Earlier this summer, Boston-area medical alumni welcomed new Duke SOM graduates who were beginning their training at hospitals in the city. More than 20 alumni gathered at the event to toast the new residents and provide them with insights on living and working in the Boston area.
Local host C. Keith Ozaki, T’84, MD’88, a vascular surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is delighted that the welcome event, sponsored by the Duke Medical Alumni Association, has become such a popular annual event celebrating the Duke medicine family. He and the other area alumni are always proud to meet the recent graduates, and he says Boston is an excellent environment in which to train.
“Each year it’s personally and professionally exciting to see a new crop of Duke MDs come to Boston,” Dr. Ozaki said. “I know they will be well trained and cared for by all our alumni in the coming years.”
Vinayak Venkataraman, MD’17, one of the new trainees in Boston, said he and other recent graduates were deeply grateful for the support and hospitality shown by their fellow Duke alumni.
“I think I speak for all the DukeMed '17 alums in saying how much we enjoyed ourselves and appreciate the annual efforts in making such wonderful events possible,” Venkataraman said. “I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity and privilege to study at DukeMed, and because of my experience, I feel very well-prepared for my next professional journey in Boston.”
Venkataraman looks forward to the day when he might be among those alumni welcoming another year’s new group of trainees.
“It gives me great joy to see alums take pride year after year in remaining close to DukeMed,” he said. “We are truly grateful and privileged for our alumni’s willingness to engage and mentor us newly minted alums as we start our personal journeys in medicine. I think it speaks to the power of Duke that alumni feel so connected to our alma mater and so dedicated to welcoming new folks to Boston. I look forward to future opportunities to connect with new alumni friends and reconnect with existing ones.”