University of Cincinnati College of Medicine celebrates Class of 2026 at Honors Day

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine proudly celebrated the Class of 2026 on Saturday, April 18, 2026, during its Honors Day ceremony. Held at the historic Music Hall, the event brought together 177 graduates, their families, friends, faculty and staff for a powerful day of reflection, recognition and pride — marking a defining milestone in each student's journey toward becoming a physician.

Honors Day commemorates the culmination of years of academic rigor, clinical training and personal growth for students earning their Doctor of Medicine degrees — as well as combined MD-MPH and MD-PhD degrees. The ceremony, rich in tradition and meaning, recognized not only student achievement, but also the mentors, loved ones and communities who supported them along the way.

"On behalf of the nearly 70,000 students, faculty and staff of the University of Cincinnati, it is my sincere pleasure to welcome all of you to the 2026 Honors Day," said Gregory C. Postel, MD, dean of the College of Medicine, Christian R. Holmes professor and executive vice president for health affairs at UC and chair of the UC Health Board of Directors. "And our special welcome to the Class of 2026."

Postel took a moment to challenge the conventional wisdom that Honors Day — compared to White Coat Day or Match Day — somehow fails to generate the same electricity. "I think the reason is people want to see what is coming next as opposed to simply celebrating what is in the past," he said. "I think this is natural. The future is exciting. The future is uncertain." But he pressed graduates to resist that impulse and instead pause on what they had accomplished. "This is a milestone. Stop, force yourselves to celebrate, and reflect on a very impressive accomplishment."

By any measure, the accomplishments of the Class of 2026 were indeed impressive. The class achieved a 100% match rate into residency and a 98.8% passage rate on the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 — results Postel noted were the hallmark of a medical school that competes with the very best institutions nationwide. "It's hard to beat numbers like 100% and 98.8%," he said.

Postel also reflected on the remarkable changes the Class of 2026 navigated during their four years in Cincinnati — from the lasting reverberations of the COVID pandemic to the explosive growth of medical knowledge, personalized medicine and artificial intelligence. He urged graduates to embrace lifelong learning as a professional necessity. "I encourage you to embrace a lifelong learning philosophy," he said, noting that the pace of change in medicine means that cutting-edge knowledge today can become quickly outdated.

Throughout the ceremony, Postel returned to the theme of compassion as medicine's enduring north star. "People need medical care. People need compassion. People need support," he said. "All of you as newly minted physicians today have the capacity to provide that care, that compassion and that support to your patients. That will not change. That is your true north."

He also offered a pointed reminder that self-care is not optional for physicians. "It's impossible for you to do a good job caring for patients if you don't care for yourself," he said. "Get enough sleep, eat the right kinds of food, work on stress reduction, spend time with your family and friends."

Numerous awards were presented throughout the ceremony to students and faculty in recognition of academic excellence, teaching, mentorship and humanism in medicine.

Delia Sosa received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, alongside faculty honoree Houman Varghai, MD, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. Presented by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the award honors both a graduating student and a faculty member who exemplify clinical excellence and compassion in the care of patients, while demonstrating respect for patients, families and health care colleagues. Sosa also led the Class of 2026 in reciting the Oath of Professionalism during the ceremony.

In a new addition to this year's program, Adam Leone was presented with the United States Public Health Service 2026 Excellence in Public Health Award — a national recognition for medical students who have advanced public health and exemplified the USPHS mission to protect, promote and advance the health and safety of our nation. Leone also received the Ralph & Jean Kelly Ophthalmology Prize and earned membership in both the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He will begin his residency in ophthalmology at Los Angeles General Medical Center.

Sarah Geraghty received the Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence, one of the university's most prestigious student honors. She will begin her residency in Medicine-Pediatrics at Wayne State/Detroit Medical Center and is also a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

The Gold Apple Award for outstanding teaching was presented to Joseph C. LaPorta, DO, assistant professor in the Department of Neurology & Rehabilitation Medicine. The Silver Apple Award was presented to Bi A. Awosika, MD, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, and Sarah R. Pickle, MD, professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine. The Excellence in Mentoring Awards were presented to Amy T. Makley, MD, professor in the Department of Surgery, and Charles J. Prestigiacomo, MD, professor in the Department of Neurosurgery. All awards were presented by Class of 2026 Medical Student Association Co-Presidents David Furniss and Julianna Rizzo.

Saagar Chokshi received the Stella Feis Hoffheimer Academic Achievement Prize, awarded to the graduate with the highest academic achievement in four years, as well as one of the two Dr. and Mrs. Robert E. Ott Academic Achievement Awards. Jack Garcia received the second Ott Academic Achievement Award and the Christian R. Holmes Memorial Award for excellence in otolaryngology.

