Albany Medical College held its 187th Commencement ceremony at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, awarding over 200 degrees. The event saw 124 new physicians receive their medical degrees (MD), while 42 graduates earned Master of Science degrees in Physician Assistant Studies. Additionally, 12 individuals received either Master of Science or doctoral degrees in biomedical sciences, and 24 obtained a doctoral degree in nursing practice from the Center for Nurse Anesthesiology. The Alden March Bioethics Institute conferred five Master of Science degrees and two doctoral degrees.
Key speakers included Alan S. Boulos, MD ’94, Distinguished Dean of Albany Medical College; Maggie Gillis, vice chair of the Albany Med Health System board; and student representatives from the Class of 2025.
The keynote address was delivered by Mitch Warner, best-selling author and managing partner at the Arbinger Institute. Warner has a background in healthcare culture change and has worked with organizations like the Cleveland Clinic, NASA, and the U.S. military branches. He focuses on how individual and organizational mindsets impact culture and results.
Warner was awarded an honorary degree alongside Michael Shy, MD, a 1979 graduate of Albany Medical College. Dr. Shy is a professor at the University of Iowa with expertise in neuromuscular disorders such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. His work includes translational research aimed at developing therapies for inherited peripheral neuropathies.
