On Monday, May 11, NYU Grossman School of Medicine students took their seats at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Family, friends, and loved ones gathered to celebrate a defining moment. One by one, graduates crossed the stage to receive their doctor of medicine degrees, marking the beginning of their careers as innovators and leaders shaping the future of medicine. NYU Grossman reached its own milestone this year: The Class of 2026 is the first whole class to graduate under the C21: 3+1 Personalized Pathways curriculum. Since 2013, NYU Grossman has offered select students an accelerated three-year MD pathway—designed to reduce educational debt and give graduates a head start on residency training, which can extend up to eight years beyond medical school. In 2023, the three-year program became the standard curriculum for all students, with an optional fourth year available for those pursuing research or a dual degree.

Dean and CEO Alec C. Kimmelman, MD, PhD, reflected on the power of humanity and empathy in medicine, urging graduates to carry those values forward as they enter a healthcare landscape increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. “Each of you is stepping into this profession with a strong clinical foundation and a clear sense of purpose. You bring not only knowledge but the ability to connect, to listen, and to care in ways that truly matter,” he said. “That combination—skill and humanity, rigor and empathy—is what will make you indispensable in the future of medicine.”

This year’s class speaker, Nishu Paul, MD, spoke about the breadth of clinical experiences that shaped the class’s time at NYU Grossman. He described the unmatched training ground that transformed ambitious students into physicians equipped to lead anywhere. “Training here really prepares us to handle anything,” he told his classmates. “We see world-class innovative medical technology at Kimmel Pavilion; we walk a few blocks down and care for the whole world at our beloved Bellevue; a few blocks further down and we get the privilege of taking care of veterans at the VA. We learn from people who are leaders and visionaries in their fields as we prepare to step into their shoes and be the next generation of expert clinicians, problem-solvers, and the type of people who can take on any obstacle in stride.”

Amid the celebration, the ceremony also made space for remembrance. Graduates, faculty, and family paused to honor classmate Karenna Groff, an aspiring neurosurgeon who passed away last year. In one of the ceremony’s most touching moments, she was posthumously awarded her medical degree, which was accepted on her behalf by her two grandmothers.

Fiona B. Druckenmiller, chair of NYU Langone Health’s Board of Trustees, took to the stage to honor the graduates and present the Valentine Mott Founders Award to NYU Grossman professor emeritus Jan Vilček, MD, PhD. “In 1965, shortly after Dr. Vilček and his beloved wife, Marica, bravely defected from communist Czechoslovakia, Jan joined our faculty here and began a journey that would change science, medicine, and countless lives,” she said. “As a pioneering scientist and gifted educator, he helped create the monoclonal antibody that led to Remicade, a prescription medication that treats autoimmune diseases, transforming care for millions and paving the way for many of today’s most important therapies.”

Beyond acknowledging Dr. Vilček’s outsize impact as an investigator, mentor, educator, and colleague, Druckenmiller recognized his longtime role as an NYU Langone trustee, emphasizing that his and his wife’s extraordinary philanthropy and shared vision helped the health system become what it is today. Druckenmiller paid special tribute to Marica Vilček—a force for good across New York City and beyond—who passed away earlier this year.

William R. Berkley, executive chair of W. R. Berkley Corporation, chair of the New York University Board of Trustees, and a member of the NYU Langone Board of Trustees, gave the keynote address, during which he encouraged the new graduates to understand that everything counts and everyone matters, to fulfill their commitments, to follow their passions, and to end every day with a question. “Your effort, commitment, and passion will shape the outcome,” he said. “Never forget that you are in charge of the rest of your life.” Berkley, whose generous gifts helped transform NYU Langone, was also named an honorary alumnus of NYU Grossman during the ceremony.

In a time-honored tradition marking their formal entrance into the profession, Dean Kimmelman invited the graduates to rise together and recite the Hippocratic oath. In unison, they pledged to uphold the principles of ethical medicine, protect patient privacy, and dedicate themselves to compassionate care. “These things I do promise and in proportion as I am faithful to this oath, may happiness and good repute be ever mine,” they said. “The opposite if I shall be forsworn.”

NYU Grossman School of Medicine Class of 2026, by the Numbers

• 157: students in the graduating class
• 7: students who completed a dual MD/master’s degree program
• 31: three-year pathway graduates
• 13: students in the MD/PhD program 
• 4: students in the MD/MS in translational research program with NYU Langone’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute
• 1: student in the MD/MPH program with NYU School of Global Public Health
• 1: student in the MD/MPA program with NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
• 1: student in the MD/MBA program with NYU Stern School of Business
• 50: students who matched at NYU Langone Health locations