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MOULTRIE — Fifty-four students will receive degrees during PCOM South Georgia’s annual commencement ceremony Thursday, May 15. 

The graduating class includes 48 students receiving doctor of osteopathic medicine degrees and six who graduating with the master of science degree in biomedical sciences.

The ceremony is at 1 p.m. at the University of Georgia Conference Center in Tifton. It also will be live-streamed on the college’s YouTube channel (@PCOMeducation). Viewers should subscribe to the PCOM YouTube channel in advance.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Joseph Anthony Giaimo, DO, FCCP, MACOI, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A 1987 graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Giaimo served as president of Phi Sigma Gamma Medical Society while a medical student. He served in the United States Naval Reserves for 13 years, retiring as a naval commander. During that time, they mobilized him to serve on various platforms, including mobile fleet hospitals, teaching hospitals and various ships. He acted as the senior medical officer responsible for pulmonary and critical care needs.

Giaimo completed a four-year term on the Practicing Physicians’ Advisory Council for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He also served as chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the American College of Osteopathic Internists. He helped guide health policy and advised staff on creating policy statements. Giaimo is a Master Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists.

He served as the 125th President of the American Osteopathic Association, which represents all U.S. osteopathic physicians and medical students. He is a Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists and a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. Giaimo has also been a Health Policy Fellow of the American Osteopathic Association.

He is part of Palm Beach Medical Center, where he currently serves on the medical council as the vice chief of staff and chair of the credentials committee. Also, he is a founding member of the Palm Beach County Accountable Care Organization. It is now the largest and most profitable privately owned ACO in the country.

To attend the event, each guest must have an electronic or printed ticket with a QR code to enter the ceremony. Tickets will be scanned as guests enter. Therefore, graduating students are responsible for sharing tickets with their guests. Children age three and older must have a ticket. 

Doors will open at 11:45 a.m., for anyone who needs special assistance getting to their seat. Doors open at noon, for all other guests. For more event information, visit studentaffairsevents.pcom.edu.