Medical school celebrates new doctors in 10th graduation ceremony

Four simple letters. Each the first of four simple words.

But the sentence they form is profound. Easy to say yet much harder to realize.

I, A, T, P. - It's about the patient.

Those letters, that sentence, are from Dr. Robert A. Cain, president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

"These words are simple to say, but they're much more difficult to live, because medicine has a way of testing you," Cain said.

Cain delivered the keynote address to the 2026 graduates of the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM). This was the 10th commencement ceremony for the med school, which launched in 2013.

On Thursday, May 7, the medical school conferred degrees on 150 new osteopathic physicians and 12 graduates of the Master of Science in Biomedical Science program during a ceremony in the John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center.

In introducing the keynote speaker, CUSOM Dean Dr. David Tolentino said he has had the privilege of knowing Cain for some 25 years, "dating back to my time as a student and resident at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine."

Cain was certified in internal medicine and pulmonary medicine after completing his training at Heritage College, as well as several internship and fellowship programs. He is also serving a two-year term as president of the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions.

The journey for the CUSOM graduates began as the world was still recovering from the COVID pandemic. Still trying to figure out "what normal meant," Cain said. "You helped restore it by recreating connections and a sense of community. And that showed up in meaningful ways.

"As I prepared for today, I had the opportunity to speak with college leaders and faculty and members of your class," he said. "What became clear is this: You made CUSOM feel like a medical school again."

Cain talked about student events such as a "friendsgiving," for which most of the class showed up. He talked about a med school "prom" event and the Mr. CUSOM fundraiser.

"These moments weren't just social events. They were signals that something important had returned, and that sense of connection didn't stop with each other. You stepped into spaces where care is often hardest to find, like the Community Care Clinic serving uninsured patients, migrant farm workers and members of nearby communities who too often go unseen. What you are building here, your commitment to the community and to the people of North Carolina, is something to be proud of.

"Four years ago, you arrived here with ambition and uncertainty. Today you leave with acquired knowledge, skill and a new identity - doctor of osteopathic medicine," Cain said.

"With this new identity comes responsibility, trust and privilege, the privilege of being invited into some of the most important and difficult moments in another person's life."

The CUSOM commencement featured several speakers, including Campbell University President Dr. William M. Downs, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Michael Adams and Dr. Melissa M. Davies, a member of the university's Board of Trustees and the first person admitted to Campbell's med school.

"The truth," Davies said, "is simple but powerful. You are the future. You are the ones who will discover new solutions, who will break new ground, who will bring hope where it is needed most and, because of that, there is every reason to feel optimistic about what lies ahead.

"What brings me the greatest pride is knowing that the contributions you will make, the lives you will touch, the progress you will create, will all be a part of your story as graduates of Campbell University."

These Campbell graduates, said Downs, are people who care.

"And in a world where empathy is in short supply, you have it in abundance. Campbell's founded on a mission to serve the underserved, and you are the answer to that calling," he said. "Our world doesn't just need more doctors, it needs more Campbell doctors, healers who treat the whole person - body, mind and spirit - with the empathy and the faith that defines our community."

At the close of the ceremony, the new doctors took the Osteopathic Oath, given by Dr. Thomas Motyka, chair and associate professor of osteopathic manipulative medicine.

Tolentino told graduates they never lost sight of the reason they entered medicine - to care for others. "Never underestimate the healing power of kindness, humility and presence.

"You will always have a home here."

Cain left the graduates with a thought by renowned physician and author Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen.

"The most important thing you bring to your patients is the belief that they matter," Cain said, repeating Remen's belief .

"Because, in the end, medicine comes down to this: One human being choosing to care for another, sometimes in their darkest moments.

"Today you just don't receive a degree, you carry forward what began here: A commitment to care, a commitment to connection and a responsibility to the patients and communities who will depend upon you.

"You are ready. And, if your 'why' is ever challenged, come back to those four letters."

Contributors