Renowned Leaders in Medical Research and Public Policy Slated to Address Graduates Across Keck School of Medicine

As students across Keck School of Medicine of USC prepare for their rapidly approaching graduation, two days of commencement activities have been planned, featuring addresses from preeminent leaders in medicine, research and public policy. Each speaker uniquely represents the Keck School of Medicine’s foundational commitment to actuating real-world impact through science and medicine. 

Diana E. Ramos MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG

California’s Surgeon General Diana E. Ramos MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG will be among the speakers offering inspiration and guidance to grads, many of whom will be entering a job market thirsty for new talent. A graduate of USC’s MD program, Ramos was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022 as the state’s second-ever Surgeon General and the first Latina to hold the post. She’ll bring her unique cross-discipline experience in mental health and reproductive rights advocacy to addresses for the physician assistant ceremony on Friday, May 10 at Founders Park and the MD commencement the following day at the Galen Center, both at USC’s University Park Campus (UPC). 

Raised in South Central Los Angeles, Ramos has applied her personal knowledge of the challenges poverty poses to her quest to advance the health and well-being of all Californians.  As Surgeon General, her focus has included easing the mental health challenges facing transitional-age youth–particularly those between 16 and 24–as well as growing the number of Latino medical students to address a shortage of physicians in both the state and nationwide.

Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH, MPH

Undergraduates in the Health Promotion and Global Health programs of USC will be addressed by Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH, MPH, an internist and epidemiologist and Senior Vice President of Trust for Public Land, a national organization that promotes public health by creating parks and greenspace and protecting land. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington School of Public Health, where he was dean from 2010-2016 and served as the director of the National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005-2010). He also served as professor and chair of environmental and occupational health and professor of medicine at Emory University (1990-2005). Across his career, he’s focused on the health aspects of climate change, community design, nature contact and sustainability. Frumkin will speak on Friday, May 10 at the Tutor Campus Center Ballroom, also located at UPC.

Peter A. Jones, PhD, DSc (hon)

Globally recognized cancer researcher Peter A. Jones, PhD, DSc (hon) will address PhD, DNAP, MS and MPH grads on Saturday, May 11 at the Galen Center. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, he joined USC in 1977, becoming a professor in 1985 and a distinguished professor in 1999. He is most known for his pioneering work in the field of epigenetics, which deals with environmental influences on gene expression that do not permanently change the DNA sequence itself. The study of epigenetics has had a significant impact on the study of cancer, leading to new ways of treating the disease. Jones is President and Chief Scientific Officer of Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids Michigan, where last year he earned a seven-year, nearly $7.9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute’s Outstanding Investigator Award program to continue his work researching the epigenetic errors that drive cancer and finding ways to fix them. He is a past president of the American Association for Cancer Research, a fellow of the AACR Academy, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Li-Rong Lilly Cheng, PhD

Li-Rong Lilly Cheng, PhD, professor of speech, language and hearing sciences and executive director of the Chinese Studies Institute at San Diego State University, will address the Speech Language Pathology commencement on Friday, May 10th at the Town and Gown of USC, also at UPC. A veteran leader in the field of speech and language, she has dedicated herself to a life-long mission of providing educational opportunities to children, women and the underserved. A lover of languages of all kinds, she served as the chair of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and is the current chair of the Educational Committee for the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP). She is also the current chair of the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum. 

For more information on this year’s commencement, visit keck.usc.edu/commencement.