Juliana Rizzo received the Medical Alumni Association Outstanding Student Award, selected by the graduating class to honor a student who has conceived of and implemented programs for the benefit of the entire student body. Rizzo served as MSA co-president during her time at the College of Medicine and will begin her residency in family medicine at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Edgewood, Kentucky.

The ceremony's most animated response came during the remarks of class speaker Erick Madis — who was greeted with cheers and laughter by his classmates — and who delivered a speech that was equal parts self-deprecating, deeply personal and genuinely moving.

Madis introduced himself as "the Class of 2026 class clown" and immediately drew laughter by wishing his mother, Beth, a happy birthday from the stage. He then guided the audience through what he called a meditation on growth — tracing the arc of four years that began with 180 nervous first-year students sitting in Kresge Auditorium to a graduating class of physicians.

"I was almost afraid to say anything at all," Madis said of those early days, recalling how intimidated he felt by the caliber of his peers. "And honestly, I'm still a little intimidated by all of you." He spoke candidly about his early struggles — abandoning hobbies and social connection in a misguided effort to study harder, until one disappointing exam grade forced a reckoning. "A shell of a person does not make a good doctor," he said. "I found that for me, it was the passion for the other parts of who I was that pushed me to be a better student and a better future physician."

He reflected on the relentless pace of medical school — where every milestone quickly becomes the new baseline and the goalpost never stops moving — and argued that this pressure was, in fact, by design. "Maybe this whole system wasn't designed to just teach us medicine," he said. "Maybe it was designed to teach us how to be stronger people." The goal, he concluded, was never to produce hollow doctors — it was to build resilient ones.

Madis saved some of his most heartfelt words for the mentors and attending physicians who modeled the kind of doctor he hopes to become, including one who, noticing his voice quiver after a difficult patient encounter, gave him space to pause and debrief rather than pushing him through it. "She didn't treat my reaction as an inconvenience or a weakness to manage," he said. "She treated it as a reasonable response to something genuinely difficult. And that reframe — that feeling wasn't a liability, but actually part of showing up fully for your patients — has stayed with me."

He closed with a call to arms that drew another roar from his classmates. "We don't need to be perfect yet," he told the Class of 2026, "but we do need to always be perfecting." He concluded: "Thank you, colleagues, friends, for consistently humbling and encouraging me. It's been an honor and an absolute blast to learn from and work with you all. Congratulations, doctors."

Faculty mentors led the ceremonial hoodings, honoring the unique and rigorous path each graduate undertook. Dawn S. Bragg, PhD, associate dean for student affairs; Bi A. Awosika, MD, assistant dean for the Office of Admissions; and Philip M. Diller, MD-PhD, senior associate dean for educational affairs, presided over the hooding of Doctor of Medicine degree candidates.

Whitney K. Bryant, MD, associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, led the hooding for combined MD-MPH degree graduates. Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD, director of the Medical Scientist Training Program, and Diller led the hooding for combined MD-PhD degree graduates (through the Medical Scientist Training Program).

One of the ceremony's most memorable and joyful moments came when Grant Chappell was hooded by his wife and classmate, Kate Chappell — and immediately returned the favor by hooding her. The spontaneous exchange drew a roar of cheers and applause from the crowd. Both Chappells matched at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor — Grant in surgery and Kate in internal medicine.

A moving military promotion ceremony honored graduates entering military service, with John Velasquez and Dylan Young commissioned as officers — symbolizing a dual commitment to medicine and country. Velasquez will complete his orthopaedic surgery residency with the United States Army. Young will complete his emergency medicine residency at Darnall Army Hospital at Fort Hood. Col. Dan J. Brown, MD, USAF, associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, presided over the ceremony. The audience responded with a standing ovation.

Prior to the hooding, Sosa led the Class of 2026 in reciting the Oath of Professionalism. As the event drew to a close, Diller led graduates — and all MDs in attendance — in reciting the Hippocratic Oath, officially marking the Class of 2026's transition from student to physician.

Both oaths are rooted in the four core principles of clinical ethics: Always seek the best for your patient; always avoid harming your patients; respect their independence — it's their body and their decision; and strive for justice in health care.

In his closing remarks, Postel offered a simple but sincere send-off to the newest members of the medical profession. "Congratulations to the Class of 2026, and welcome to the profession of medicine," he said, before turning the audience's attention to the celebration ahead. "We have conferred degrees. We have bestowed honors, and all that's left is to celebrate."

With diplomas in hand and bright futures ahead, the Class of 2026 now begins residency training at leading institutions across the country — from UC Health and Cincinnati Children's Hospital to the Mayo Clinic, Northwestern, the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt and beyond. As they take their next steps, they carry forward the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine's enduring legacy of excellence, innovation and service.

Featured image at top: The UC College of Medicine graduating Class of 2026 poses for a group photo in front of Music Hall, ahead of their Honors Day ceremony. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II.