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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES AT HOUSTON COMMENCEMENT SCRIPT 2016 PROCESSIONAL: Dr. Barton will lead the processional. (Marchers stand until the end of the processional)

DEANS AT PODIUM: (TO MARCHERS) Mike: Please be seated. Shelley: On behalf of the students, faculty and leaders of The University of Texas

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston and our two

institutions that support our graduate school, The University of Texas

Health Science Center at Houston and The University of Texas MD

Anderson Cancer Center,

we welcome all of you here today to our 2016 commencement exercises.

I am Dr. Michelle Barton, the MD Anderson Cancer Center Dean of our

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston or GSBS.

I am a Professor of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis at MD

Anderson.

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Mike:

I am Dr. Michael Blackburn, the UTHealth Dean of the GSBS,

Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Executive Vice President

and Chief Academic Officer at UTHealth.

It is a great pleasure and privilege to welcome all of you to our 2016

commencement exercises. It is particularly wonderful to see so many family

and friends here to help us celebrate the accomplishments of our

graduates.

We are especially happy to announce that our Specialized Master’s

Program in Genetic Counseling is celebrating its 25th commencement

today! Dr. Jacqueline Hecht founded this program in 1989 – one of the first

in the nation – and Claire Singletary, the current director of the program, is

with us on stage in honor of this anniversary.

Eight of our master’s degree graduates attending this year’s ceremony are

from the Genetic Counseling Program. They will be the first to tell you that

our Genetic Counseling is extremely competitive, has a tough curriculum

and a wonderful community supported by all of their faculty. Genetic

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Counseling graduates secure great jobs in their discipline and, as they

leave us, they know that they’re ready for the challenges ahead. We

congratulate the program’s dedicated leaders and faculty for their

commitment to excellence and wishes them many more years of success!

Shelley:

formal ceremony marking the achievements and accomplishments of our

graduates. CELEBRATE! Mother’s day…

we are very glad that you could join us.

We want to begin by introducing you to all of the people with us on stage.

If each person would rise and remain standing as your name is called

** audience please hold your applause until all are introduced.

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ON STAGE ON THE SECOND ROW TO MY FAR LEFT, Ms. Jillian Losh, Secretary, GSBS Graduate Student Association; Dr. Chad Wayne, 2002 GSBS Graduate, President of the Alumni Association;

Dr. Andrew Bean, Associate Dean of Graduate Education for GSBS, Professor, Neurobiology and Anatomy, UTHealth; Dr. Eric Boerwinkle, Dean, UTHealth School of Public Health; Professor, Epidemiology, UTHealth; Dr. Cheryl Walker, Director of the Institute of Biosciences & Technology, Professor, Center for Translational Cancer Research, Texas A&M Health Science Center; Dr. William Mattox, Associate Dean of Graduate Education for GSBS;

Dr. Ellen Richie, Assistant Dean for the GSBS at Science Park; Professor, Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, MD Anderson Cancer Center; Dr. Barbara Stoll, Dean of the Medical School, UTHealth; Dr. Oliver Bögler, Associate Dean for the GSBS, and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs, MD Anderson Cancer Center;

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Dr. Marenda Wilson-Pham, Assistant Dean of Graduate Education for the GSBS, Dr. Eric Swindell, Assistant Dean of Graduate Education for the GSBS

Mike: ON STAGE IN THE FIRST ROW TO MY FAR LEFT, Ms. Claire Singletary Director of the GSBS Genetic Counseling Program, Associate Professor, Pediatrics, UTHealth; Dr. George Stancel, Executive Vice President of Academic and Research Affairs Professor, Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, UTHealth; Dr. Russell Broaddus, Professor, Pathology MD Anderson Cancer Center And Co-Director of our MD/PhD Program And Recipient of this year’s John P. McGovern Outstanding Teaching Award; Dr. David Johnson, President of the Graduate Faculty, Professor, Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, MD Anderson Cancer Center; Dr. Margaret Kripke, Professor Emerita, Immunology MD Anderson Cancer Center; And today’s commencement speaker Dr. Giuseppe Colasurdo, President of UTHealth

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Dr. Ethan Dmitrovsky, Provost and Executive Vice President, MD Anderson Cancer Center; The faculty marshal is Dr. Darren Boehning, Professor,

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, UTHealth; And, the student marshal is Dr. Melinda Yates, Assistant Professor, Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center; Please join us in welcoming these very special guests and members of our GSBS family. CLAP CLAP CLAP Shelley: (2-3 minutes) Remarks We are very excited to have all of you here.

Our students have dedicated themselves to giving back to society.

They have sacrificed much in the way of time, brain power, income and

traveled great distance in many cases.

