On the shoulders of giants: Graduation ceremony of the medical analytics program

Six people wearing graduation gowns and caps. They are standing close together in a room with red chairs and wooden doors in the background. One person is holding a phone and taking a selfie. The group is posing for the photo, with some raising their hands in a gesture of posing.

Twenty-seven excellently educated graduates of the medical analytics program have completed their studies at our university. The formal graduation ceremony, held on October 25, crowned five years of their hard work and provided an opportunity to honor them and warmly welcome them into the community of laboratory diagnosticians.

Congratulating the graduates, Dr. Piotr Luliński, dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and host of the ceremony, confidently stated that they are very well prepared to fulfill their professional duties responsibly. This is particularly important because a laboratory diagnostician is a profession of public trust; their work serves the patient, meaning that practitioners must always act in a reliable manner and according to best practice.
Prof. Marek Kuch, Vice Rector for student affairs and education, also joined in the congratulations. He emphasized that receiving a diploma is a source of great pride for everyone and a guarantee of knowledge at the highest level.

Laboratory diagnostics is like a giant

Prof. Olga Ciepiela, Vice Dean for teaching in the medical analytics program, also extended warm congratulations to the graduates.

"Despite sleepless nights, retakes, and sacrificing more than one pleasure in favor of studying, you have achieved what you came here for – the master’s degree," the Vice Dean said proudly.

By quoting Isaac Newton, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”, she reminded the graduates that laboratory diagnostics is the foundation of clinical medicine.

“Your work ensures disease diagnosis, selection of proper treatment, and monitoring of that treatment. That is why you must always perform it with the utmost diligence, in accordance with current medical knowledge, which you began to acquire during your studies and will continue to do so throughout your professional life,” said Prof. Ciepiela.

She therefore asked the graduates never to stop striving to become better diagnosticians and better people, which will make every day a source of satisfaction.

Congratulations from the invited guests

Congratulations and best wishes were also offered by Dr. Aldona Wierzbicka-Rucińska, representative of the National Council of Laboratory Diagnosticians, Prof. Grażyna Sygitowicz, representative of the Main Board of the Polish Society for Laboratory Diagnostics, and Monika Jabłonowska, provincial consultant in laboratory diagnostics for the Mazovian voivodship. All of them emphasized how pleased they were that such well-educated and competent young people are joining the ranks of diagnosticians.

Oath-taking and diploma-awarding

Before repeating the words of the oath, the Dean and Vice Rector presented the Golden Laurel for the best graduate. The distinction was awarded to Magdalena Wojtczuk for an overall grade point average of 4.66. She also received distinctions from Dr. Aldona Wierzbicka Rucińska and Monika Jabłonowska.
What did all the graduates swear? Among other things, “to serve life and human health according to the best knowledge, to counteract suffering, to prevent disease, and to participate in the treatment process.” They then received their long-awaited diplomas from the Dean and Vice Rector.
Izabela Pacek spoke on behalf of the graduates, thanking everyone involved in the teaching process and wishing her colleagues success on their new path.

A model for younger colleagues

On behalf of the Student Government of the Faculty of Pharmacy, its chair, Sabina Sobolewska, offered congratulations to the graduates. She praised their commitment, passion, and perseverance.

“Your success is a source of pride and inspiration both for us and for younger students who are just beginning their journey in medical analytics. You have shown that hard work and determination make it possible to achieve anything that may seem distant,” emphasized Sabina Sobolewska.

Congratulations were also extended to the older colleagues by Szczepan Wąsik from the Student Society of Laboratory Diagnosticians.

“It is thanks to your commitment, determination, and hard work that all of us gathered here can celebrate your achievements. I am deeply convinced that this is only the beginning of a wonderful journey. Your life after graduation will undoubtedly be full of challenges, but rest assured that you have everything that is needed to face them,” said Szczepan Wąsik.

The culmination of the ceremony was a short concert by the MUW Choir, caps tossing, and a commemorative photo.

In addition to those already mentioned, the participants included faculty members, members of the faculty council, and Prof. Paweł Włodarski, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. The co-hosts of the ceremony were Prof. Olga Ciepiela and Dr. Agnieszka Bazylko, Vice Dean for education in the pharmacy program.

Several diplomas arranged in a row on a light background. The documents are white with a decorative blue border and a red emblem at the top. The diplomas display the text “Warsaw Medical University.”

Graduates dressed in black academic gowns are standing in an auditorium among rows of red chairs. On the left, there is a group of people, also wearing gowns, entering the auditorium.

A group of graduates dressed in black gowns is standing in rows in the auditorium. One of the female graduates is looking directly at the camera and smiling.

The dean of the faculty, dressed in a black and orange gown, is standing at the lectern and speaking.

A group of graduates dressed in gowns is sitting on red seats in the auditorium, applauding.

The vice-rector, dressed in a red gown and cap, is speaking into the microphone from behind the lectern. Next to him are seated the dean and the vice-dean.

Vice-Dean Professor Olga Ciepiela is speaking into the microphone from behind the lectern. She is wearing a black and orange gown. Her right hand is raised. Next to her, the dean is seated.

On the left is the dean, in the center the top graduate holding a framed diploma, and on the right the vice-rector. They are all posing for the photo.

A group of graduates, wearing black caps and gowns, is taking an oath. They are all standing.

View of the auditorium. Graduates dressed in gowns are standing in rows. In the center of the hall stand the rector’s and dean’s authorities.

A group of graduates in black gowns is posing for a photo with their diplomas. To the right of them stand the dean and the vice-rector.

A young smiling graduate is receiving her diploma from the vice-rector. In the background, behind her, other graduates are visible waiting to receive their diplomas.

A young man is receiving a diploma from the dean and the vice-rector.

On the right, a young female graduate is receiving her diploma from the dean and the vice-rector. On the left, another graduate, with a big smile, is raising her diploma in a victorious gesture.

A young graduate is receiving a diploma from the vice-rector and the vice-dean. The graduate is shaking hands with the vice-rector.

A smartly dressed woman is speaking from behind the lectern. Next to her are the dean and the vice-dean for education in the medical analytics program, seated.

A young woman in a gown and a cap with a yellow tassel. She is sitting on a red chair, with her hands clasped on her lap. On her lap lies a navy-blue folder with the inscription “Warsaw Medical University, Faculty of Pharmacy.”

A young female graduate, dressed in a black gown and cap, is receiving a red folder with a distinction from an elegantly dressed woman, Dr. Aldona Wierzbicka-Rucińska.

Prof. Grażyna Sygitowicz, dressed in a black and orange gown, is speaking from behind the lectern. Next to her, the dean is seated. In the foreground, other participants of the ceremony are visible.

The provincial consultant in the field of laboratory diagnostics for the Mazovian Voivodeship is speaking from behind the lectern. In the background, the faculty authorities and the vice-rector are visible.

A young woman, dressed in a black academic gown, is standing behind the lectern and speaking.

A young woman, Sabina Sobolewska, dressed in a black gown, is standing behind the lectern, smiling and clapping.

A young man, Szczepan Wąsik, wearing a black gown and cap, is standing behind the lectern and speaking. In the background, other people dressed in academic gowns are visible.

Guests of the ceremony seated in the auditorium. In the foreground, from behind, the performing choir is visible. One of the seated guests is taking a photo of them.

A group of graduates standing in rows throws academic caps. In the front rows sit the dean’s authorities, the vice-rector, and other invited guests.

Fifteen people in gowns and caps standing in an auditorium. In the center, there are two people wearing red gowns. Several people are holding diplomas. In the foreground, two people are photographing the group with their phones.