Celebrating Patient Problem Solvers: 2026 UC Irvine Graduate Hooding Ceremony

MD/PhD candidate Emily Tom represented the class of 2026 at UC Irvine’s Graduate Hooding Ceremony, speaking to fellow graduates about persistence and curiosity, problem-solving for the next generation, and the patience of a Greenland shark.

The UC Irvine School of Medicine has closed out another successful commencement season! What started in May (with the commencement for the MD graduates) had a two-part ending on June 15, 2026. First, 20 master’s students participated in the afternoon commencement ceremony for the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences. Later that evening, 19 doctoral students from the School of Medicine attended the Graduate Hooding Ceremony for UC Irvine’s MFA, PhD and DNP students.

One of those students was Emily Tom, who earned her PhD in biomedical sciences and will now continue to complete her MD in UC Irvine’s Medical-Scientist Training Program.

Shortly after the Pomp and Circumstance March ended and the ceremony in the Bren Events Center began, Jaymi Lee Smith, interim vice provost for graduate education, introduced Tom as the student commencement speaker. She talked about Tom’s work with Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, PhD, on studies that have advanced our understanding of age-related vision loss, and of Tom’s passion for mentorship, science communication and helping others navigate their educational journeys. Tom then stepped behind the podium and spoke to her peers with confidence and joy.

“When people ask what I studied during my PhD, I usually start with a big-picture answer — something about aging and vision — but eventually I have to explain how that led me to studying a shark that can live for centuries,” said Tom. “And that’s one of the most remarkable things about science — and about this journey. It takes you to places you never imagined.”

For Tom, that meant getting the opportunity to study the Greenland shark, an animal that can live up to 400 years and possibly longer. “Which means somewhere in the Arctic Ocean right now, there could be a shark swimming that has been alive longer than the history of our country,” she said. “Studying something like that has a way of putting time — and life — into perspective.”

Tom talked about her perspective as a first-generation college student and what it means to step into spaces that no one in her family has navigated. “It means carrying with us the sacrifices, hopes, and dreams of the generations before us,” she explained. “It means recognizing that our achievements open doors not just for ourselves, but for those who will follow.”

Tom also shared the significance of becoming a mother during her graduate journey. “Parenthood has a way of reminding us why the work we do matters,” she said. “It reminds us that the future we are studying, discovering and building will ultimately belong to the next generation. And sometimes, that next generation is quite literally in your arms.”

She expressed gratitude for the advisors who offered guidance and the families who always believed in them: “Behind every dataset, every paper, and every dissertation chapter is a community.”

Tom spoke to her peers about their roles as scientists, scholars, mentors, collaborators and leaders, but most importantly as problem solvers. “We learned how to approach questions that seemed impossible at first…. Those skills will stay with us far beyond today,” said Tom, who will now take those skills with her as she returns to her third year of medical school.

“Progress rarely happens all at once. It happens slowly, steadily, through persistence and curiosity over time,” she said. “In that sense, maybe we have something in common with the Greenland shark. Maybe not the lifespan — but the patience.”

Tom, who remains steadfast in her own journey of becoming a physician-scientist in the field of ophthalmology, acknowledged that the world needs people who are comfortable with complexity.

“To the class of 2026: wherever our paths lead next, may we continue to ask bold questions, pursue discovery with curiosity and humility, and remember that the knowledge we create today can shape generations to come.”

Watch the ceremony online and read a Q&A with Emily Tom.

— Shani Murray