Oriol Mitjà, a medical researcher specialised in infectious diseases, was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony in Medicine this year. In his address, he urged recent graduates to think about who they are, what they want to do with their lives, and how they want to help others. “When you encounter an opportunity, do not choose the easiest path. Follow the one your heart tells you to”, he said. 

 

Mitjà described how he discovered his passion for infectious diseases in India, and advised graduates to “discover what it is that they want to do and channel all their efforts into achieving their goals”. He added, “Doctors of these new generations are at a point in history where historical problems can already be solved.”

 

The keynote speaker reminded the graduates that there is a world of extreme poverty out there in which, as newly minted medical professionals, they can help make great strides. “In Papua New Guinea, people die much younger”, he said. “There, the government spends 10 euros in the entire year to treat a person, whereas the government in neighbouring Australia spends 10,000 euros.”

 

Mitjà said that “ensuring people's health is the noblest goal you can have as professionals”. “You have the technical knowledge to fix things, and that is a great responsibility”, he confided. 

 

The keynote address was followed by the award of the diplomas and remarks by the delegates of the bachelor’s and master’s degree graduating classes. The closing remarks were delivered by the dean of the faculty, Dr Albert Balaguer, and the ceremony ended with a rendition of the traditional university song Gaudeamus Igitur.