Commencement

Doors to the Great American Hall in the Hershey Lodge open at 12:15 p.m.

ADA guests are asked to enter through the Red Room of the hall, closest to the escalators and elevator for entry slightly earlier.

The Penn State College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony will be taking place at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.

Students, faculty and guests can use general parking at the Hershey Lodge

Commencement will be located in the Great American Hall, a combination of the Red, White and Blue Rooms. View a map to the conference hall.

Each program (MD, PA and Grad) will host a hooding event before Commencement. This provides a personalized experience for students to be hooded by a person of their choosing, including (but not limited to) a faculty member, advisor, classmate or loved one.

During each hooding event, there will be brief remarks from program leadership, a student speaker and hooding as a group. Hooding events will last no more than 30 minutes and are optional to attend. Family members are welcome to join students at this event.

Once event concludes, guests must exit the Great American Hall so staff can reset the room for Commencement. Saving of seats is not permitted and items left behind will be removed.

Physician Assistant Hooding Event

Thursday, May 8, 2025 | Doors: 6 p.m. | Start: 6:15 p.m.

University Conference Center

Medical Hooding Event

Saturday, May 10, 2025 | Doors: 8:30 | Start: 9 a.m.

Great American Hall, Hershey Lodge

Graduate Hooding Event

Saturday, May 10, 2025 | Doors: 9:45 a.m. | Start: 10:15 a.m.

Great American Hall, Hershey Lodge

Bruce A. Scott, MD

President, American Medical Association

Bruce A. Scott, MD, was inaugurated as the 179th president of the American Medical Association in June 2024. In this role he serves as the primary spokesperson for the AMA. Concurrently he continues as a member of the AMA Board of Trustees, now for his 10th consecutive year.

Dr. Scott has been a leader in medicine throughout his career—prior to being voted president-elect in 2023, he se

rved four years as speaker and four years as vice speaker of the AMA House of Delegates, presiding at the meetings of delegates from every state and specialty as they crafted policies for the medical profession. Before this he was a member of the House of Delegates for over 20 years and was the young physician member on the AMA Board of Trustees.

He previously served on the AMA Foundation’s board of directors and as the president of the foundation. Dr. Scott has been president of his county and state medical associations and served on the boards of the Greater Louisville Medical Society and the Kentucky Medical Association (KMA) for over 20 years. As a leader in these associations, he fought for access to care for vulnerable populations, improvement in public health and reduction of administrative burdens in health care. He was awarded the KMA Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his work on behalf of Kentucky’s physicians and patients.

In addition to his work within organized medicine, Dr. Scott is a member of the board of directors for Health2047, the AMA’s Silicon Valley-based innovation subsidiary that identifies and funds tech-enabled commercial health care enterprises. In this capacity he is helping shape the future of medicine from yet another fundamentally important perspective and platform.

Dr. Scott is passionate about practicing medicine. He is the president of his six-physician independent private practice group, medical director of a multispecialty ambulatory surgery center and holds a clinical appointment at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. His commitment to change in medicine is grounded in the barriers to care he strives to overcome in his daily practice.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Dr. Scott completed his medical education and residency at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and a fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Subsequently he returned to his hometown of Louisville, Ky., to practice. He is board-certified in both otolaryngology and facial plastic surgery.

An author of myriad articles for peer-reviewed publications, as well as chapters in otolaryngology textbooks, Dr. Scott also speaks to physician audiences around the country on topics ranging from leadership and advocacy to sinusitis and clinical documentation.

Dr. Scott has been happily married for over 30 years and is the proud father of three young adults.

No decorating of regalia/mortar boards and no political signs or flags will be permitted within the venue by students and/or their guests.

Tickets are not required for the Commencement ceremony.