UND to confer Doctor of Medicine degree upon sixty-seven medical students
GRAND FORKS, N.D.—The University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) will confer the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree upon 67 graduating medical students at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 13, at the Chester Fritz Auditorium in Grand Forks.
The graduating students have completed four years of medical education to earn their Doctor of Medicine, beginning with two years of instruction on the UND campus in Grand Forks followed by two years of training with practicing physicians who volunteer to serve as their teachers in hospitals and clinics throughout North Dakota.
The ceremony’s keynote address, “Why do we do it? The intangibles of practicing medicine,” will be delivered by Ralph Levitt, M.D., a recently retired professor of Internal Medicine and former co-director of Year 2 Clinical Sciences Education for the SMHS.
Known for his use of clinical examples, which reflect his almost 40 years as a practicing hematologist/oncologist, Dr. Levitt is remembered also for his willingness to share his experiences in the real world of medicine with students.
Dr. Levitt grew up in Chicago and received his Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University, and M.D. from Northwestern University Medical School. He received his clinical training at the Mayo Clinic, after which time he was Board Certified in internal medicine, hematology, and oncology. He practiced at the Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo for 39 years. There he was the Principal Investigator for Clinical Research and also held positions with the North Central Cancer Treatment Group executive committee, served as North Dakota oncology liaison for the Medicare Advisory Committee, and was President of the North Dakota Oncology Society. During that time he mentored numerous residents.
Following graduation, the new physicians will begin their medical residency, a three to seven year period of advanced intensive training in their chosen specialty. In keeping with tradition, the SMHS Class of 2018 is particularly focused on primary care: 17 of the 67 students (25 percent) are pursuing family medicine with residency programs across the country, which is almost triple the national average of graduating medical students entering family medicine. Matches for UND medical students in the other primary care specialties include the fields of internal medicine (15), pediatrics (4), and obstetrics/gynecology (3). This makes for a total of 39 of 67 (58 percent) of the Class of 2018 entering primary care. Other specialties chosen by this class include radiology, dermatology, neurology, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, psychiatry, general and orthopedic surgery, and otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat).
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Brian James Schill
Assistant Director, Office of Alumni & Community Relations
University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
701.777.2733 direct | 701.777.4305 office
brian.schill@UND.edu | med.und.edu