At our graduate school, they have sharpened their critical thinking,

generated and tested ideas, learned how to deal with failure and overcome

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trials and tribulation to achieve great success.

We are here to honor their accomplishments and you, their family, friends

and colleagues who are here today.

Mike: (2-3 minutes) Remarks I always look forward to this ceremony and the unique opportunity it

provides to celebrate our students, our faculty and in particular their

collaborative accomplishments. Graduates, we know how hard you have

worked to get here today, but now the experiments are complete, the

presentations and committee meetings are done and it’s time to celebrate

the results of your efforts here at the GSBS. I want to express my

personal congratulations to each of you, and I hope that today will be as

special for you as it is for us. We know you will go on to do great things

as leaders in the scientific community and we look forward to following your

successes.

I also want to recognize the efforts of our faculty, particularly those

advisors who have students graduating today. Thank you for your

dedication to training these scientific leaders of tomorrow.

Mike:

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Our Graduate School is unique in many ways but perhaps most

obviously is our association with our two parent institutions - UTHealth and

UT-MD Anderson Cancer Center. At this time, I would like to invite Dr.

Giuseppe Colasurdo, President of UTHealth, to bring greetings. We want

to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Colasurdo for his innovative leadership

and outstanding support of the Graduate School.

Dr. Colasurdo: (3-4 minutes) MESSAGE FROM UTHEALTH

Shelley: Thank you Dr. Colasurdo.

Shelley: It is my pleasure to present Dr. Ethan Dmitrovsky, Provost of MD

Anderson, who will bring greetings on behalf of The University of Texas MD

Anderson Cancer Center. We also want to thank him for his deep interest

in graduate education and his encouragement and outstanding support of

GSBS.

Dr. Dmitrovsky: (3-4 minutes) (MESSAGE FROM MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER) Mike: Thank you Dr. Dmitrovsky. Dr. David Johnson, President of the Graduate Faculty, will give Greetings from the GSBS faculty.

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Dr. Johnson: (3-4 minutes) (MESSAGE FROM THE GRADUATE FACULTY) Mike: Thank you Dr. Johnson.

We would now like to introduce Ms. Jillian Losh, Secretary of the GSBS Graduate Student Association. Jill will present the John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher Award. Ms. Losh: (2 minutes) presents the John P. McGovern Award to Dr. Russell Broaddus. Dr. Broaddus, Winner of McGovern Teaching Award: (2-3 minutes) (ACCEPTANCE REMARKS) (Applause) Shelley: Congratulations to Dr. Broaddus — you are an outstanding leader and educator! Shelley: INTRODUCTION OF THE SPEAKER

It is a great honor to introduce today’s commencement speaker,

Dr. Margaret Kripke,

Professor and Vivian L. Smith Chair Emerita, The University of Texas

MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Professor Emerita of the GSBS.

Dr. Kripke is a highly regarded scientist, a visionary leader, a supportive

mentor and a friend of education.

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She is perhaps best known internationally for her work in the immunology

of skin cancer;

locally, she will always be unforgettable and important to us thanks to her

outstanding leadership and service

founding chair of the Department of Immunology from 1986-1998,

Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Office from 1998 – 2007,

Special Advisor to the Provost from 2007-2009, all at the MD Anderson

Cancer Center.

After this time, the entire state of Texas owes Dr. Kripke thanks for her

service as Chief Scientific Officer of the Cancer Prevention and Research

Institute of Texas (CPRIT) from 2013-2016.

And of course, closer to home, Dr. Kripke was president of our faculty at

the GSBS from 1996 to 1997.

Dr. Kripke holds many Lifetime Achievement Awards and honors, and I will

mention only a few:

She was appointed by the President of the United States as an advisor and

member of the President’s Cancer Panel, 2003-2006, 2006-2011

Lifetime Achievement Award, American Society for Photobiology, 2004

President’s Award, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center,

2007

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Lifetime Achievement Award, American Skin Association, 2007

Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame, 2010

BioHouston Women in Science Award, 2011 5

Inaugural Fellow, Academy of the American Association for Cancer

Research, 2013

An honor Dr. Kripke shared with her spouse, the Chair Emeritus of

Cancer Biology at MD Anderson, Dr. Joshua Fidler. We are honored that

Dr. Kripke accepted our invitation to be our commencement speaker today.

Please welcome Dr. Kripke as our 2015-2016 Commencement Speaker.

Dr. Kripke: (~15 minutes) (COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS “The Most

Important Thing”)

Mike: Thank you very much Dr. Kripke for being with us today and for your

thought-provoking remarks to our graduates and all those in attendance.

As a small token of our appreciation, we want to give you a memento

symbolizing this special occasion in the form of an etched glass plaque.

