We are pleased to announce that McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston School will host its Commencement Ceremony on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. McWilliams graduates who earned (or will earn) a Master of Science (MS), Doctorate in Health Informatics (DHI), or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Spring 2025 will be eligible to walk during the ceremony.
The 2025 McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics Commencement Ceremony promises to be an exciting time as we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates. By recognizing and acknowledging the excellence of our students and faculty, we spotlight this honored tradition.
Note: This will not be a joint ceremony with other UTHealth Houston schools.
Commencement Ceremony Event Details
Commencement Speaker: Peter Embí, MD, MS
Peter Embí, MD, MS, serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics, Professor of Medicine, and Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. As an internationally recognized researcher, educator, and leader in the field of biomedical informatics, Dr. Embí is a frequently invited presenter and lecturer and has authored more than 160 peer-reviewed research articles, abstracts, books and book chapters. His areas of interest include clinical informatics, research informatics, public health informatics, and data-driven learning health systems. He’s held research grants from such agencies as the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Library of Medicine, National Institute for Drug Abuse and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, as well as numerous nonprofit foundations and public health agencies. In recognition of his contributions to the field, Embí has been elected to Fellowship in the American College of Physicians (FACP), the American College of Medical Informatics (FACMI), the American Medical Informatics Association (FAMIA) and the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (FIAHSI).
Graduating students: Please ensure all deadlines are/have been met to maintain your eligibility to participate in this year’s commencement ceremony. Students enrolled in their final semester at McWilliams should use the Canvas Graduation course as a resource. Please ensure you have access to the course and complete required assignments in a timely manner.
Please continue to check your UTHealth e-mail account regularly as we communicate updates regarding this event.
Note: Your UTHealth email account ending in @uth.tmc.edu will be deleted 90 days from the end of your final term of enrollment.
If you will be transitioning within these 90 days to employee status, registering for the upcoming Summer/Fall semester, or pursuing another degree at UTHealth Houston, then your email account will remain active.
Regalia Rentals/Purchases
Official regalia must be ordered through Graduate Affairs. Note that the approved regalia items are necessary if you wish to ‘walk’ in the ceremony. To rent regalia for the ceremony, please complete the online regalia request form and make payment through the Graduate Affairs website:
The deadline for ordering regalia is March 31, 2025. We encourage you to submit your order as early as possible. Any order received after this date will be charged a late fee of $25.
If you prefer to purchase your regalia instead of renting regalia, please see the information on the Graduate Affairs website.
Regalia Distribution
Rented regalia will be distributed and picked up at the commencement ceremony site on the day of the event; May 14 from 12:30-1:30 PM. Please arrive early to pick up your items, get dressed and take any pictures, if you desire. Purchase regalia will be mailed to the graduates home week prior to the commencement ceremony.
Return of Regalia
Students and faculty should return their regalia rental package immediately after the graduation ceremony. Unreturned regalia will be charged to you at its equivalent purchase amount.
NRG Arena is located at NRG Stadium, 1 NRG Pkwy, Houston, TX 77054.
You can find driving directions to the arena and view detailed parking maps on the NRG Park website.
Parking is available for $25 (plus tax) per vehicle, with payment accepted only via credit or debit card. Please note that cash is not an option. Graduate parking is located in the Maroon Lot, while guest parking is available in the Blue Lot.
Attendants will be on-site to assist with parking as needed.
For detailed driving directions to NRG Arena, please visit the NRG Park website.
If you are looking for accommodations, there are several hotels conveniently located near NRG Park and NRG Stadium. For more information on local lodging and to explore tourism options in Houston, visit the Visit Houston Official Site to help plan your trip.
Graduates should plan to arrive at the venue by 12:30 p.m. to ensure that they will be dressed in their regalia and lined up in the correct order. McWilliams SBMI staff will be available to assist you, your family, friends, visitors, and faculty alike. Ceremony will begin promptly at 2:00 PM.
The McWilliams SBMI staff welcomes all families and guests to partake in this momentous occasion to celebrate the successful culmination of years of training for our students. Watching our students achieve this goal and celebrating it with them, their families, and their friends is a gratifying experience. We hope that you will find the ceremony enjoyable and memorable.
Below are some general guidelines for the commencement ceremony:
If you are unable to attend the ceremony in-person, feel free to watch via livestream on YouTube. There will be professional photographers on site to take pictures of the graduates. You can bring your own camera for any additional photo opportunities at the venue.
Day of Photos can be viewed in the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics Flickr account. Previous videos of the commencement ceremony are also available in MSBMI’s YouTube channel.
Thank you to all the Graduates, Faculty, Staff and Family and Guests in attendance.
Contact Information:
Office of Academic Affairs
McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics
(713) 500-3591
[email protected]
Updated: 05/07/2025