Forty-seven students graduate in the HST Class of 2021

On Wednesday, May 26, the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology (HST) held its second online graduation ceremony and celebration.

Mindy Blodgett and Megan Lewis | IMES/HST

Accustomed by now to doing everything­—from learning to celebrating—online, the stellar class of 2021 graduates of the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology (HST) participated in the program’s second virtual graduation ceremony. Forty-seven students, and their family and friends—many based in places far from Cambridge and the MIT and Harvard campuses—gathered virtually on Wednesday, May 26. Together, they watched a poignant video containing congratulatory remarks from HST Associate Director, Richard N. Mitchell, MD, PhD; Dean of Harvard Medical School (HMS) George Q. Daley, MD, PhD; and Director of the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES)—HST’s home at MIT—Elazer Edelman, MD, PhD. Both Dean Daley and Director Edelman are HST alums.

HST Associate Directors Matthew P. Frosch, MD, PhD, Junne Kamihara, MD, PhD, and Daniel A. Solomon, MD, presented the graduates of the Medical Sciences, Doctor of Medicine program. Co-director of HST Emery N. Brown, MD, PhD, and HST Director of Education Julie E. Greenberg, PhD, presented the graduates of the Medical Engineering and Medical Physics, Doctor of Philosophy program. J. W. Kieckhefer Professor of HST Martha L. Gray, PhD, presented the graduates of the Graduate of Education in Medical Sciences certificate program. As is HST tradition, each graduate was individually introduced with photos and details on their past accomplishments and future plans.

The celebration was opened by Mitchell, who served as emcee. Donning the signature HST graduation cap, a black Boston Red Sox baseball hat with a tassel, he peppered his remarks with humor.

“This year feels like a big, humungous renewal,” he said, “The Covid tornado has moved on and we can finally emerge from the storm shelter blinking into the light. What a shot in the arm that is! Pun very much intended.”

Mitchell stated that defeating the pandemic was only possible because “we followed the science. We embraced innovation and we persevered.” He called the pandemic “a metaphor for how good science wins in the end,” and he added that the world needs HST graduates, and the important work they will surely accomplish.

He then ceded the virtual podium to Daley, who congratulated the class on their many accomplishments, in spite of the pandemic: “You have all had to be resilient, resourceful, and steadfast, as you worked to complete this course of study…and we are truly proud of you.”

Dean Daley listed the many ways in which HST graduates have helped during the pandemic, such as working in hospitals, volunteering for the homeless, and conducting COVID-19 related research projects. Specific projects included utilizing technology to use 3-D printers to create N-95 masks and co-authoring a children’s book about the coronavirus.

Next, Edelman shared his pride with the graduates and assured them that they will always have a home at HST: “You, my dear students, have been in front of us, you have taught us, you have shown us, and you will continue to do so… We are delighted that you have allowed us to share in your pursuit of greatness and we’ll be here forever for you.”

Welcoming them as official members of the HST alumni community, he finished with, “I cannot wait to see what you will do next. If you ever need us, you know where to find us.”

Aditya Kalluri, an HST MD/PhD graduate, opened his student address by congratulating his fellow 2021 HST graduates and acknowledging the challenges brought on by the ongoing pandemic. He thanked not only HST leadership but the HST community as a whole before casting HST’s approach to science as “an approach based on building bridges between academic communities…every graduate is going to be a skilled communicator between diverse groups…whatever we do next, whether it’s clinical work, science, industry…the mindset to seek out and build collaborations is the core HST tenet that we’ll carry with us.” Kalluri will be pursuing residency in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital.

After closing remarks, graduates, along with their friends and family, were invited to a virtual reception through Zoom. They alternated between different Zoom “party” rooms where they celebrated their successes, congratulated each other, and reminisced.

HST MD graduates also participated in online Harvard graduation events on Thursday, May 27. On Friday, June 4, graduates of the HST Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (MEMP) PhD program received their degrees during an online MIT Commencement ceremony.

The graduating students were*:

Doctor of Medicine; Medical Sciences

Uday Agrawal, BS

Magna Cum Laude

Baturay Aydemir, BA

Cum Laude

Erik Bao, BS

Magan Cum Laude

Leon Reznick Memorial Prize

Seidman Prize for Outstanding HST Senior Medical Student Thesis

Elizabeth H. Byrne, BA

Cum Laude

Ann Morgan Cathcart, BA, PhD

John Ceremsak, BA

Katherine Redfield Chan, BS

Magna Cum Laude

Jacob Donoghue, BS, PhD

Senan Ebrahim, BA, PhD

Magna Cum Laude

Multiculturalism and Diversity Award

Jennifer Yawei Ge, BS, PhD

David Benjamin Gootenberg, BA, PhD

Sharon Grossman, BA, PhD

Magna Cum Laude

James Harris, BA, PhD

Thomas Patrick Howard III, BS, PhD

Anthony Injoon Jang, BS

Dr. Sirgay Sanger Award

Mark Kalinich, BS, PhD

Aditya Sreemadhav Kalluri, BS, PhD

Nicholas Kwok, BS

Cum Laude

Yuzhong (Jeff) Meng, BA, PhD

David Reshef, BS, MEng, PhD

Magna Cum Laude

Abigail Esther Schiff, BA, PhD

Eriene-Heidi Sidhom, BA, PhD

Mack Su, BS, PhD

Suan Tuang, BS, PhD

Adrian Veres, BA, PhD

Magna Cum Laude

Constance Wu, BA, MPhil

Cum Laude

Xiaoling Yu, BA

Magna Cum Laude

Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics

Mindy Bishop, SB

Lucas Cahill, BNG

George Chao, SB

Max Cotler, SB

Avilash Kalpathy Cramer, SB

Ang Cui, BNG, SM

Aditi Gupta, SB

Giyoung Jung, BNG, BS

Swati Kataria, BTEC

David Miranda, SB

Manuel Antonio Morales, SB

Benjamin J. Read, SB

John Gustaf Wilhelm Samuelsson, SM

Hyun Ho (Greco) Song, SB, SM

Anne Joyal Pigula Tresansky, SB

Fuyixue Wang, BNG

Elise Wilcox, SB

Certificate in Graduate Education in Medical Sciences

Max Louis Olender, BSE, MS, PhD

Sebastian Palacios, BS, MS

Morteza Sarmadi, BSc, MSc

*Final degree lists were not available at time of publication so the list is subject to change. Official degree certifications should be requested directly from the MIT or HMS Registrar’s Offices.