Garry Fathman delivers Washington University
School of Medicine Commencement Speech
On May 15, Garry Fathman, MD, professor of medicine (immunology and rheumatology), delivered the keynote address for the Washington University School of Medicine’s 2015 Commencement ceremony.
During the speech, Fathman, who received his MD from Washington University in 1969, shared personal insights, and reflected on the uncertainty he felt as a new graduate. “When I graduated from this medical school almost 50 years ago, I had no idea what direction my path would take,” he told the crowd. “The exciting yet discomforting reality is that—later today—you are going to be doctors, with all the awesome responsibility that entails.” He urged graduates to embrace indecision, and to never stop learning. “In times of indecision, remember what William Osler said, ‘medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability.’ Trust in the education you received at this internationally esteemed medical school to help you make the right decisions, but don’t stop learning.”