Students graduate from the SIU School of Medicine

Seventy-two physicians and one graduate student at the SIU School of Medicine received their diplomas Saturday, May 19 during the school's 44th commencement.

Jackson County residents receiving degrees included Max Crouse, the son of Mike and Dana Crouse of Carbondale; Madison Marvel, the daughter of Mike and Dena Marvel of Carbondale; and Alexandra Barger, the daughter of David and Kelly Berger of Murphysboro.

This year's commencement speaker was U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. His remarks touched upon America's need for affordable health care and prescription medicine, the challenges physicians face to curb the nation's opioid epidemic, and the critical importance of scientific research funding, which has led to discoveries like the mapping of the human genome.

"As part of its mission as a safety net medical school, SIU is the premier institution in Illinois when it comes to fulfilling the social mission and accountability of medical education, responsible for providing care to 2.2 million people in our state," Durbin said. "SIU is the heart and soul of health care in central and southern Illinois. I'm grateful to have the medical institution in my hometown, because SIU School of Medicine is a school with a conscience."

During the ceremony, class of 2018 Chair Jordan Markel delivered remarks on behalf of the graduates. Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse awarded diplomas to the medical students, and Vice Chancellor Meera Komarraju conferred the degrees.

The new SIU physicians will begin residency training in their chosen specialties in July.