Dr. Nestler emphasized that uncertainty has always been part of life after graduating. He explained that his path was not clearly defined, but that he found it through different experiences. Dr. Nestler highlighted that the graduates have more than just scientific knowledge and technical skills from their time at Mount Sinai; he believes the challenges that students overcame at Mount Sinai have strengthened their ingenuity, creativity, and adaptability. He told students that they’ve built resilience to not only endure change, but to help shape it. He named several scientists as examples of resilience, such as primatologist Jane Goddall, biochemist Katalin Karikó, and physician-scientist David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc. Dr. Nestler told students to remember that they are prepared for what’s coming next and that uncertainty is a companion to life. He concluded by saying that are students are uniquely prepared to handle the challenges in healthcare and science in the United States.

Dr. Nestler then introduced Marta Filizola, PhD, Dean for the Graduate School and Chair of the Department of Graduate Education, who congratulated the Class of 2026 and spoke about the awards ceremony earlier that day. Dr. Filizola highlighted research from several students, including research on sickle cell disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, how damage to blood vessels contributes to heart failure, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in mental health, and how AI can help find better therapeutic antibodies against infectious diseases. She remarked that our students’ efforts have had an impact around the globe, such as creating a sustainable malnutrition treatment program in Pakistan and building a maternal health model to improve access to care in the Dominican Republic. She believes we’re at a crucial moment for biomedicine.

Dr. Filizola emphasized that we need safer more effective therapeutics, drugs that can cure more forms of cancer and heart disease uncover the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease and treatment to prevent it. She told the graduates that they are ready to apply their training to make advancements in science, medicine and healthcare. She is confident that they will drive innovative research, realize the potential of AI in medicine, advance the delivery of healthcare, effectively advocate for patients, eliminate health disparities, and make hospitals and health care systems more efficient and cost effective. Dr. Filizola thanked our faculty and the families of our graduates for supporting and mentoring our students.

The next speaker was this year’s honorary degree recipient is Claire Pomeroy, MD, MBA who was introduced by Sarah Millar, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs, Chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and the Director of the Dean’s Core Facilities. Dr. Millar called Dr. Pomeroy a visionary advocate that has dedicated her career to advancing research and education for public health. As the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, Dr. Pomeroy has accelerated support for medical research. In Dr. Pomeroy’s role as infectious disease physician, she has leveraged her own lived experience to advance care for the underserved and underrepresented. Dr. Millar expressed her admiration for how Dr. Pomeroy has strengthened public health infrastructure and helped address social determinants of health to make an impact on many lives.

Dr. Pomeroy started her remarks by congratulating the graduates. She told them they are the leaders that will define the future of health by accelerating biomedical research, advancing public health and epidemiology, or working in health administration. Dr. Pomeroy believes it’s an exciting time for science, citing examples such as vaccines that save millions of lives, to breakthrough immunotherapy drugs that unleash the ability of our own human immune system to defeat cancer, and new AI tools that accelerate drug design and personalized medicine. Dr. Pomeroy mentioned that Mount Sinai is a global leader in research.

Dr. Pomeroy tasked the graduates with addressing the current challenges in research, which she identified as imperiled funding and the defunding of public health infrastructure. She encouraged students to improve health care delivery systems and make them work for patients, rather than maintaining a “sick care system”, which drew applause from the audience. Dr. Pomeroy encouraged students to use their knowledge to form scientific breakthroughs and make it available to anyone who needs it. She believes that health care in our country remains inaccessible and unaffordable, and that your health outcomes should not be determined by their zip code. Dr. Pomeroy spoke about how core values are developed by your experiences, and spoke about her own journey as a child in the foster care system. She also mentioned her work helping patients suffering from HIV/AIDS and how this experience taught her to push and disrupt the healthcare system to better serve patients. Dr. Pomeroy explained that the Lasker Foundation strives to improve health through education, advocacy, and celebrating research excellence. They are prioritizing work to restore public trust in research and medicine and increase public engagement in science. She encouraged students to join them in this mission and told them to embrace their core values.

Nitika Kamath, a student from the Master of Science in Biomedical Science program, was this year’s class speaker. She believes that her class is leaving Mount Sinai with not just knowledge, but with greater conviction, more confidence, and a renewed sense of commitment to science and the communities they plan to serve. Nitika mentioned that her curiosity for science began by spending time with her grandparents, who were both academics. Her grandmother’s work in marine zoology inspired her to pursue a career in science. Nitika moved from India to the United States at age 17 to begin her undergraduate degree. She discovered a passion for neuroscience research, and what began as curiosity turned into purpose. Nitika believes the relationships she formed at Mount Siani contributed significantly to her success in the program. She reflected on how steel is formed, being heated to extremely high temperatures, but the real transformation happens afterwards. She mentioned that it’s not the heat alone that shapes steel, but the repeated cooling and altering in between. Nikita related this process to their time at Mount Sinai; the graduating class has been transformed by their education and training. She believes that like steel, they are not defined by the heat they experience, but by their ability to emerge stronger because of it. Nitika concluded by congratulating her peers and reminding them of their resilience.

The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences granted degrees to 181 students across nine programs. Students from several programs received awards for their achievements. The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences will be excited to see how these graduates use their degrees to improve health, science, and medicine. Congrats to the Class of 2026!