2014 ICRE Commencement Ceremony

The Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE) celebrated its commencement ceremony on May 20, 2014, at the University Club. The ceremony recognized ICRE's 84 graduates for the 2013-2014 academic year across various career development and degree granting programs. Awards were also presented to select alumni, students, trainees, and faculty for outstanding achievement.

Although traveling for business, the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Steven Little, PhD, delivered a pre-recorded virtual message to the graduates. He urged them to embrace and remember the feedback from their ICRE instructors, emphasizing how it has greatly helped him throughout his career. While he admittedly still has several career, translational, and leadership goals to achieve, he shared that these goals were formed during his time at the ICRE, and it is also where he learned how to go about achieving them. Dr. Little closed with a quote from Vince Lombardi, "We will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing very well that we will never catch it, but along the way we'll catch excellence." He urged the graduates to enjoy their next challenge and its process because not only do they need this excellence, but their patients do as well. Dr. Little is a 2011 graduate of the Clinical Research Scholars Program, and is currently Associate Professor and Chair of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Immunology, Ophthalmology, and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

The keynote address was delivered by Olivera J. Finn, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Immunology and Surgery and Leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Dr. Finn painted a portrait of the time in her career where she was not as fortunate to have the programs that are available to the graduates today. In addition, she said that many women were not supported on a level where they could equally excel compared to their male counterparts. As the times have changed, she shared how grateful she is to now be able to mentor several young women in her field. Labeling the graduates as "pioneers of their generation," she assured them of the vast importance of clinical research and maintaining high standards of translational science so that they, too, can mentor an even better future generation.

Closing remarks were given by ICRE Director Dr. Wishwa Kapoor, MD, MPH. He advised the graduates to always take pride in their success, and he left them with a few words of advice taken from Charles Wheelan, PhD, who wrote the book 10 ½ Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said. The ceremony was followed by a reception on the rooftop of the University Club.

Awards

For awardees and details of awards, click here

Conferral of Degrees and Certificates

For names, projects, and future plans of recipients of degrees and certificates, click here

Recognition of Career Development Programs

For information about individuals who completed career development programs, click here

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