Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Hamburg, a nationally recognized public health expert with unique ties to Vassar College, will deliver the Commencement address at the College’s 159th graduation exercises on Sunday, May 21, President Elizabeth Bradley announced.

Hamburg is a former president and chair of the board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and served as the 21st Commissioner of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration from 2009 to 2015. She is the daughter of Beatrix McCleary Hamburg ’44, the first self-identified African American woman to enroll at Vassar and the first to earn a degree from Yale University School of Medicine.

“As Vassar makes its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic and begins to take a more inclusive look at its history, Peggy Hamburg’s distinguished career in public health and her special connection to the College make her an ideal choice to speak to our graduates this year,” President Bradley said.

Hamburg is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. In 1991 she was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, serving in that capacity during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. She also oversaw the nation’s first public health bioterrorism preparedness program.

Hamburg said her parents, both of whom were physicians and medical school professors, inspired her to pursue a career in public service. “I was raised to understand that public service and social justice were very much a part of the ethos of how one should live one’s life,” she said. “And I was fortunate to have strong female role models, starting with my mother, who had struggles along the way breaking the race barrier at Vassar and Yale, as well as pioneering work in her professional career. She taught me the importance of having determination.”

Hamburg said her own career path often led her to take risks and break new ground in public health policy, and she said she would urge members of Vassar’s Class of 2023 be bold in their own choices. “It’s important to keep exploring and learning, and to take advantage of the broad education a place like Vassar offers,” she said. “Find your passion and take on new challenges and be willing to fall down and skin a knee and then get up and learn from what went wrong.”

Contact: Larry Hertz, lahertz@vassar.edu, (845) 437-7938, (845) 518-3098 (Vassar College)

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About Vassar College

Vassar College–based in Poughkeepsie, New York–is a coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college where perspectives cross, ideas intersect, and passion burns bright. Originally founded to provide women an education equal to that once available only to men, Vassar was the first all-women’s college in the nation to become coeducational when it opened its doors to men in 1969. Vassar fosters an intellectual openness and independence in students, who meet each other as equals, and are encouraged to absorb diverse thought and impassioned dialogue that give them the insight and confidence they will need in a complex world where they will make important contributions. Consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country, Vassar is renowned for pioneering achievements in education, for its long history of curricular innovation, and for the beauty of its campus.

Vassar College strives to make its events, performances, and facilities accessible to all. Individuals with disabilities requiring special accommodations must contact the Office of Campus Activities at least 48 hours in advance of an event, Mondays–Fridays, at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available. Detailed information about accessibility to specific campus facilities can be found on the Accessibility and Educational Opportunity website.

The Vassar campus is located at 124 Raymond Avenue in Poughkeepsie, NY.