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Commencement

Information

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics
Commencement Ceremony Information


We are pleased to announce that McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston School will host its Commencement Ceremony on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. 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 2025, Fall 2025, or Spring 2026 will be eligible to walk during the ceremony.

The 2026 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

Date:
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Time:
6:00 to 8:00 PM (CT)
Location:
NRG Arena
 
1 NRG Pkwy, Houston, TX 77054

 

  • Commencement Speaker

    Kevin B. Johnson, MD, MS is the David L. Cohen University Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Computer and Information Science, Pediatrics, and Science Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, Vice President of Applied Informatics for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, and Director of the Artificial Intelligence for Ambulatory Care (AI4AI) Lab. He received his MD from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and his MS in Medical Informatics from Stanford University.

    Dr. Johnson is an internationally respected developer and evaluator of clinical information technology. His research focuses on developing and encouraging the adoption of clinical information systems to improve patient safety and compliance with practice guidelines. He is widely known for his work with e-prescribing and computer-based documentation. Recent research is focusing on AI-enabled screening, patient-clinician interaction, and symptom quantification in a project called REDUCE (Re-imagining Encounter Documentation Using Computation and Engineering).

    He is the author of over 200 publications and has won dozens of awards over his career. Notably, he was elected to the American College of Medical Informatics in 2004, The Academic Pediatric Society in 2010, the National Academy of Medicine (Institute of Medicine) in 2010, the International Association of Health Science Informatics in 2021, and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering in 2022.

    Dr. Johnson is passionate about educating lay audiences about science. He has produced documentaries related to health information technology. His podcast, “Informatics in the Round,” features experts discussing informatics topics. He also co-published “Who, Me?” a book series featuring scientists from marginalized groups.

    Kevin Johnson Headshot

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  • Graduation Canvas Course & Check-out/E-mail Access

    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 Orders
    Official regalia must be ordered through Graduate Affairs. Approved regalia items are necessary if you wish to ‘walk’ in the ceremony. To rent or purchase regalia for the ceremony, please complete the online regalia request form and make payment through the Graduate Affairs website:

    1. Regalia for Master’s graduates 
    2. Regalia for Doctoral (PhD & DHI) graduates   

    When you place an order, note that regalia will NOT be shipped to you! All orders will be distributed and picked up at NRG Arena just before the ceremony. The deadline for ordering regalia without a late fee is March 31, 2026. We encourage you to submit your order as early as possible. Any order received after the deadline date will be charged a late fee of $25.
  • Driving Directions and Parking Rates
    nrg parking lot

    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.

  • Travel and Lodging

    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.

  • For Family & Guests

    The McWilliams staff welcome 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:

    1. Doors will open approximately at 5:00 PM to allow guests time to find seating.
    2. Open seating is available to all guests, friends and family members of graduates that would like to attend. At this time, there is no cap on the number of guests our graduates can invite and tickets are not required for attendance.
    3. Photographs: There will be professional photographers on site to take pictures of the graduates. These photos will be posted on the school’s Flickr accounta few weeks after the commencement ceremony. You can bring your own camera for any additional photo opportunities. If you choose to take photos as the graduate walks across the stage, please take the photos in assigned designated area and then return to your seats quickly, enabling others to do the same. Our goal is to allow you to document this momentous occasion, but maintain a clear view of the stage for the rest of the audience. Please remember to respect the reverence of this memorable event for our graduates.
    4. Special guests from the university and the community will be present and will be directed by the staff to assigned seating.
    5. Staff will assist any persons needing special access.
    6. Staff will direct any disruptive individuals to a quiet location.
    7. After the ceremony, please permit the faculty and graduates to exit first during the processional.
  • Commencement Ceremony

    Graduates should plan to arrive at the venue by 4:30 p.m. to ensure that they will be dressed in their regalia and lined up in the correct order. McWilliams staff will be available to assist you, your family, friends, visitors, and faculty alike. Ceremony will begin promptly at 6:00 PM.

  • Commencement 2025 Photos & Video

    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: 02/12/2026