On Saturday evening, May 16, University of Vermont master’s and doctoral degree recipients—including 50 students who earned their degrees at the Larner College of Medicine—were hooded at the Graduate College Ceremony at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. Their degrees included master of public health, master of science (M.S.) in microbiology and molecular genetics, M.S. in pharmacology, M.S. in medical science, doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in cellular, molecular, and biomedical sciences, and Ph.D. in neuroscience. The ceremony included remarks by Graduate College Dean Holger Hoock, D.Phil., UVM President Marlene Tromp, Ph.D., and student speaker Seide Saba Rafiei, Ph.D., who served as president of the Graduate Student Senate.
Watch the Graduate College Commencement Ceremony video
On Sunday afternoon, May 17, the Larner community celebrated the 119 members in the Class of 2026 who received doctor of medicine (M.D.) degrees at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine’s commencement ceremony, held in the historic Ira Allen Chapel. The event marked the completion of their medical school training and transition to residencies in a wide range of medical specialties, including family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and more.
The ceremony included remarks from Dr. Tromp, Larner Dean and UVM Chief Academic Affairs Officer Richard L. Page, M.D., and Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education Christa Zehle, M.D.’99, as well as a keynote address by Lewis First, M.D., M.S., professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Larner and chief of pediatrics at Golisano Children’s Hospital, who has served UVM for more than three decades; and a student address by Maisie Laud ’26.
Watch the Larner College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony video
Inspirational Humor
In his signature blend of humor and heart, Dr. First entertained the commencement audience with corny jokes and a whimsical song, while imparting serious advice for new doctors. His “treatment plan” for the Medical Class of 2026 included four steps: 1) Work as a team with other clinicians, nurses, patients, and their families; 2) Commit to lifelong learning and pay it forward, finding ways to teach others; 3) Advocate for your patients and what they need to thrive in the communities in which they live; 4) Maximize the importance of caring, both for your patients and your own well-being, including spending time with the people you love. He advised the graduates to do all four of these steps with kindness, humility, and respect.
“Don’t forget to care for yourselves.” — Lewis First, M.D., M.S.
“Think about a moment in your lives when you recognized that you wanted to dedicate your professional self to caring for others. Take that feeling and imagine you are putting it into a box … and every time you make an effort to care, that box gets bigger,” First advised the graduates. “While you carry that box, recognize it is there not only for caring for your patients, but also for caring for those who have supported you to get you to this day.
“… And finally, to all of you graduating—don’t forget to care for yourselves.”
In her address, Maisie Laud reminded her classmates of the strong friendships they developed as medical students and the importance of supporting each other. “No one gets out of medical school unscathed—whether personal or family issues, academic, or professional issues, we each went through something. But while we all went through something, we also all started showing up for each other. We learned different kinds of love languages, the kinds that build close camaraderie among peers,” Laud said.
“Continue to show up for patients, for family, for friends, residents, team members, and yourself.” — Maisie Laud, M.D.’26
“Once we started showing up for each other, it came naturally to start showing up for patients … We learned how to walk into a patient’s room or a friend’s home, and say, ‘I’m here for you’ and mean it … As we move forward, I hope we remember this: Continue to show up for patients, for family, for friends, residents, team members, and yourself.”
Meet a few of the amazing members of the Larner Class of 2026
Jasmine Bazinet-Phillips, M.D.
Social determinants of health are top of mind for Jasmine Bazinet-Phillips, especially for mothers and children. Before deciding to pursue a medical career, Bazinet-Phillips taught young children through Teach for America near her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, where many families struggled to make ends meet. That experience sparked her interest in ensuring that families have access to the services and health care they need.
To prepare for medical school, Bazinet-Phillips completed UVM’s Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program and worked as a newborn hearing screening technician at the UVM Medical Center. She was excited to move to Vermont, where she grew up skiing at Sugarbush Resort with her family, including her brother, UVM graduate Arlo Matz ’15. During medical school, Bazinet-Phillips helped facilitate skiing events for medical students and played hockey in the Specimen Cup, an annual competition between students at Larner and the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine.
