During his opening remarks, Manish Suneja, MD, Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, asked family members–moms, dads, spouses–of this year’s graduating class of residents to stand for recognition. Some of the loudest applause of the evening followed. It was, Suneja said, an acknowledgment that as much as the evening’s honorees deserved congratulations, they did not get here on their own.

The annual Graduating Residents’ Dinner has always been one to recognize the community of support surrounding the residents as much as the graduates themselves. Celebrating that is what makes Internal Medicine at Iowa, especially its residency program, a model of success on the national stage.

The evening began first though with a brief social hour of greetings and appetizers. Family and friends got to put faces to names they had long heard all about, the colleagues and co-workers their loved-ones spent so many long hours with.

Then it was time to move from the Feller Club Room in Carver-Hawkeye Arena into the lobby for the class photo. This year, staff at Carver granted access to the digital display screen behind the risers. The photograph was one taken in 2016, just a couple months into the intern year of that evening’s graduates, making for a touching bookend.

Once photographed, the audience then received a welcome from Suneja, who also recognized the contributions of the Education team, the support staff, and everyone else who had helped bring the graduates to the culmination of this big step.

Following dinner and a few words of advice and congratulations from Chair and DEO E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, it was time to recognize the graduates themselves. “Prelim” interns received certificates and a chance to thank their colleagues, before the categorical residents were also called up one by one. A range of speeches were delivered, some brief, some prepared, but all filled with gratitude and sincere appreciation for the experience and wisdom they had gained. Some expressed regret to be leaving so soon, some described difficulties the program had helped carry them through, others promised to carry what they had learned close to heart, all made it clear that their time at Iowa had been special.

(Keep scrolling. There’s more below this slideshow.)

Only a few recognitions remained. The Chief Residents–minus Nicole Grogan, MD, who was traveling–received their certificates of completion and shared their appreciation for the experience. Bryce Duchman, MD, described how in maintaining responsibility for the schedule, he was often in a position to be the first to learn of complications in a resident’s life, good or bad. He thanked them for the opportunity to share in so many achievements and tragedies.

Then, two more awards not delivered at Grand Rounds earlier in the month, remained to be announced. The Residents’ Award for Excellence went to Tyler Rasmussen, MD, PhD. And Faculty Teacher of the Year went to Margo Schilling, MD. Because Schilling was also traveling she had pre-recorded a video thank-you to be aired that evening, posted below.

The evening’s formal presentation complete, guests were free to leave, but many lingered for a few more photos, one last hug, and a chance to be together as a group one last time before everything changed.

Congratulations to the Resident Class of 2019!

Graduating & Departing Residents

To view the slideshow of photographs of all the graduates running during the event itself: Graduation 2019 (pdf)