It was a sudden, but thrilling change for the School of Medicine’s Class of 2020, graduating two months early from UMass Medical School with only a few days notice, allowing the new physicians to head into the work force early amid the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

UMass Medical School conferred 135 Doctor of Medicine degrees to the School of Medicine Class of 2020 during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, March 31, that took place two months early, enabling the new doctors to join the Massachusetts health care workforce immediately to help take on the unprecedented COVID-19 challenge.