Gladstone Scientist Received Honorary Doctoral Degree from Drexel University

On June 11, Warner Greene, MD, PhD, received an honorary doctoral degree from Drexel University. Drexel grants these degrees to recipients who embody the values that they seek to instill in their students. They selected Dr. Greene for his ability to inspire their graduate students to strive for excellence, continually seek new knowledge, and commit their time and expertise to providing meaningful service to society.

In their invitation, Drexel recognized Dr. Greene as one of the 100 most-cited scientists in the world, with more than 366 publications, and as an ardent leader in the struggle to understand and control AIDS. They also highlighted his commitment to fighting infectious diseases as the executive chair of the Accordia Global Health Foundation, which is devoted to building healthcare capacity and strengthening academic medical institutions in Africa. They also acknowledged his recent membership into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Drexel presented Dr. Greene with the degree during their 128th commencement ceremony for doctoral recipients. Dr. Greene then briefly addressed the graduate students and their families with his five key lessons to professional and personal success.

“Be Present. It is critically important to be present and in the moment—to feel every curve and bump as you travel your chosen road of life…. Be present, make every day count, feel all of life’s bumps and curves and you will have a life of riches and rewards beyond your dreams….

“Be Prepared to Reinvent Yourself. In the modern world, we live steeped with innovation and constantly changing technological landscapes. I predict that each of you will need to reinvent yourself at least three times in your life. I am not talking about small changes; I am talking about seismic shifts. You need to be ready and able to embrace and take charge of these changes in your life….

“Be a bridge builder, not a bridge burner. Never ever underestimate the importance of human relations. Make sure your friendships are long lasting and your interactions positive…. I urge you to treasure your friends and colleagues and not to let those relationships fade to nothingness as your life moves in a different direction. I can guarantee you that your life will be shaped in unanticipated and important ways, either for the better or the worse, by individuals you have met, interacted with, and mistakenly thought you had left behind.

“Be willing to ‘pay it forward.’ It might surprise you to know that I have 116 great-great grandchildren. These are not biological grandchildren, but rather scientific grandchildren. I realized long ago that my postdocs and graduate students collectively would accomplish far more in science than I could ever achieve by myself. If I could train them well, they could train the next generation equally well, and an exponential benefit to science would result. This is one way I am trying to pay it forward in my professional life….

“Be committed to excellence in everything you do…. Over time, this quality will define your effectiveness and the way you are viewed more than any other single attribute…. You will find it easy, on occasion, to put in a 50% effort on a project, or to let your best effort simply slip down a rung or two. However, you will be cheating yourself and all those around you if you do not deliver your best effort every time out of the gate. This type of commitment to excellence defines the most successful among us.”

Since it was established in 1891, Drexel has evolved into one of the top 100 universities in the nation and one of America’s 15 largest private universities. It has built its global reputation on core achievements, including leadership in experiential learning, a history of firsts in academic technology, and recognition as a model of best practices in translational, use-inspired research.

Watch Dr. Greene's full speech here.