Physician-scientist paved the way for COVID-19 vaccines

As a professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, is best known for his work with RNA biology that laid the groundwork with Katalin Kariko for the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

Dr. Weissman's research focuses on the study of RNA and innate immune system biology and the application of these findings to vaccine research, therapeutics, and gene therapy. His lab is developing many vaccines for pathogens, including malaria, norovirus, influenza, C. difficile, HSV2, HIV, HCV, as well as vaccines for potential future pandemics, universal influenza and pancoronavirus. His lab also develops mRNA delivery of proteins, including genetically deficient, therapeutic, and monoclonal antibodies. In newer studies, his lab has developed new technologies to deliver mRNA-LNPs to specific cell types with simple in vivo injection. The cells and organs targeted thus far include lung, heart, brain, CD4+ cells, T cells, and bone marrow stem cells. New therapies are being developed to treat genetic and other disorders in vivo, which has the potential to change and simplify such therapies and allow worldwide use for diseases such as sickle cell anemia.

Dr. Weissman received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brandeis University and his medical degree and doctorate from the Boston University School of Medicine. He did his residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston and a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. He is widely published and holds memberships in the American Federation for Clinical Research, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Association of Immunologists.

For his contributions to advancing world public health as a physician-scientist, Drexel is proud to confer upon Dr. Drew Weissman the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa.

I will represent my profession honorably by conducting myself and my professional endeavors in a manner that is above reproach. I pledge never to allow financial gain or ambition to cloud my judgment. I will pursue truth and create knowledge for the greater good, but never to the detriment of others. I will maintain scientific integrity in all my work. I will acknowledge and honor the contributions of those who have preceded me and will commit myself to lifelong learning. I will show compassion, embrace diversity and uphold excellence so that I become a worthy role model deserving of respect by all.

The Physician's Pledge:

AS A MEMBER OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION

I SOLEMNLY PLEDGE to dedicate my life to the service of humanity;

THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MY PATIENT will be my first consideration;

I WILL RESPECT the autonomy and dignity of my patient;

I WILL MAINTAIN the utmost respect for human life;

I WILL NOT PERMIT considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;

I WILL RESPECT the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;

I WILL PRACTICE my profession with conscience and dignity and in accordance with good medical practice;

I WILL FOSTER the honor and noble traditions of the medical profession;

I WILL GIVE to my teachers, colleagues and students the respect and gratitude that is their due;

I WILL SHARE my medical knowledge for the benefit of the patient and the advancement of healthcare;

I WILL ATTEND TO my own health, well-being and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard;

I WILL NOT USE my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;

I MAKE THESE PROMISES solemnly, freely and upon my honor.

©2017 World Medical Association

A tradition that reaches back nearly a thousand years, commencement symbolizes not so much the culmination of the years of effort on the part of both students and teachers, but rather the beginning—the commencement—of a productive social and professional life, and a life of continued learning.

The first university, the University of Bologna, was founded in Italy in 1162 and offered specialized education in the major professional fields of the medieval world: law, medicine, government and theology—areas that would dominate European and American higher education until the 20th century.

From Bologna, the concept of university education spread throughout Europe and later to the New World. The pageantry and symbolism of commencement are typified by the cap and gown, which in their original forms were simply the everyday attire of the medieval scholar. The additions of the centuries have made them what they are today.

The academic costume has three basic parts: the cap, the gown and the hood. Three factors must be taken into consideration—the degree (bachelor, master, doctor); the branch of knowledge (nursing, medicine, etc.); and the university by which the degree is granted. The bachelor's gown is black, has long sleeves and is worn closed. The master's gown is black but has short sleeves and a crescent cut at the sleeve end. Some are open at the wrist; others have a slit in the upper part of the sleeve. The doctor's gown is often black, preferably silk, with full, round sleeves that are barred in either black velvet or velvet of the color used in the hood to designate the branch of learning.

Many American universities, as well as British ones, now have gowns of characteristic color for doctoral graduates. For instance, a graduate of Harvard University may wear a crimson gown, a New York University graduate a violet gown, and a University of Pennsylvania graduate a gown of red and blue. The shape and size of the American hood mark the degree of the wearer. The lining of the hood is indicative of the institution granting the degree and is usually the official color or colors of the school. If two colors are used, one is generally arranged as a chevron upon the other. The bachelor's hood is three feet long, the master's three-and-a-half feet long, and the doctor's four feet long. Bachelor of Science and Master of Science candidates wear sun-gold hoods; Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts candidates white hoods. Doctor of Philosophy candidates wear blue hoods. Doctor of Medicine candidates wear green hoods. Candidates with annotated degrees may wear hoods of other colors, such as apricot (Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing), teal (Master of Physical Therapy), and blue with white trim (Master of Arts, Creative Arts in Therapy), to name a few.

Caps are traditionally black with a long tassel fastened to the mid-point. A doctor's cap may have a tassel of gold thread. The tassel is worn on the right side until a degree has been conferred; it is then worn on the left. Commencement begins and ends with the academic procession, led by the chief marshal carrying the mace. The mace traces its origins to the Roman fasces, a bundle of rods bound together around an ax with the blade projecting, which was carried before magistrates as an emblem of authority. The ceremony officially begins with the placing of the mace before the graduates and ends when the chief marshal retrieves it and leads the recession. The color guard follows the marshal, with the candidates for degrees marching behind in reverse order of seniority—certificate, associate, and bachelor's first, master's next and doctoral third. The faculty follows, also proceeding in reverse order from assistant to full professor. The final division of the procession is the platform party, composed of academic deans, administrative officers, trustees, honorary degree recipients and the president.

Throughout their long and proud history, universities have retained and cherished strong ties to their ceremonial roots. The faculties and graduates have gloried in the rich imagery and colorful panoply associated with commencement, one of the oldest continuing rituals in the Western world.

 

 

Your hood should be worn draped around your neck with the largest portion of the hood hanging down your back. The velvet border, which indicates your specific field of study, should be showing on the outside. The velvet should fold under on the lower back to allow the colors of your College or University to show. To keep your hood from being too tight against your neck, there is a cord on the front to help secure it to a shirt button or to pin to a blouse or dress. Master and Doctor hoods also have a cord and button in the back to prevent your hood from slipping off your shoulders.

MD graduates who are members of Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) or the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) have received honors cords which should be worn as part of their academic regalia. The AΩA honor cord is green, for medicine, with a mixed strand of white for the humanities and gold for science. The GHHS honor cord is white for humanism. Honors cords should be worn on top of a graduate's gown and hood, draped around the back of the neck with the ends laid down the front.