USU Commencement Celebrates Class of 2026, Launching Next Generation of Military Medical Leaders

USU's 47th commencement recognized graduates entering military service across medicine, science, dentistry, nursing, and allied health.

May 19, 2026 by USU News

The Uniformed Services University (USU) welcomed a new generation of military health care professionals and scientists into the Military Health System (MHS) during the institution's 47th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16. Gathering with proud families and loved ones, the graduating class celebrated the culmination of grueling years of study, stepping forward to accept the sacred trust of caring for the nation's service members at home and abroad, through both clinical practice and scientific discovery.

Brigade Commander Army Col. Albert Kinkead opened the proceedings by acknowledging the enduring, selfless commitment chosen by these graduates. USU President Dr. Jonathan Woodson acknowledged the ceremony coinciding with Armed Forces Day, a day dedicated to honoring those who serve.

"Today, we do more than award degrees," said Woodson. "We celebrate a new generation of doctors, advanced practice nurses, researchers, dentists, medics and public health leaders who have answered a higher calling. Whether you are a civilian scientist advancing the frontiers of military medicine or a uniformed provider preparing to serve in a fleet or a wing or any military formation, you embody the very readiness and resilience that Armed Forces Day represents."

A quiet, driving force behind the MHS is the meritocratic pipeline that transforms enlisted service members into world-class healthcare providers. This remarkable trajectory was embodied by the commencement speaker, Vice Adm. Darin K. Via, Director of the Defense Health Agency. Via began his military life as a hospital corpsman before earning his medical degree from USU in 1991. Introducing him, Woodson highlighted this deeply personal path, describing it as "an exceptional corpsman-to-physician journey that has defined his career in service and leadership." Today, Via oversees global health operations, bringing the ground-level understanding of an enlisted sailor to the highest levels of military medical leadership.

During his address, Via shared a personal story from his time as a young Navy diving medical officer deployed to Africa. When a diver under his care developed a severe infection, Via coordinated an emergency medical evacuation, only to discover the Air Force physician receiving the call in Saudi Arabia was his former USU lab partner. He used this powerful memory to emphasize the lifelong bonds forged at the university and the critical importance of selflessness in military medicine.

"This team approach holds an important lesson about military leadership: there are no individual superstars," Via said. "Success comes when the mission is accomplished, and that means sharing the credit."

The Class of 2026 brings a vital wave of talent and heart to the military community. The College of Allied Health Sciences awarded 1,188 degrees this academic year, including 979 associate degrees and 209 bachelor's degrees. Concurrently, the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine conferred Doctor of Medicine degrees upon 164 students, who proudly transitioned from their academic robes into service uniforms to take their commissioning oaths. The ceremony also represented the 77 Postgraduate Dental College students earning Master of Science degrees, alongside Graduate Education students and advanced nursing practitioners and dedicated scholars graduating from the Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing.

The graduating cohort also included newly minted Ph.D. scientists and scholars specializing in emerging infectious diseases, neuroscience, molecular and cell biology, clinical psychology, public health, and health professions education. Whether they are driving microscopic, laboratory-level breakthroughs or pioneering systemic advancements in behavioral health and medical training, these researchers focus on innovations that translate directly to widespread, real-world survivability for service members in austere environments.

Adding to the distinctive character of this year's class was the conferral of numerous dual-degrees, including MD/PhD, MD/MHPE, MD/MEdHPE, and MD/MPH, highlighting the rigorous, multifaceted expertise of the incoming medical corps. The emotional resonance of the day was further deepened by a remarkable number of USU alumni siblings, spouses, and parents who had the distinct honor of hooding their graduating family members, physically passing the torch of military medical service to the next generation.

USU has graduated 15,184 health professionals since opening its doors in 1972. "These alumni serve as special staff and commanders in deployed environments at nearly three times the rate of their peers from other accession sources," said Master of Ceremonies Dr. Louis Pangaro. "Whether they are peering through microscopes to defeat invisible pathogens or comforting a wounded service member thousands of miles from home, these alumni work as one devoted family to ensure the health, resilience, and future of the military community."