Victor J. Dzau, MD, president of the Institute of Medicine, will deliver the commencement address at UMass Medical School’s 42nd Commencement Exercises on May 31.
Dr. Dzau is a leader in health care innovation and a renowned cardiologist whose six-year term as IOM president began in 2014.
“We are fortunate to welcome a leader of Dr. Dzau’s caliber to our campus for this year’s commencement ceremony,” said UMMS Chancellor Michael F. Collins. “Dr. Dzau’s contributions to academic medicine, the treatment of cardiovascular disease and to innovative research and leadership in health care are immense. His dedication to the missions we hold dear is inspiring.”
Dr Dzau is the eighth president of the Institute of Medicine; Chancellor Emeritus and James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke University; and the former president of the Duke University Health System. Previously, Dzau was the Hersey Professor of Theory and Practice of Medicine and chair of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Dzau is widely known for his seminal research in cardiovascular medicine and genetics. His work on the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) paved the way for the contemporary understanding of RAS in cardiovascular disease and the development of RAS inhibitors as widely used, lifesaving drugs. He also pioneered gene therapy for vascular disease, and his recent work on stem cell mechanisms and the use of microRNA in direct reprogramming provides novel insight into stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
As one of the world’s preeminent academic health leaders, Dzau advises governments, corporations, and universities worldwide. His vision is for academic health sciences centers to lead the transformation of medicine through innovation, translation, and globalization. Leading this vision at Duke, he and his colleagues developed the Duke Translational Medicine Institute, the Duke Global Health Institute, the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, and the Duke Institute for Health Innovation. These initiatives create a seamless continuum from discovery and translational sciences to clinical care, and they promote transformative innovation in health.
“Dr. Dzau has made a lifelong commitment to improving health and improving health care delivery systems and his work has made a tangible impact on academic health centers like ours,” said Chancellor Collins. “It’s a privilege for our students and faculty to hear from one of the great leaders in academic medicine.”
Commencement exercises at UMMS will take place on the campus green, with seating beginning at 11 a.m., the processional initiating at 11:45 a.m., and the ceremony starting promptly at noon.
