Jasmine Walker, BSN, RN, who will graduate from the Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse-Midwifery program May 13, believes her degree will help her advocate for the best care for women, especially in underserved communities.
“Midwifery represents everything I stand for: women’s empowerment, creating a safe environment to build rapport with people, educating, providing evidence-based care, and decreasing the gap between access and equity of care,” Walker said.
Walker is among the six students from the first graduating cohort of the new Doctor of Nursing Practice program in Nurse-Midwifery in the College of Nursing. The program offers specialized knowledge and skills in family-centered primary care to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and their children. This cohort will be among the 771 graduating students from across the university’s six colleges to receive their degrees at the Spring Commencement Ceremonies May 13 and May 19.
The graduating students include 122 from the College of Dentistry, 22 from the College of Graduate Health Sciences, 187 from the College of Health Professions, 170 from the College of Medicine, 98 from the College of Nursing, and 172 from the College of Pharmacy.
The College of Pharmacy also will graduate the first nine students who have completed its Rural Health Certificate program, which prepares future pharmacists to address health disparities and promote access to health care and pharmacy services in rural areas.
The 2024 spring commencement ceremonies in Memphis will be held at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts at the following times:
- May 13 at 8:30 a.m. – College of Pharmacy
- May 13 at 11:15 a.m. – College of Medicine
- May 13 at 2:00 p.m. – College of Dentistry
- May 13 at 4:30 p.m. – College of Graduate Health Sciences, College of Health Professions, and College of Nursing
The Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology commencement will be May 19 at 10 a.m. EST at Thompson Boling Arena in Knoxville.
Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, will confer the degrees at each ceremony in Memphis and Knoxville. UT System President Randy Boyd will present remarks as the keynote speaker at the ceremonies for the College of Graduate Health Sciences, College of Health Professions, College of Nursing, and the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology.
The keynote address for the College of Pharmacy will be presented by Anthony Pudlo, PharmD, chief executive officer of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association. The keynote address for the College of Medicine will be presented by Sara Cross, MD, associate professor and division chief of Infectious Diseases in the college. The keynote address for the College of Dentistry will be presented by Joan Cronan, PhD, director emeritus of women’s athletics at UT Knoxville.
Graduates will also be inducted into the University of Tennessee Alumni Association. The alumni speakers include Kara Fortune, PharmD, for the College of Pharmacy; Michael Calfee, MD, for the College of Medicine; Rick Guthrie, DDS, for the College of Dentistry; Brian Winbigler, PharmD, for the College of Graduate Health Sciences, College of Health Professions, and College of Nursing; and Ashley Harkrider, PhD, professor and chair, for the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology.
The commencement ceremonies will be streamed live on the UT Health Science Center commencement webpage.