Nevis family. Wherever our people are, I will be. You will be forever connected.

Watch Dr. Drew’s remarks (1:37:00) and the full RUSVM 2024 Commencement Ceremony.

Dr. Alea Harrison, DVM ’06, was eager for the opportunity to deliver the keynote address for the nearly 400 graduates from RUSVM, her alma mater.  

Today is just the beginning of your career. Today is just the beginning of you having the ability to impact and change people’s lives … and for you to make the world a better place for animals.

After she graduated, Dr. Harrison began working for Banfield Pet Hospital as a frontline veterinarian and, today, is their chief medical officer overseeing more than 3,600 veterinarians at over 1,000 locations..

Dr. Harrison believes in the importance of diversity for the veterinary profession, for the pets they serve, and the people who love them. Read her View from the C-Suite.

Workforce Impact at Scale

Combined, RUSM and AUC graduated nearly 840 students. 

For AUC, commencement weekend commemorated a significant milestone with the first graduating class from the institution’s Preston, United Kingdom Program. International students can choose between the UK program site or the Sint Maarten campus.

Dr. Dhir Gala, MD ’24, internal medicine resident at Rutgers University Medical Center, was selected by his fellow UK Track graduates to speak on behalf of the historic class.

In his address, he said: 

Each one of us here today carries a unique journey to this moment. For me, it began with being part of the pioneering UK Track class. There were just 14 of us starting in Preston, each one filled with uncertainty about the path ahead. This shared sense of unknown forged a bond among us that became our anchor.

Watch AUC’s 2024 Commencement Ceremony on YouTube.

During RUSM’s ceremony, Dr. Panagiotis Galanopoulos, MD ’07, recognized the scale of RUSM’s alumni network—nearly 16,000 strong—and what it means for the newest graduates to enter the workforce as part of that network.

“We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us,” he said. “We want improvement in every generation of physician, and you are that next generation.”

Watch RUSM’s 2024 Commencement Ceremony on YouTube.

For more information, email the Adtalem Global Communications Team: adtalemmedia@adtalem.com.