One-hundred sixty-eight students from the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (HMSOM) received their medical degrees June 5, and will now start their careers healing those in need in New Jersey.
The medical students came from the 2022 cohort of the medical school (129 students) who graduated after four years; and the 2023 cohort (39 students), who completed their education in an accelerated three years.
The commencement’s keynote was delivered by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.
“We are honored to be joined by Gov. Sherrill as we celebrate new doctors launching their residencies, including many who will practice in our great state,’’ said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “This helps us fulfill our mission to strengthen the physician pipeline and transform medical education so that the next generation of doctors focuses on maintaining health as much as curing illness. We could not be more proud of our graduates.’’
“Our graduates are well suited to thrive in a new state of healthcare and will have an extraordinary impact on countless lives,’’ said Jeffrey Boscamp, M.D., dean and president of the School. “While they will practice in an era of groundbreaking technology, they will never forget the humanity they will share with their patients.’’
Fifty-one percent of the Class of 2026 (84 students) will train in New Jersey for the first year of residency. Of these, 65 students matched into a Hackensack Meridian Health program. Other states where students matched for residency include New York (40 students) and California (seven), Massachusetts (six), among 21 states total.
The new group of graduates brings the total of new doctors trained by this newest medical school in New Jersey to a total of 572.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Hackensack Meridian Health assumed its independent operation in July 2020. The school achieved full accreditation in February 2023. The school’s vision is that each person in New Jersey, and in the United States, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, will enjoy the highest levels of wellness in an economically and behaviorally sustainable fashion. The school’s unique curriculum focuses on linking basic science with clinical relevance, through an integrated curriculum in a team-oriented, collaborative environment. The school prides itself on outreach, through programs like the Human Dimension, which is active in communities across New Jersey.
