Baylor College of Medicine’s Class of 2026 celebrates…

Houston, TX - May 22, 2026

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Baylor College of Medicine held its 2026 commencement ceremony at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land on Thursday. The School of Medicine graduated 195 students, while 94 graduates received diplomas from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and 10 graduated from the Genetic Counseling Program in the School of Health Professions.

In his final commencement address as president, CEO and executive dean, Dr. Paul Klotman remarked on the challenges of transitioning from student to professional. He told graduates that their training at Baylor has prepared them for their next step.

"You will find that wherever you go, whether it's a postdoctoral position, a genetic counselor or a physician, you have been trained better than almost anyone else, so take confidence in that," Klotman said.

Dr. Thomas Coffman, professor and senior advisor at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, received an honorary Doctor of Letters in Medicine degree and delivered the commencement address. Coffman is an internationally recognized nephrologist, physician-scientist and academic leader whose career has been defined by major contributions to kidney research, hypertension and academic medicine. He was the longest serving dean at Duke-NUS Medical School from 2015-2025.

In his speech, he spoke about the importance of finding mentorship early in his career. He thanked Klotman, who was chief resident during Coffman's internship at Duke, for his leadership and guidance on his path to becoming a physician-scientist.

"My hope for all of you is that you will find your own mentor and role model, like Dr. Klotman, to help guide your journey. In turn, I urge you to look behind to help the next generation of young scientists, physicians and genetic counselors coming after you," Coffman said. "This is how we build and keep our disciplines strong and vibrant."

During the ceremony, Klotman also presented honorary Doctor of Humanities in Medicine degrees to: Nancy Goodman, founder and executive director of Kids v Cancer; Gloria Hicks, partner of Hicks Automative Group and education advocate in Corpus Christi; Wilhelmina E. "Beth" Robertson, board chair of the Cullen Foundation; and Fred Seigel, Baylor trustee and president and chief executive officer of Beacon Capital Partners.

See photos and watch the full commencement ceremony.

Baylor's Military Commissioning and Awards Ceremony, held Tuesday morning, honored three School of Medicine graduates. Capt. Keji Fapohunda, M.D., was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force. Second Lieutenant Aaron Pathak, M.D., also was recognized for his service in the U.S. Army Reserve. Dr. Anne Cao received the Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service Physician Professional Advisory Committee. See photos from the ceremony.