Funny hats and big smiles
School of Dentistry awards 90 degrees and certificates to the newest graduates.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, reflected in the beaming smiles of those gathered inside the Oregon Convention Center, where OHSU held its commencement ceremony on Friday, June 6.
“Use your integrity and hope to make the world a better place,” encouraged OHSU Provost Marie Chisholm-Burns, Pharm.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FCCP, FASHP, FAST, FNAP, FACHE, as she addressed the graduating class.
Robby Bergstrom, D.M.D., receives his hood. Photo by OHSU
OHSU graduates were celebrated for their achievements and awarded 1,197 degrees and certificates in dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health.
Comradery in dentistry
Ninety degrees and certificates were awarded to graduates of the School of Dentistry, including those earning a doctor of dental medicine (D.M.D.), as well as graduates of advanced education and master’s programs.
During a School of Dentistry hooding ceremony that followed the commencement event, Robby Bergstrom, D.M.D., class president, highlighted the comradery of the class of 2025 that spent 16 terms together over their four years of dental education.
“Here we are. We did it. Look at us. Funny hats and big smiles,” he said. “This degree is proof of our ability to work together. Every time I was down, one of you was there to give me a hand and pick me up.”
Bergstrom encouraged his classmates to give back. “Please do what you can to create opportunities for others,” he said. “We are blessed with a skill that restores function, but it is always in critical need. We’re dentists when it comes down to it.”
Overcoming uncertainty
This dental class began in August 2021, when variants of COVID were still surging.
Dean Ron Sakaguchi, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., M.B.A. with Amanda Heydari, D.M.D., who earned an advanced certification in periodontics. Photo by OHSU
Ron Sakaguchi, D.D.S., Ph.D., M.B.A., dean of the OHSU School of Dentistry, reminded graduates of this time because of the uncertainty and anxiety it created. But, despite the challenges they prevailed.
“The knowledge, skills and experience you have accumulated at the OHSU School of Dentistry has prepared you to care for your patients and your community as a highly skilled and compassionate dentist, health care professional and leader.”
Dozens of awards were presented to the graduates during the hooding ceremony and in the weeks preceding commencement.
The final accolade awarded during the hooding ceremony was the Peglow Award. Classmates and faculty choose a graduate who exemplifies integrity, humility, compassion, skill, sensitivity to patients’ needs and dedication to service. It’s in memory of Dr. Stephen Peglow ’77, an Air National Guardsman who died a few years after graduating when his fighter jet crashed. The accolade is the highest honor a graduate can receive from their peers and professors at the School of Dentistry.
Tiffany Tep, who will remain at OHSU for the Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry residency program, received the accolade.
Left to right, Jake Erickson, Jihoon Noh, Sam Johnson, Christian Beard, Alan Jordan, Tyler McCreadie, Parker Kuhn are adorned with candy and a decorative headdress. Photo by OHSU
Story by Rhonda Morin, APR. Photos by School of Dentistry.
