School of Nursing Commencement - June 9, 2026
Garbed in black robes and tasseled velvet tams, the members of the UCSF School of Nursing Class of 2026 crossed the stage at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre one by one on June 9 at the school’s commencement celebration.
Cheers of “Go, big bro!” and “That’s my bestie!” and “Yeah, Dr. J!” resounded through the auditorium, as guests enthusiastically applauded their loved ones’ achievements.
As Dean Carol Dawson-Rose, PhD, RN, FAAN, acknowledged in her welcome remarks, the ceremony served just as much to recognize this supportive community of families, friends, faculty members, and more, as it did the honorees themselves.
UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS, conferred degrees upon 31 graduates across the school’s three doctoral programs, thanking the cohorts for their passion, determination, scientific rigor, and empathy.
Addressing the graduates on behalf of the faculty, Sandra Staveski, PhD, CPNP-AC, FAAN, associate professor and chair of the Nursing Faculty Council, commented that the day marked more than the completion of a program. “It marks the transformation of who you are as professionals and how you will serve,” she said.
Keynote speaker Jian Zhang, DNP, MS, FAAN, an internationally renowned health care leader and proud UCSF School of Nursing alum, spoke about her experience as chief executive officer of San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, guiding the community-based health system through financial strain and the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Uncertainty is not a barrier to leadership,” she said. “It is the very condition that calls for it. UCSF has prepared you to think critically, to act with integrity, to lead with courage, and to serve with compassion.”
This throughline of rising to lead in a moment of great complexity continued with the addresses of student speakers Ashley Moore (PhD in Nursing) and Kay Burke (Doctor of Nursing Practice).
“We are graduating into a world that is anything but simple,” said Moore. “It is a world shaped by inequity, strained health systems, climate disruption, and preventable suffering.
“I'm confident that if there is any group prepared to meet the complexity of this moment without turning away from humanity, it is nurses,” she said.
The following students were recognized at commencement for their achievements:
- Caroline Dancu and Ashley Moore received the Distinguished Dissertation Award in Nursing
- Jennifer Dunn received the Distinguished Dissertation Award in Sociology
- Selam Kidane received the Anselm Strauss Special Award for Distinguished Qualitative Dissertation
- Kay Burke received the Outstanding Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Award
- Sandra Domeracki (PhD in Nursing) and Mayra Lizzette Yñiguez (Doctor of Nursing Practice) received the Community Impact Doctoral Student Award
Additionally, the Class of 2026 honored two faculty members for their mentoring and teaching excellence:
- Juli Maxworthy, DNP, MBA, RN, associate professor, was selected as DNP mentor of the year
- Cherry Leung, PhD, RN, associate professor, was honored as the PhD mentor of the year