A LOOK BACK

Commencement 2021

William G. Kaelin Jr., M.D.

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER 2021

William Kaelin obtained undergraduate and M.D. degrees from Duke University and completed his internal medicine training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he served as chief medical resident.  He was a clinical fellow in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of David Livingston, during which time he was a McDonnell Scholar.  He is currently the Sidney Farber Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.  A Nobel laureate, Dr. Kaelin received the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Doctor Kaelin is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the American College of Physicians, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.  He recently served on the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors, the AACR Board of Trustees, and the IOM National Cancer Policy Board. He has received numerous awards including the MSKCC Paul Marks Prize, the AACR Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Prize, a Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award, the Canada International Gairdner International Award, the ASCI Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award, the Scientific Grand Prix of the Foundation Lefoulon-Delalande and the Institute of France, the Albert Lasker Prize, the Helis Award, and the Massry Prize.

Doctor Kaelin was born in Jamaica, NY and grew up in Rockville Centre, NY until moving to Fairfield, CT when he was 13. He attended Roger Ludlowe High School (Class of ’75) and graduated from Duke in 1979 and Duke Med 1983.  He is a proud father of two Deerfield alumni, Kathryn ’11 and Tripp ’14.

2021 Baccalaureate