At its virtual commencement ceremony Saturday for the Class of 2020, Washington & Jefferson College will be presenting an honorary Doctor of Science degree to Mark L. Tykocinski, a medical doctor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Tykocinski is the dean of the universitys Sidney Kimmel Medical College, one of the oldest in the nation. He has been in that role since 2008. Tykocinski is also the provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at the university. Before working at Thomas Jefferson University, Tykocinski spent a decade as a professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests have been in the fields of cellular and molecular immunology, cell surface engineering and biologics innovation.

Tykocinski has contributed to the development of novel cell therapy strategies and the engineering of a novel class of mammalian gene expression vectors that have been distributed around the world. He holds research patents in the fields of molecular and cellular immunology, and is a fellow with the National Academy of Inventors. He received degrees from Yale and New York universities.

The college that Tykocinski oversees is closely linked to W&J. The Class of 2020 at W&J includes the first students to receive degrees after completing a year of study at the medical school. This is happening thanks to a partnership W&J struck up with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College that allows W&J students with majors outside the natural sciences to start studying at Sidney Kimmel after their junior year at W&J. Thomas Jefferson University started the partnership as part of the universitys efforts to bring more liberal arts students into their medical college.

W&J had hoped to hold an in-person commencement ceremony Saturday, but changed it to an online event due to rising COVID-19 numbers in the region. The college is hoping to hold an in-person reunion for members of the Class of 2020 at some point, perhaps as soon as next year.

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Thomas Jefferson University doctor to be honored at W&J commencement - Observer-Reporter

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