Siddhartha Mukherjee to speak at Penn’s 268th Commencement

Celebrated Indian physician, researcher, and best-selling author Siddhartha Mukherjee will deliver the address at the 2024 University of Pennsylvania Commencement on May 20, at Franklin Field.

“I am delighted that Siddhartha Mukherjee has accepted our invitation to address the Class of 2024 at Commencement,” said Penn Interim President J. Larry Jameson, in a University release.

“Dr. Mukherjee is a brilliant oncologist and researcher who has provided an invaluable service to the world by conveying the history and complexity of important medical subjects through his acclaimed writings. It will be a day to remember as he shares his passion and wisdom with our graduates and their families.”

READ: Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book on Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction longlist (September 6, 2023)

Mukherjee is an associate professor of medicine at Columbia University and an oncologist at the university’s medical center.

He is best known as the Pulitzer-winning author of “The Emperor of All Maladies” (2011), along with “The Gene: An Intimate History” (2016), and “The Song of the Cell” (2022)—a trilogy of books that has contributed to the public discourse on human health, medicine, and science.

“The Emperor of All Maladies” was included among Time magazine’s 100 best nonfiction books of the past century, and both “The Emperor of All Maladies” and “The Gene” were adapted into PBS documentaries by filmmaker Ken Burns.

READ: PBS to telecast mini-series on cancer is based on Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book ‘The Emperor of All Maladies’ (January 7, 2015)

A pioneering medical scholar, Mukherjee has conducted groundbreaking studies into the composition and behavior of cancer cells that have pushed the boundaries of modern medicine.

His innovative research signals a paradigm shift in cancer pathology and has enabled the development of treatments that reach beyond current pharmaceutical models toward new biological and cellular therapies.

Mukherjee writes for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and many other publications. His original research and opinions have been published in journals such as Nature, Cell, and The New England Journal of Medicine and he has received numerous awards for his scientific work.

At the Commencement ceremony, Mukherjee will receive an honorary doctor of sciences degree.

The other 2024 Penn honorary degree recipients will be Ingrid Daubechies, Karl Deisseroth, Kenneth (Kenny) Gamble, Leon Huff, and Maya Lin.

“We are so very honored to welcome six incredibly accomplished individuals to this year’s Commencement, including Siddhartha Mukherjee who will address our graduates,” said Julie Platt, chair of the Trustee Honorary Degrees and Awards Committee.

“Each of our honorary degree recipients has made contributions of great significance to their field—and to people around the globe—and we look forward to celebrating them with the entire Penn community.”