Sharing stories from his life as illustrations, Mr. Bergman imparted 10 lessons with the Meharry medical and dental graduates. Thinking big, showing up, remembering that it is all about people, recognizing the importance of family and friends, and learning from failure were among Mr. Bergman’s earliest learnings from his years growing up in the South End neighborhood of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
“The process of overcoming our individual challenges is what made us what we are today,” said Mr. Bergman to the graduates. “Each of us was at one time a clay pot that has been made stronger, more useful, and more beautiful by undergoing the heat of the kiln.”
Also addressing leadership, Mr. Bergman stressed the importance of developing the skills of persuasion, engaging everyone in a shared mission, and finding caring mentors and being a mentor to others. Noting that “doing well by doing good” really works, he underscored the multi-faceted value of giving back to society and encouraged the class to focus on increasing access to health care, promoting collaborative care between all medical and dental disciplines, providing compassionate care to patients, and providing cultural competency in an increasingly diverse society. Last but not least, Mr. Bergman encouraged the graduating class to enjoy the journey of life, make time for family and friends, and to have fun along the way.
About Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College founded in 1876, is the nation’s largest private, independent historically black academic health sciences center dedicated solely to educating minority and other health professionals. True to its heritage, it is a United Methodist Church related institution. The College is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; emerging preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation’s health professions workforce. Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s ranking of institutions annually lists Meharry as a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences. Visit www.mmc.edu to learn more.
About Henry Schein, Inc.
Henry Schein, Inc. is a solutions company for health care professionals powered by a network of people and technology. With more than 19,000 Team Schein Members worldwide, the Company's network of trusted advisors provides more than 1 million customers globally with more than 300 valued solutions that improve operational success and clinical outcomes. Our Business, Clinical, Technology, and Supply Chain solutions help office-based dental and medical practitioners work more efficiently so they can provide quality care more effectively. These solutions also support dental laboratories, government and institutional health care clinics, as well as other alternate care sites.
Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 120,000 branded products and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 180,000 additional products available as special-order items.
A FORTUNE 500 Company and a member of the S&P 500® and the Nasdaq 100® indexes, Henry Schein is headquartered in Melville, N.Y., and has operations or affiliates in 31 countries. The Company's sales from continuing operations reached $9.4 billion in 2018 and have grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 13 percent since Henry Schein became a public company in 1995.
For more information, visit Henry Schein at www.henryschein.com, Facebook.com/HenrySchein, and @HenrySchein on Twitter.
