This is always a really exciting time of year. Last Sunday, we launched 583 new graduates who will go on to improve the quality of health care through their clinical practice, research, or education of others. And while we could not do this in person as we would have hoped, we were able to recognize each graduate and honor their many accomplishments through a virtual commencement. It was great to hear our student speaker, John Paul Bonadonna, speak about his IHP journey and his commitment to the underserved. We awarded an honorary doctorate to Ann Caldwell, who was president from 1997–2007, and alumni awards to Tesiah Coleman, MSN ’19, and Melissa Agrimanakis, DPT ’10. I loved seeing the pictures of our students in all their graduation glory, and the thank-you messages they sent out to their family, friends, and their faculty. If you could not make it to the virtual August 29 event, please take time to read more details and watch the video. 

We also have the pleasure of welcoming 347 new students in our School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Nursing, and Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation. Most of these students come to us after having made the bold and courageous decision to jump into the world of health care at a time when the work is particularly hard, both physically and emotionally. I believe this new cohort has been emboldened by those challenges. They have seen the need and are taking the steps to join the fight. I love their confidence and their interest in shaping the next generation of health care practitioners. 

While the focus of September is always about the new academic year, I’ve been thinking about all we have been through together over the last 18 months. Our faculty and staff have risen to the challenge of innovating pedagogy to give our students an exceptional education. Our researchers have been super-productive, and we have crossed the $25 million mark in our total grant portfolio. The ENRiCH Steering Committee did not skip a beat in its planning, and the IHP will open its third school, the School of Health Care Leadership, in January. We hired a new dean of the School of Nursing, Dr. Ken White, and Dr. Pat Reidy and her team received a HRSA grant that will support increasing the number of psychiatric nurse practitioners. We have studied our approaches to education, and our faculty, like Rebecca Inzana, have received a grant to do this work. We surveyed our faculty and staff through Modern Think and the Great Colleges to Work For process and improved in almost all areas of assessment, and we began working on a plan for those few areas where we did not improve.   

We have struggled with the hard questions and issues around racial justice and equity, and we have worked at increasing our knowledge and our understanding of the experiences of our Black and brown colleagues. For the first time since its inception in 2018, the JEDI Office has a full staff to facilitate this work and support our community on its journey of becoming an inclusive community for all. 

Last year, we honored the SGA leadership, particularly Alejandra Luna, for the impactful work students do in support of the IHP and the greater Boston community. I look forward to working with Swarna Gummadi and the 2021–2022 SGA Board in building on that work and supporting the development of student leaders at the IHP.   

I could go on and on. Each of you has made the last 18 months exceptional. The academic program leadership, faculty, and staff and the administrative support departments are responsible for much of this success. I know this next transition of the return to campus will be challenging and stressful for many, but I am confident we will take on this challenge with the same spirit we have exercised throughout the last 18 months.   

I wish you a productive and joyous semester.   

Paula