ANDREW FOLEY: Congratulations to all our graduates,
their families, and loved ones.
It is a joyful day, and I'm grateful to be virtually
celebrating with all of you.
Today is also a day of remembrance.
As our HMS family joins together,
we do so missing one of our beloved classmates,
Mark Herzog.
Mark died this past January in a rock
climbing accident in New Zealand, where
he was completing an elective in rural primary care,
and using his weekends away from clinic to explore the outdoors.
This elective in New Zealand, which he self-created,
was quintessential Mark at HMS--
mind of a motivated student doctor,
heart of a rural health advocate, and spirit
of a blissful adventurer.
Mark came to HMS with a fire in him.
His experiences growing up in Central Appalachia
as the youngest of five boys underpinned his ironclad
commitment to return and work in vulnerable rural communities
as a physician advocate.
It was clear to anyone who knew him
that he would fulfill this promise and do so much more.
Mark was incredibly accomplished already in his young career.
He was a National Health Service Corps scholar, a Grossman
Fellow in health policy at the Kennedy School,
a co-leader of the Student Leadership
Committee at the Center for Primary Care,
and winner of the Dr. Robert H. Ebert Student Achievement Award
in Primary Care at HMS.
Our faculty recognized Mark as a generational leader
in rural health.
His classmates knew him as a curious,
kind, generous, and soulful person.
And he inspired people in all circles
with his clinical talent, his policy acumen,
and his relentless advocacy work,
which he always grounded in the experience of his patients
and the communities he served.
From Central Appalachia to HMS and back to the rural areas
he loved, Mark believed his story would come full circle.
At the end of the first week of medical school,
we each wrote a letter to ourselves
that we would open on graduation.
In his letter, Mark wrote, reflecting on
his own story, quote, "Remember the suffering you have
witnessed and have that inform the compassionate care you
provide.
Don't shy away from the challenging situations.
You are the product of tremendous opportunities
and gifts.
It is and should be your motivation
to create that for others," end quote.
Mark's rhythm of life is reflected in those words.
He experienced hardship and responded with empathy.
He witnessed inequity, and stood tall, and spoke the truth.
He recognized his power and used it to help others find theirs.
If Mark were here today, he would be pretty upset
that I'm saying all these nice things about him.
He never wanted the spotlight on himself,
and he much preferred reveling in the success of others.
But as a proud friend, I can't help it.
If Mark were here today, he would also
be reminding us that graduation is really about the people who
helped us get here.
For him, there was no one more important in his journey
than his mother Mary Margaret.
I know he would be giving her the biggest bear
hug he possibly could, transferring all his love
and gratitude with each squeeze.
If Mark were here today, he would
be thanking all of his teachers, including his faculty mentors,
his classmates, and most of all, the patients he felt privileged
to care for and learn from.
If Mark were here today, I would have read him these words
by the poet, David Whyte, which I sent to him in text messages
after we finished our PCE year, our step one, and step
two exams, and after we finally finished
applying for residency.
"The ultimate touchstone of friendship
is not improvement, neither of the other nor of the self.
The ultimate touchstone is witness, the privilege
of having been seen by someone, and the equal privilege
of being granted the sight of the essence of another, to have
walked with them, to have believed in them,
and sometimes just to have accompanied them,
for however brief a span, on a journey
impossible to accomplish alone."
Thank you, Mark, for being that true friend to so many
of us in today's graduating class.
We miss you, and we celebrate today with you in our hearts.
Lastly, in an effort to continue Mark's legacy at HMS,
a group of us have worked to establish a travel and research
fund to support students doing work in Rural Health Equity.
We have a goal of raising $100,000 in 18 months
so that this will become an endowed fund and impact
generations of students like Mark,
who are passionate about rural health care.
To make a gift, please go to the website on the screen,
and please accompany your gift with the fund name,
Mark Herzog Memorial Fund in Rural Health Equity.
Thank you.