“Feel excited about how much there is to learn and the things you will discover along the way.” — Jasmine Bazinet-Phillips, M.D.’26
Bazinet-Phillips participated in many community service projects while at Larner, including partnering with local organizations and businesses to provide books, food, health care, and transportation to medical appointments for immigrant children and families. She is currently completing a research project, funded by the Larner Dean’s Medical Student Research Fellowship, focused on preventing accidental overdose deaths in the postpartum period, the leading cause of maternal mortality in Vermont.
Bazinet-Phillips is a National Health Service Corps scholar, which provides tuition support to students pursuing health professions in return for their commitment to provide primary care in health professional shortage areas. After graduation, Bazinet-Phillips will return to Baltimore for pediatric residency training at the University of Maryland Medical Center, followed by working as a pediatrician at a Federally Qualified Health Center. She says she’ll miss Vermont’s snow and ice, as well as the many moments of warmth and inclusivity, and intends to return to Vermont for family skiing adventures.
What would she say to her past self, and to those who are just starting medical school? “I would encourage them to have an open mind about where they will end up. Feel excited about how much there is to learn and the things you will discover along the way.”
Khadija Moussadek, M.D.
Achieving goals through hard work feels familiar for Khadija Moussadek and her family. Her father immigrated to the U.S. from Morocco, her mother is the first person in her family to graduate high school, and she, along with her two sisters, are first-generation college students. Moussadek has known she wanted to a doctor since the age of three. “I was always curious about how doctors knew what to do,” she says. “I want to make other people feel comfortable and heard by their physicians.”
Now, with her medical diploma in hand, Moussadek will begin internal medicine training at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, with a plan to specialize in gastroenterology. “I love anatomy and physiology, and I like doing things that are procedural,” Moussadek says.
“Chase your dreams. Trust the process, and know you will get through.” — Khadija Moussadek, M.D.’26
During her time at Larner, Moussadek also focused on psychiatry, particularly around suicide prevention. She created a toolkit to help physicians prevent suicide by identifying and intervening in patients’ self-harming behavior, which is an upstream risk for later suicide attempts. The toolkit included clinical training, a screening tool, and a script to help providers broach potentially difficult conversations. She presented her project at multiple conferences, including the Vermont Suicide Prevention Symposium in 2024 and the national Suicide Research Symposium held April 15–17, 2026.
Moussadek’s advice to people starting medical school: “Chase your dreams. Trust the process, and know you will get through.”
Emily Wang, M.S. Medical Science
A career in health care has long been a goal for Emily Wang, but the exact form it would take was not always obvious. Now, after completing a master of medical science degree at the Larner College of Medicine, her path is clear: Wang is on track to become a dentist.
“I am proud of how much I have learned, how much more confident I am in my academic abilities, and how prepared I am for my next steps in health care.” — Emily Wang, M.S.’26
Wang worked as a dental intern during high school and fell in love with the profession, she says. “I was drawn to the ability to make a difference in someone’s life, not only through dental procedures and educating them on oral health, but also the ability to build a relationship with them,” says Wang, who lives in Orange County, California. After graduating from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo in 2024 and working as a dental assistant, she enrolled in UVM’s master of medical science program as a fully remote, online student to strengthen her academic foundation in the sciences before applying to dental school. The program stood out to Wang for its flexibility.
“Being able to complete the program remotely allowed me to continue working full time while pursuing my academic goal. The courses are rigorous and challenging, and they are also cohesive and build a strong foundation across the biomedical disciplines,” she says. “Throughout the program, I became more interested in how different systems in the body connect and how small changes at the cellular or molecular level can impact overall health.”
After receiving her UVM diploma this May, Wang will continue to work as a dental assistant throughout the dental school application cycle. Her success feels certain. “I am proud of how much I have learned, how much more confident I am in my academic abilities, and how prepared I am for my next steps in health care.”
View the Larner College of Medicine commencement photo gallery
Watch the Larner College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony videoView the 2026 Larner Commencement Program (PDF)