____________

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Mike: We have come to the most important portion of today's program - the

actual awarding of the degrees. Our Graduate School was established in

1963 and granted its first degrees in 1966. The first class consisted of 13

individuals earning their Ph.D. degrees. Since then, over 2,600 degrees

have been earned by our alumni, a group that today's graduates will soon

join.

Our School has grown along with our parent institutions and today we

are one of the largest and best institutions in the world that offers advanced

training in the biomedical sciences. We have over 400 students working

with terrific Faculty.

Our graduates have already accomplished marvelous things to the

benefit of science and society, and those of you graduating today will add

to this long list of contributions GSBS alumni have made. As Deans, and

speaking on behalf of all the faculty and staff, we are very proud of each

and every one of you. From this day forth we look forward to counting you

among our alumni with the full knowledge that you will bring credit and

distinction to our institution as well as yourselves.

Shelley:

Our program –

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Names of students receiving degrees today

Lists of their special awards, which are possible thanks to our

generous donors and our students’ talents.

As they cross the stage, Dr. Mattox names and GSBS awards.

With their degree, each student academic hood.

Every school academic hood of specific color

established in the US in 1893 and derives from the medieval gowns

worn at European universities.

Each of our graduates -- personally hooded by their mentors or an

invited faculty member or our own specially honored head of Genetic

Counseling, Claire Singletary.

choreography.

Feel free to take a photo as your graduate comes up and walks

across the stage, please feel free to do so.

kindly sit down

Mike:

As the candidates come to the stage to receive their degrees, we

invite President Colasurdo and Provost Dmitrovsky to join us in

congratulating them.

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Will the candidates for the Degree of Master of Science in the

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences please rise?

President Colasurdo and Provost Dmitrovsky, on behalf of the faculty

of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, it is our pleasure to

certify to you that the candidates who stand before you have

successfully completed all academic requirements for the Degree of

Master of Science.

Together, Dr. Colasurdo and Dr. Dmitrovsky:

By the authority vested by the State of Texas in the Board of Regents, and

delegated by them to me, I hereby confer upon each of you the Degree of

Master of Science.

STAGE NOTE, DON’T SAY THIS

Dr. Yates will lead the Masters graduates to the side of the stage and

they will march individually across the stage as their names are called

after they are hooded.

Dr. Mattox will announce name, advisor, hooder (if different from

advisor) and award/s, if any.

Shelley: After the Masters students are done

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Will the candidates for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences please rise?

President Colasurdo and Provost Dmitrovsky, on behalf of the faculty

of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, it is our pleasure to

certify to you that the candidates who stand before you have

successfully completed all academic requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy.

Together, Dr. Colasurdo and Dr. Dmitrovsky

By the authority vested by the State of Texas in the Board of Regents, and

delegated by them to me, I hereby confer upon each of you the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy.

STAGE NOTE, DON’T SAY THIS

Dr. Yates will lead the Ph.D. graduates to the side of the stage and they will

march individually across the stage as their names are called after they are

hooded.

Dr. Mattox will announce name, advisor, hooder (if different from advisor)

and award/s, if any.

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Shelley:

Our mission at the GSBS is to train the next generation of biomedical

scientists.

We know that our next generation is ready to meet the challenges that

await them.

Let’s give today's graduates a collective round of applause!

Clap, Clap, Clap

Mike:

At this point in our ceremony, we would like to recognize the faculty

members in attendance, for their efforts in educating the men and women

who have just received their diplomas. I will read the names of the faculty

with us today - in order of their length of appointment on our

faculty. Please stand when your name is called, and remain standing until

all of your colleagues have been identified. Please hold your applause until

all faculty in attendance have been named.

The senior faculty members in attendance today, who were appointed in

the academic years 1973 through 1984, are Stephen Daiger, Barbara

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Murray, William Plunkett, Ellen Richie, George Stancel, Louise Strong,

Heinrich Taegtmeyer, Elizabeth Travis, and Edgar T. Walters. They are

exceptional examples of the commitment our school has been fortunate to

have from its senior faculty over the years.

Shelley:

25-30 years of service:

Eric Boerwinkle,

Jacqueline Hecht,

Mien-Chie Hung,

Ann Killary,

Guillermina Lozano, and

M. Neal Waxham.

15-25 years of service on the GSBS faculty:

Joseph Alcorn,

Michelle Barton,

Andrew Bean,

Michael Blackburn,

Gilbert Cote,

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Kim-An Do,

Zhen Fan,

Varsha Gandhi,

Yong-Jian Geng,

Goeffrey Ibbott,

David Johnson,

Jian Kuang,

William Margolin,

William Mattox,

Pierre McCrea,

Kevin Morano,

Jagannadha Sastry,

Subrata Sen,

Cheryl Walker,

Richard Wendt,

Rick Wetsel and

Dihua Yu.

