Called to Act: Yale School of Medicine Celebrates the MD Class of 2026

“Whatever comes next, you are ready. And that’s good news because our world needs you,” said Andrew Berg, MD, co-founder of the clinical learning platform Sketchy, in his Commencement address to the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) Class of 2026.

Advocacy, responsibility, compassion, and gratitude were hallmarks of this year’s MD Commencement ceremony. With the sun shining overhead, 106 MD graduates reflected on their medical school journey and looked ahead to what awaits them in their next chapter.

“This is not a sermon, but it is a celebration of this sacred moment—the miracle of our collective achievement,” said Lamley Lawson, MD ’26. “It is truly a privilege to represent a class that has deeply inspired me, motivated me, and—I do not say this lightly—changed my life for the better.”

In her invocation, Lawson reflected on the years of hard work and dedication that brought them to this moment and the profound responsibility each graduate now holds.

She emphasized that “do no harm” is not a passive commitment to inaction. “In fact, it will be the most active, energy-intensive, endothermic reaction of our lives.”

Drawing on the parable of the Good Samaritan, she reminded her fellow graduates that they begin their careers not only as doctors but as advocates, truth-tellers, and defenders of the vulnerable.

“We are being called to go near the need. To act. It will be inconvenient. It will cost us time and energy and sometimes social capital. It will require us to speak when silence is easier. It will mean staying in the room when leaving is more comfortable. But when we move in compassion and community, we will not be depleted. We will be replenished.”

Lawson ended her invocation with a prayer for guidance, boldness, grace, hope, and love. “Not just love as a feeling, but as a verb—an unrelenting commitment to see the profound dignity in every single person sitting on our exam tables.”

In her welcoming remarks, Nancy J. Brown, MD, Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of the Yale School of Medicine, reflected on the mission of YSM, particularly the commitment to improving the health of individuals and all people.

“Today you are entering a sacred profession in which you will have the opportunity to change the world through research and teaching, curiosity and humility, one patient, one discovery, and one policy at a time.”

She encouraged graduates to take time to fully understand their patients, not only their medical history but their values, environment, and support system. "Know them as a human being and teach them, as you also learn from them."

Finally, Brown urged the Class of 2026 to use research as a tool for discovery and innovation, noting how much we still don’t know in medicine.

"When I graduated from medical school, 40 years ago, HIV had been identified just three years earlier, and the first antiretroviral drug, zidovudine (AZT), had not yet been developed. The CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene would not be discovered for three years ... As you see patients, I hope you will remain attentive to what we do not know.”

“Right now, what medicine needs most isn’t more information or more efficiency or more technology. It’s more humanity,” said Berg. Berg’s speech challenged graduates to think beyond their clinical training and embrace the human element of the work ahead.

“Wherever you go, remember: You will be the face of medicine—to patients, to families, to communities. People who have not been trained as we have, and who often think of science as something distant, complicated, or even suspect,” he said.

“And in those moments, when people are deciding whether or not to trust, they’re usually not considering the data. They’re considering you. Is this person speaking to me with respect? Does this person sound like a human? Do they care?”

In a nod to Sketchy, he reminded the Class of 2026 that even they, “the brightest young minds in medicine,” found it easier to understand complex topics with cartoons.

“The thing the world needs most urgently from you right now isn’t just your knowledge, but your ability to connect, to communicate, and to care.”

He encouraged graduates to apply the same practice with their patients: share stories, use metaphors, make medicine interesting, and really show their patients how much they want them to understand.

Berg stressed that “the work we do is all-consuming" and “if you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to lose yourself.” His advice was to “remember that before you are a doctor, you’re a person.”

“Never forget that the oldest thing in medicine is still the most important: You are just a person helping another person feel better.”

During the ceremony, Brown announced this year’s teaching awards to faculty and trainees who exemplify the best of YSM through their devotion to educating and inspiring the next generation of physician-scientists. See the full list of awardees and quotes from their nominators.

See the list of joint and dual degree recipients, as well as recipients of the MD degree and Certificate in Global Medicine, and the MD degree with a Concentration in Medical Education, in the Commencement Program.