HOWDY!

I am honored to stand before you as the president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine Alumni Association. On behalf of the Alumni Association, congratulations to the Class of 2011. Welcome to the ranks of the most honorable of professions, that of a physician, a healer. Each year this profession is renewed and rejuvenated as it welcomes the next group of physicians to its ranks. Those of us who have gone before you, and particularly those from our beloved College of Medicine, share a common bond. The rigorous process through which a physician is born instills in each of us the necessary skills and stamina to heal the sick and comfort the dying. As each of you moves into residency, and your practice careers beyond, you may rest assured that the College of Medicine has prepared you well. You are ready to heal!

The obligations of a healer are many. The confidence to fulfill those obligations requires a strong team around you. I challenge each of you to think of the team comprehensively. Not just in the present sense, but also the past and future sense. Consider the effort put forth by the team to get you to here, this moment. The College of Medicine, now 30 years of graduating classes old, is a crucial part of the team. Society at large created the College of Medicine as a team member so that each of you could benefit from the excellent medical education it provides. It is your duty, and your debt to society, to now become team members of the highest caliber. You do so by giving back to the team, and to society, of your time, your training, and your treasure. Medicine is the opportunity to fulfill your responsibility to the team, mankind, in the most meaningful way there is, as a healer.

I ask that you use the Alumni Association as the portal through which you stay connected to your medical team roots. Your first year of membership in the Alumni Association is our gift to each of you. Stay connected to the team, and when you can, give back to the team in thanks.

Congratulations to each of you on this special day. Thank you.

Mark D. Barhorst, M.D.
COM Class of 1988

Commencement Address (PDF)