Drexel's 2026 Commencement Program
This printable program booklet includes a listing of all 2026 degree recipients.
Ceremony Schedule
- Processional
- National Anthem
- Announcement of the Assembly
- Greetings from the Class of 2026
- Student Recognition
- Keynote Address
- Individual Recognition of Graduates
- Salute to Parents, Families and Faculty
- Recessional
Ceremony Speakers
Keynote Speaker: Alonzo L. Plough, PhD, MPH
Graduate Speaker: Disha Shivakumar, MPH epidemiology '26
Undergraduate Speaker: Madeline Plummer, public health '26
Message from the Dean
Congratulations, 2026 Dornsife graduates! Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health Class of 2026, you have demonstrated perseverance, dedication and an unwavering passion for public health that has brought you to this extraordinary moment. As you move forward into the next chapter of your lives, carry with you the confidence of knowing the meaningful difference you are ready to make in this field.
Your time at Dornsife has helped shape you into thoughtful, skilled public health professionals who are equipped to tackle the evolving and complex health challenges of our time. Whether you are continuing your education, launching your career or charting a path all your own, embrace what lies ahead with purpose and boldness.
Your drive to advance health equity, champion social justice and uphold evidence-based practice will help define the future of public health. Today you are not simply graduates — you are agents of change, ready to strengthen communities near and far. Congratulations once again, and I hope the journey ahead brings you lasting success, deep fulfillment and a lifetime of impactful contributions to public health.
Gina Lovasi, PhD, MPH
About the Keynote Speaker
Alonzo Plough, PhD, MPH, joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as chief science officer and vice president of Research-Evaluation-Learning in January 2014. He is responsible for aligning all the foundation’s work with the best evidence from research and practice on improving health equity and incorporating program evaluations into organizational learning. He also oversees the two grantmaking portfolios focused on innovation and emerging issues: Ideas for an Equitable Future and Global Ideas for U.S. Solutions.
Plough has been a national leader in public health practice for more than 25 years in various roles including with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, where he served as the director of emergency preparedness and response, with the Seattle and King County Department of Public health as the director and health officer and with the Boston Public Health Commission as its director of public health. He started out as an academic researcher and was a professor in graduate programs at Boston University, Tufts University and Harvard University. He is currently a clinical professor of population health at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Plough has published an extensive body of peer-reviewed research and is the author or editor of eight books including the most recent "Necessary Conversations: Understanding Racism as a Barrier to Achieving Health Equity."
You're a Forever Dragon Now!
Don't Miss the University-Wide Commencement on June 11!
We hope you'll join us for this special event at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, June 11 at 5 p.m. We look forward to celebrating our graduates at the University-wide Commencement ceremony, where our newest Forever Dragons will get the chance to participate in a procession around the baseball field and have their degrees conferred before being officially welcomed into the ranks of Drexel alumni.