Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine Commencement 2025: Graduates to Bolster Ranks of Doctors in NJ, Beyond
June 12, 2025
One hundred thirty-six students from the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine have received their medical degrees - and are now poised to start their medical careers in residencies at top programs across the country.
The fifth commencement was held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on June 5.
The medical students came from the 2021 cohort of the medical school (99 students) who graduated after four years; and the 2022 cohort (37 students), who completed their education in three years.
ince graduating the inaugural class of 18 doctors in 2021, the school’s classes have grown annually alongside admissions. Last year totaled 102 new doctors. This year’s is the biggest group yet.
“This medical school is paying dividends for the future health of New Jersey - and beyond,’’ said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “The institution has truly hit its stride, and we are thrilled to watch it develop into an important part of our health network and the communities it serves.”
“It’s always gratifying to watch our talented students step into the vocation,” said Jeffrey Boscamp, M.D., dean and president of the School. “We know we are effecting positive change far beyond our campus.”
Mona Hanna, M.D., a pediatrician, author, professor, and public health advocate whose research exposed the Flint water crisis and who authored the 2018 bestseller What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, delivered the commencement keynote.
Forty-five percent of the Class of 2025 (62 students) will train in New Jersey for the first year of residency. Of these, 47 students matched into a Hackensack Meridian Health program.
This class matched into 71 residency programs in 18 states, including top-notch institutions nationwide.
The specialties the students matched into include: internal medicine (28), psychiatry (17), anesthesiology (10), emergency medicine (11), pediatrics (9), and general surgery (9), among other specialties.
Applications and enrollments have increased since its founding. The School of Medicine’s inaugural class in 2018 included 60 students. The latest incoming class numbers more than 160, admitted from greater than 5,000 applicants annually.