Milestone 25th Graduating Class Walks Stage
COM Leads Way with 130-Plus New DOs as University Marks Silver Celebration of Graduates
Touro University California’s College of Osteopathic Medicine celebrated its 25th Commencement on May 19 with a festive ceremony that saw more than 130 Doctoral degree candidates walk the stage at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.
Campus Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Tami Hendriksz, DO Class of 2006 and Dean and CAO of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, served as emcee for the ceremony. Dr. Patricia Salkin, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost of the Graduate and Professional Divisions for the Touro University System, conferred the doctoral degrees awarded to the DO Class of 2025.
“I urge you all to take a moment and to cast your gaze into the sea of faces that comprise our audience. Among them are the steadfast pillars of support, the friends and family members who have stood by our graduates through every trial and triumph,” Hendriksz told the graduates. “And let us not forget to honor the friendships forged within our hallowed halls, for they have been the companions through the arduous journey of medical education.”
Dr. Teresa A. Hubka, the 128th President of the American Osteopathic Association, offered the keynote address.
“I’m thrilled to learn that so many of you will soon enter residencies in the primary care specialties of family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics, delivering critical frontline care where it’s needed most,” Hubka said. “And those of you who are completing residencies in non-primary care programs will play a pivotal role in further expanding the principles and practices of osteopathic medicine across the full house of medicine.”
A Focus on Students as Doctoral Degrees Awarded
Student Doctor Avedis “Avo” Guedekelian spoke in his address to his classmates of the journey they have shared these past four years.
“I am deeply grateful for the collaborative environment we created for each other. Our get-togethers made the neighbors ask if they could join, and the friendships we forged through the trauma-bonding of studying for boards will last for a lifetime,” Guedekelian said. “We are the product of every teacher we have ever had, and soon, our patients and community will shape our practice. Remember to always give yourself the grace you deserve and lead with the open-minded attitude you started medical school with.”
The ceremony featured presentation of several awards:
- Student Doctor Mackenzie Canterbury, a Dual DO-MPH student, was awarded the U.S. Public Health Service Award of Excellence on behalf of the U.S. Public Service.
- Ahrielle Perez, partner to Student Doctor Chris Perez, was presented with the 2025 Donna Jones Moritsugu Memorial Award, which honors the relationships of graduating osteopathic medical students who best exemplify the type of support and personal sacrifice that’s crucial to their partner’s success.
- The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award was given to Dr. Traci Stevenson and Student Doctor Grace Lara on behalf of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. The award recognizes a faculty member and a graduate who exemplify compassion, collaboration, and scientific excellence as educators and role models.
- Student Doctor Samuel Persichilli was presented with the Rowena Hann Humanitarian Award, which celebrates acts of bravery and selflessness and is named after Dr. Rowena Hann, DO Class of 2021, who donated a kidney to the mother of a fellow DO student.
The University was founded in 1997 as the Touro University System’s first College of Osteopathic Medicine. The first DO graduates completed the program in 2001.