#Rowan2020—A Commencement Like No Other

Like most things in 2020, Rowan University’s Commencement celebration didn’t go quite as planned.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Rowan held its annual University-wide Commencement ceremony virtually in early May. President Ali Houshmand, world-renowned TV host, author and special effects expert Adam Savage and Distinguished Alumna Catherine Ni ’00, all delivered a speech from home.

After Governor Phil Murphy announced guidelines for graduations scheduled after July 6, planning for an in-person celebration was immediately underway and more than 1,800 graduates participated in 13 ceremonies during Rowan’s postponed Commencement Week in mid July. Ceremonies had about 150 graduates, each with two guests, and followed strict safety protocols and social distancing guidelines.

Meanwhile, although a virtual and unique in-person Commencement was delivered for the Class of 2020, one of the most unexpected pandemic effects on graduation happened for Rowan’s medical school students.

Both Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) and Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine normally graduate students in mid-May with the newly minted physicians starting their hospital residencies on July 1. However, new policies in place because of the coronavirus qualified students to graduate in mid-April and either start their residency early or join the workforce to aid in pandemic relief efforts.

“Our medical students are passionate about helping others. They didn’t want to wait on the sidelines during this unprecedented public health crisis,” said Annette C. Reboli, M.D., CMSRU dean.

Early graduation allowed new doctors to assist in national healthcare staff shortages as well as support rising healthcare needs in new and unexpected areas. One early CMSRU graduate, Dr. Riley Pietrowicz, was able to help implement a valuable communications resource for the families of COVID-19 patients.

“I quickly jumped at the chance to join my colleagues on the front lines in my residency program if they needed me,” she said excitedly. “But that call never came, so I found a way to put my medical degree to use by remotely joining the ICU team at Cooper University Hospital.

One of the many devastating effects of COVID-19 was the inability for family members to physically be with their sick relatives or receive any news. So Dr. Pietrowicz found a way to help.

“Together with my classmates and physician mentors, we brainstormed and developed a program that used ‘virtual rounding’ as a way to connect ICU care teams at the bedside with recent CMSRU graduates joining in remotely. In this program, “Criticall Connections,” CMSRU graduates were responsible for being the primary communicators with family members, ensuring that loved ones at home were updated on daily plans and changes in clinical status. 

“Not only did this provide a sense of partnership between care teams and family members that was seemingly eliminated by the COVID-19 hospital visitor restrictions, but it also allowed for CMSRU graduates to actively learn and participate in the care of patients with coronavirus—a task we would soon be responsible for in our respective residency programs.”

Congratulations to all of our Class of 2020 graduates—and a special thank you to our medical school students who graduated early to make a difference on the front lines.