Commencement Speaker
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2026 Commencement Speaker
Dr. David J. Skorton will served as the commencement speaker for the College of Medicine and Life Sciences ceremony on Friday, May 15. He will also receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa.
David J. Skorton, M.D., is president and CEO of the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), a not-for-profit association that represents medical schools, academic health systems and teaching hospitals, and academic societies.
He began his leadership of the AAMC in July 2019 after a distinguished career in government, higher education, and medicine. Shortly after his arrival, Dr. Skorton oversaw a comprehensive strategic planning process that established a new mission and vision for the AAMC. It also introduced well-defined action plans to align the AAMC’s organizational resources to tackle the most intractable challenges in health. The strategic plan guides the AAMC in leading and serving medical schools and academic health systems around the mission areas of education, clinical care, research, and community collaboration. Dr. Skorton’s main focus is on improving the health of people everywhere, including access to care for all.
Prior to the AAMC, Dr. Skorton served as the 13th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, where he oversaw 19 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, and numerous research centers and education programs. Before that, he served as president of two universities: Cornell University (2006 to 2015) and the University of Iowa (2003 to 2006), where he also served on the faculty for 26 years and co-founded and co-directed the University of Iowa Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic. A pioneer of cardiac imaging and computer processing techniques, he was a contributor and editor-in-chief of a major text on cardiac imaging.
Dr. Skorton earned his B.A. from Northwestern University and his M.D. from Northwestern University School of Medicine. He completed his medical residency and fellowship in cardiology and was chief medical resident at the University of California, Los Angeles.