Graduates Encouraged to be Bold and Extraordinary at 2026 Commencement

Lisa McEvoy

Date

May 9, 2026

Newest healthcare professionals are prepared to change systems and improve care

They may use their degrees in a variety of locations and fields, but the 665 graduates of the MGH Institute of Health Professions understand the importance of the human element in their work and the need for impactful change to improve care.

At the Institute’s 46th commencement today at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center, graduates from the School of Nursing and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences heard from school and healthcare leaders on why the time they spent learning was vital.

“You graduate at a time when health care needs your knowledge, your leadership, and your voice,“ said President Deborah Jones at her first commencement since taking the helm in January. "The challenges before us are real, but I look at you and feel great hope."

That sentiment was echoed by Dr. David Brown, president of the academic medical centers for Mass General Brigham, who spoke during the School of Nursing's ceremony.

“The demand for skilled, thoughtful, adaptable health professionals and health care leaders is not abstract,” said Brown. “It is urgent and growing. It is visible in every part of the system, every day. And it will shape the work you are now stepping into. Put simply, we need you. Not in some distant future – but now.”

A row of people wearing graduation gowns and holding hoods at the 2026 commencement — Graduates at the 2026 School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Commencement ceremony stand and prepare to take the stage.

A woman holding a scepter and wearing a graduation gown at a commencement — Physical Therapy Assistant Professor Jane Baldwin served as the 2026 Commencement Grand Marshal.

A woman stands at a podium wearing graduation robes at the 2026 commencement — President Deborah Jones presided over her first MGH Institute commencement on Saturday, May 9 at the Thomas M. Menino Convention and Exhibition Center.

Two women in graduation gear pose in front of a backdrop that says MGH Institute of Health Professions — School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences speaker Lauren Kemmer, 'OTD26, with Dean Laura Plummer.

A woman in graduation clothing speaking at the 2026 commencement — Lauren Kemmer OTD '26 was selected to give the 2026 Commencement address for the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

A man behind a microphone at a commencement — Commencement speaker Dr. John Herman, Associate Chief of the Department of Psychiatry and Trustees Chair for Medical Psychiatry at Mass General Hospital, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and member of the Board of Massachusetts Medical Society's Physician Health Service, is the Medical Director of MGB’s Employee Assistance Program serving over 100,000 employees and their family members

Two women in graduation clothing holding an alumni award — President Deborah Jones presented Loren Fields McMahon OTD '17 with the Emerging Leading Alumni Award for demonstrating outstanding leadership and making significant contributions to her profession.

A man stands at a podium wearing graduation robes at the 2026 commencement — Greg Jackson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, spoke to the graduates of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the 2026 Commencement.

Two people in graduation robes, one wearing a medal, stand on a stage — Board of Trustees member Dr. John Herman bestowed the title Assistant Professor Emerita to Communication Sciences and Disorders faculty member Mary Riotte.

A man wearing a graduation gown and hat speaks at a podium at commencement — Before the degrees were conferred, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Reamer Bushardt told the graduates, "Today, for graduates in our Masters and Clinical Doctorate programs, the hood you receive represents more than the completion of a degree. Its colors reflect your academic discipline, and its placement on your shoulders marks your transition from student to professional."

Greg Jackson, President and Chief Operating Officer at Spaulding Rehabilitation, told School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences graduates that working in the field is not easy.

"There will be long days. Hard days. Days that test you. But stay grounded in the mission. Stay centered in the knowledge that you are changing the course of someone’s life," said Jackson. "That transformation often happens in small moments, encouraging a patient to take one more step, climb one more stair, try adaptive sports, when they don’t think they can, helping someone see possibilities when they can’t."

The student speakers during each ceremony spoke of how ready the graduates are to take on the challenges ahead.

“I believe the most powerful thing we leave with, the thing you’ll never see on a transcript, is the ability to truly listen with curiosity, humility, and care,” said School of Nursing speaker Tiffany Vassell, from the Master of Science, Leadership in Nursing Education program. “We are graduating prepared. Prepared to collaborate, to innovate, to advocate, and to redesign what is not working. To use our skills boldly and creatively.”

Doctor of Occupational Therapy graduate Lauren Kemmer represented a wide range of professions in her speech to the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences about being extraordinary in ordinary situations.

“We are the professions that live in the in-between,” said Kemmer. “Between illness and independence. Between hospital and home. Between who someone was and who they are becoming. Be the clinician who celebrates the smallest measurable progress. Be the colleague who protects dignity when systems move too fast. We will stand with others in the in-between — until they can stand on their own, recognizing they are extraordinary too.”

The nursing ceremony recognized an extraordinary person. Dr. Paula Milone-Nuzzo, the sixth president of the MGH Institute, was given the title of President Emerita for bringing the Institute to new heights during her tenure.

A row of people wearing graduation gowns and holding diplomas at the 2026 commencement — School of Nursing graduates proudly display their diplomas after crossing the stage at the 2026 Commencement.

Tiffany Vassell at the podium at commencement — School of Nursing speaker Tiffany Vassell is a double alumna, earning her Master of Science in Leadership in Nursing Education after earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014.

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A woman wearing a graduation gown speaks at commencement — Ellen Zane, who served on the MGH Institute Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2007, was awarded an honorary degree and told graduates from the School of Nursing, "Remember how important it is to take risks. Nobody ever accomplished anything of note without being bold and without taking risk. So, be bold, graduates."

A woman has a medal being put around her neck by a man behind her at a commencement ceremony — At the 2026 School of Nursing Commencement ceremony, Paula Milone-Nuzzo received a medal from Trustee John Herman signifying her title of President Emerita

David Brown, Deborah Jones and John Herman stand in front of a backdrop with MGH Institute of Health Professions written on it. — President of Academic Medical Centers for Mass General Brigham David F. M. Brown, President of the MGH Institute Deborah Jones, and Trustee John Herman.

A line of graduates walks toward the camera through a tunnel made by faculty members — School of Nursing walk out of the ballroom following commencement through a "tunnel" of cheering faculty.

The title of Assistant Professor Emerita was bestowed upon Antonia Makosky from the School of Nursing and Mary Riotte from the Communication Sciences and Disorders program.

Two alumni were recognized with awards, including occupational therapist Dr. Loren Fields McMahon, who earned the Emerging Leader Award and physical therapist Michelle E. Collie, who earned the Bette Ann Harris Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest form of recognition awarded to a graduate of the Institute.

Board of Trustee member Dr. John Herman, Associate Chief in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, spoke about transformational moments.

"Something you do, perhaps something you barely remember, may itself become transformational in someone else’s life," Herman conveyed. "Years from now, someone sitting where you are today may have begun their own journey because of a moment of care, steadiness, encouragement, or inspiration they experienced from you. That, in many ways, is one of the deepest rewards of this work."

Herman then awarded an honorary degree to Ellen Zane, a nationally recognized healthcare executive, having served as Chief Executive Officer of Quincy Hospital, Network President of Partners HealthCare, and as the first female President and Chief Executive Officer of Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children’s Hospital in its 229-year history. Zane, who served on the MGH Institute Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2007, gave the graduates advice about making an impact in their chosen fields.

"If you don't take risk in your career, you can be really good at what you do, but you will never be great," Zane told the graduates. "Remember how important it is to take risks. Nobody ever accomplished anything of note without being bold and without taking risk. So, be bold, graduates."