HERSHEY, Pa. — Penn State College of Medicine conferred degrees upon 145 medical students, 78 graduate students and 28 physician assistants at its 48th annual commencement ceremony. The event took place on May 20 at Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.

Dr. Valerie Stone, chair of the Department of Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital and the Charles S. Davidson Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, delivered the commencement address. Stone is a nationally recognized expert in HIV/AIDS care, which is her primary research interest.

The graduating class included the first student to receive an MD/MPH degree from the college. Also receiving degrees were graduates of the 3+3 Family Medicine Accelerated Pathway, which allows students to receive their medical degrees in three years, then transition to three-year residencies at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The program is designed to directly address the shortage of family medicine providers.

The graduates were also the first students to work as patient navigators through the College’s Systems Navigation Curriculum. It was developed with a grant from the American Medical Association and involved embedding students in clinical sites throughout central Pennsylvania during their first year of medical school.

In all, students from 23 different countries received degrees.

View the entire photo gallery from the commencement ceremony here.