When Nancy Brinker’s sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 1970s, she promised her that she would do everything to battle a disease that was then largely untalked about, carried an element of stigma and for which there was little, if any, in the way of resources or support. They were “dark times.”
Her sister died from breast cancer in 1982. Today, a full 30 years later, Brinker remains committed to the pledge that she made to Susan G. Komen, for whom she created the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.
Breast cancer turned out to be a much tougher adversary than she originally imagined, Brinker told the Yale School of Public Health Class of 2012 during her Commencement Address inside Battell Chapel. The disease remains a scourge, claiming the lives of tens of thousands of women each year in the United States alone.
But there has been impressive and encouraging progress: More and more women are surviving breast cancer, screening for the disease is increasingly routine, there are support groups for women with the disease and for survivors and large amounts of money—Brinker’s foundation alone has raised almost $2 billion—is being spent on research, education, screening and treatment.
A former U.S. ambassador to Hungary, Brinker told the graduates that the work to end breast cancer is a long-term goal, one to which she will likely have to dedicate the rest of her life to.
Brinker told the 121 graduates that they are the ones who will continue the fight against breast cancer and a host of other diseases and public health threats and challenges. She expressed confidence in their ability to do so.
“I am inspired by the collection of talent gathered here today,” Brinker said to the graduates and hundreds of their friends and family who came from as far as Australia and China to witness a new generation of public health professionals go forth. “We need people like you. The path you are starting down is a noble one. Thank you. Thank you.”
Dean Paul Cleary noted that the graduates could have chosen more lucrative career paths than public health, but few vocations offer a greater chance to help people and to contribute to the public good.
Robert Dubrow, who was selected by the class of 2012 as the Teacher of the Year, told the graduates that health challenges abound, including issues related to obesity, disease prevention and health disparities. His generation of health practitioners have left much undone in terms of creating a healthier future.
“My generation has faltered. Yours will do better,” Dubrow said to a standing ovation from his former students.
His colleague, Andrew DeWan, has only been on the YSPH faculty for three years, but he has quickly made an impression as someone who sets high standards and inspires the students with whom he works. He was named YSPH’s 2012 Mentor of the Year,
DeWan said he has benefitted professionally from excellent mentorship during his days as a student and understands the difference that guidance can make in a student’s academic career. And, he said, the benefit has been mutual. “I am lucky to have worked with you.”
Before diplomas were awarded, Cleary presented several graduates with awards for outstanding accomplishments during their studies at the School of Public Health. Daniel Jacobs and Shawn Terryah each received the Dean’s Prize for Outstanding M.P.H. Thesis; Sara Nguyen was recognized with the Wilbur G. Downs Outstanding Thesis Prize in International Health; Yao Fu received the Brandon James Brei Memorial Award; Luisa Tsang received the Henry J. (Sam) Chauncey Jr. Inspiration Award; and Rhobhi Matinyi received the Lowell Levin Award for Excellence in Global Health.
Rhobhi Matinyi, who delivered the student address, noted that after two years of studying public health, the graduates would soon be called upon to apply the skills that they have learned and tohelp people in need.
To succeed, they will at times have to defy the status quo, upset conventional boundaries and figure out how to turn challenges into opportunities. And the challenges are many—there is not a cure for AIDS, millions worldwide lack access to safe drinking water and climate change isstill being debated.
"Yale has given us the tools,"she said. “But these are only valuable if we apply them to articulate and implement viable solutions that positively impact the lives of those we serve.”