Mike:

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Faculty holding GSBS appointments for 10-15 years are:

Oliver Bögler,

Russell Broaddus,

Danielle Garsin,

Ralf Krahe,

Xin Lin,

Michael Lorenz,

Qing Ma,

Sarah Jane Noblin,

Kimberly Schluns,

Anil Sood,

Ambro van Hoof,

Kwong-Kwok Wong,

Yang Xia.

Those with 5-10 years of service include:

Robert Bast,

George Calin,

Carrie Cameron,

Nathan Carlin,

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Shine Chang,

Shahrukh Hashmi,

Stephen Kry,

Dean Lee,

Claire Singletary,

Eric Swindell,

Kenneth Tsai and

Wendy Woodward.

Shelley:

1-5 years duration include:

Geoffrey Bartholomeuz,

Darren Boehning,

Ken Chen,

Molly Daniels,

Jessica Davis,

Ethan Dmitrovsky,

George Eisenhoffer, Jr.,

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Cameron Jeter,

Nevena Krstic,

Jennifer Lemons,

Nicholas Navin,

Marenda Wilson-Pham,

Melinda Yates and

Thomasz Zal.

If there are any Emeritus faculty, visiting past faculty or any additional

GSBS faculty members in the audience, please stand now so that you may

be recognized.

Mike:

Ladies and Gentlemen, standing before you, you see over a

millennium of collective service to society, this institution, and its students.

Please join me in expressing our sincere appreciation to these faculty

members for their contributions to the education of 2,600 alumni, and

especially to today's graduates.

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CLAP CLAP CLAP

We have a wonderful collection of staff at UTHealth and MD

Anderson Cancer Center who support our students in many essential ways.

Would all the members of the GSBS staff please rise, as well as any

program managers and members of the MD Anderson and UTHealth staffs

here today?

Please help us express our appreciation to these wonderful people,

and all the other university staff they represent, who have helped today's

graduates and all of our other students in countless ways.

CLAP CLAP CLAP

Now that today's graduates have been officially transformed into

Alumni, we call on our last speaker, Dr. Chad Wayne, president of our

Alumni Association.

Dr. Wayne: (1-2 minutes).

Congratulations, graduates! Welcome to you as brand new alumni. I

want to let you know that upon graduation you become an immediate

member of this illustrious body of individuals, the GSBS Alumni

Association. There are no dues, and the company is most impressive! We

invite you to stay in touch and also become part of the GSBS Alumni

LinkedIn group that we think will benefit you long term through many

collegial connections - find it on the GSBS alumni webpage. If you would

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like to take photos with your diplomas after the ceremony, an area near the

front entrance of the lobby has been designated a ―Photo Zone.‖ The

Alumni Association is giving you a complimentary photo frame engraved

with the official GSBS logo. Please be sure to pick up this frame at the

reception near the Photo Zone! Members of the GSBS Alumni Steering

Committee will be there to greet you. And, as another special gift, you will

be emailed photos of you crossing the stage as a permanent record of this

extraordinary day. I look forward to seeing you at future alumni events!

Shelley:

Thank you, Dr. Wayne—

Photo opportunities abound giant version of our diploma in the lobby

AND post pictures of today's ceremonies on the Alumni and GSBS

websites.

We will conclude with some special thanks:

First, I am sure the graduates today are thankful that our former dean, Dr.

George Stancel, signed the agreement to admit most of them to the

graduate school. George… please stand?

And our biggest thanks to the parents, spouses, significant others,

and children of today's graduates.

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HAPPY early MOTHER’S DAY!!

We are so glad that you could be here

Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement of our graduates.

May we ask the members of our graduates’ families if they would please

stand?

Let’s give them a big round of applause.

CLAP CLAP CLAP

Mike:

As we conclude, we would like to express our appreciation:

-to both President Colasurdo and Provost Dmitrovsky, for participating and

conferring the degrees;

-to Dr. Kripke for her inspiring address;

-The Ambient Arts for the music today;

-The GSBS staff, who have worked to make this ceremony a success;

-And, all the other friends of the GSBS and our graduates here with us

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today.

Shelley:

reception just outside of Stude Hall

If the audience would please remain seated until the graduates, Faculty

and platform party have completed the recessional.

Thank you once again to all of you for being here with us today, this

ceremony is concluded. Congratulations!

Dean Barton will exit stage left down the stairs, first, followed by Dean Blackburn (directly from the podium or at stage level) then Dr. Singletary, who is on the stage left end of the first row will follow Dean Barton down the stairs. The stage party will follow down the stairs and then by any multiple-hooders remaining onstage, then the general faculty and then graduating students/single hooders.