MGH Institute of Health Professions will graduate the largest class in its 42-year history at 2019 Commencement on May 13 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

A total of 602 students will receive doctoral, master’s, or bachelor’s degrees, or certificates, in nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, speech-language pathology, rehabilitation sciences, and health professions education.

Dr. George Thibault will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for his extraordinary leadership as Chair of the Board of Trustees from 2008-2018.

Two alumni will be recognized at Commencement. Stephanie Wilkie Ahmed, NU '08, will receive the Bette Ann Harris Distinguished Alumni Award, and Jarrad Harrison Van Stan, PhD '16, will receive the Emerging Leader Alumni Award.

Baothy Huynh, Doctor of Occupational Therapy 2019 candidate, will be the keynote speaker at the ceremony, to be held at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center.

Baothy was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and in 1997 moved to Illinois with her family. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Psychology in 2015 at Loyola University Chicago. In 2016, she enrolled in our OT Program, receiving an Institute scholarship. Here, she has worked as a research assistant and helped to launch the IHP Charlestown Best Buddies chapter with the assistance of other dedicated students and faculty.

In the fall of 2017, Huynh participated in an Assistive Technology (AT) hackathon hosted by MIT Hacking Medicine, working with a team of engineers to iterate a design for individuals living with neuromuscular disabilities. The project went on to be a finalist in the Spaulding Rehabilitation Innovation Challenge hosted by Google, as well as win the first two stages of the AT hackathon.

Huynh completed her clinical education placements at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, in acute care and outpatient neurological rehabilitation, respectively. Her advanced doctoral experience was focused on developing a 3D printing program proposal for Boston Children’s Hospital Augmentative Communication program. After graduation, she plans to continue clinical practice and pursue creative avenues to stay involved in assistive technology.