Tampa, Fla., August 17, 2017– Celebrity and health advocate Montel Williams will deliver the commencement address at Ultimate Medical Academy’s Fall Commencement (#UMAgrad) at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. The ceremony will also be live-streamed online to thousands of UMA 2017 graduates, friends and family members across the nation.
“Montel Williams’ grit in overcoming depression and living with multiple sclerosis to achieve continued success as a celebrity and heath advocate is something that will resonate with our graduates,” UMA President Derek Apanovitch said. “We are honored to have him share his story and inspire our graduates, many of whom are non-traditional students overcoming life’s obstacles themselves, to complete their higher educations and begin their careers in healthcare.”
Williams, television personality, radio talk show host, actor, and more, is best known as Emmy-winning host of the long-running The Montel Williams Show. Before and after the show, Williams has been passionately involved in many projects that he has transformed into major initiatives with the aim of helping others. Williams is also noted for his 22 years of service in both the Marine Corps and the Navy, from which he was honorably discharged.
Recently, Williams partnered with Med Learning Group, a continuing medical education (CME) division of UMA, to help educate neurologists, nurses, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals about the unique challenges diagnosing and treating African Americans with MS.
“We can’t thank Montel enough for all he is doing to help educate healthcare professionals and improve patient outcomes in MS,” Apanovitch said. “He is a true partner to UMA and is making the world a better place. As we work to fulfill our mission to equip and empower students to excel in healthcare, we will continue to build partnerships that make a difference in the lives of our students, graduates, healthcare employers and those they serve.”
More than 600 UMA graduates will walk at the Fall Commencement out of a total of more than 4,000 who will virtually join in the Pomp and Circumstance.
The ceremony will open with the presentation of colors and the singing of the National Anthem led by retired United States Air Force Sergeant Sonya Bryson, a regular performer for the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. In addition, Apanovitch and other faculty members, a student speaker, and a UMA staff member will deliver remarks.
More information on the UMA Fall Commencement can be found at http://www.ultimatemedical.edu/students/commencement/.
ABOUT ULTIMATE MEDICAL ACADEMY
Ultimate Medical Academy is a nonprofit healthcare educational institution with a national presence. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida and founded in 1994, the school has more than 40,000 alumni and offers content-rich, interactive online courses to almost 14,000 students as well as hands-on training to hundreds of students. Ultimate Medical Academy students have access to academic advising, one-on-one or group tutoring, résumé and interview coaching, job search assistance, technical support and more. Ultimate Medical Academy is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). ABHES accreditation does not extend to continuing education programs. Ultimate Medical Academy’s CME Division creates innovative and award-winning programming to maximize the physician, nurse, and healthcare professional learner experience and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes. Learn more by visiting https://www.ultimatemedical.edu/.
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