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Stanford Medicine announced Dr. Bryant Lin as the keynote speaker for this year's School of Medicine graduation ceremony. Lin, a primary care doctor and director of the Medical Humanities and Arts program, will share his experiences following his diagnosis of advanced metastatic lung cancer. The graduation ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Maples Pavilion, and tickets are necessary for attendance.

Dr. Lin's diagnosis came despite his never having smoked, prompting him to use his situation as a teaching opportunity through a class he created called MED 275: From Diagnosis to Dialogue: A Doctor’s Real-Time Battle with Cancer. The course, which took place during the fall quarter of 2024, was open to both undergraduate and graduate students and attracted significant attention from national news outlets for its approach to addressing cancer.

In the course, guest speakers such as Dr. Natalie Lui, an assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Paul Ford, Lin’s primary care doctor, Dr. Heather Wakelee, his oncologist, spiritual leaders, and Lin's wife, Christine Chan, participated. The coverage also included discussions on the higher incidence rate of Lin’s type of cancer among Asians. As the co-founder of Stanford Medicine's Center for Asian Health Research and Education, Lin aims to improve screening policies by spreading awareness.

“It’s an honor you would want to sign up for my class,” Lin expressed to students. He continued, "My dream is that you will go into cancer care. It would be great if even just one of you dedicated some part of your career to cancer."

This information was originally provided by Stanford Medicine, and inquiries can be directed to reporter Mandy Erickson at merickso@stanford.edu.

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