Iyad Manaserh believes in destiny.

It was destiny that he got roundly rejected by top medical schools his first time applying. It was destiny when he web-searched the University of Toledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences after hearing the name on Grey’s Anatomy. It was his destiny to apply.

Thank God he watched that episode, he said in the commencement speech he delivered Friday to an auditorium full of family, faculty, and graduates — “or God only knows where I’d be now.”

Two hundred degrees were conferred at the graduation held in the Stranahan Theater, including 161 doctor of medicine degrees, nine doctor of philosophy degrees, 25 master’s degrees, and five other graduate degrees. The college’s recent graduates will head to postdoctoral programs and residencies in and out of state to begin researching and practicing medicine.

In his welcome address, Dr. Christopher Cooper, dean of the college, praised the graduates for their service and achievements, citing “thousands of hours” of peer tutoring and their class’s “culture of collaboration.” Following tradition, the college’s alumni association gave stethoscopes to graduates receiving medical degrees.

The former Medical College of Ohio invited Dr. Josiah D. Rich, a professor at Brown University’s medical school whose recent work focuses on addiction and incarceration, to the stage to deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary degree. Dr. Rich called on the young doctors to be both “advocates and activists,” describing — in hopeful and ominous tones — the opioid crisis they have inherited.

Mr. Manaserh, who received his doctorate but not a medical degree, took a lighter tack. He recalled his path from Palestine, his home, to Toledo.

Growing up, he had two struggles, he joked — the Israeli occupation and parents.

“I had three choices: doctor, engineer, or you have no choice but doctor or engineer,” he said with a smile.

Two grandparents dying of cancer convinced him to pursue a doctorate in philosophy in biomedical science and ultimately a career in research. 

“My parents put aside their dream so I could pursue mine,” he said.

Gratitude toward family was a common theme. Many graduates chose relatives with doctoral degrees — including law degrees, medical degrees, and PhDs — to perform the ceremonial hooding instead of faculty members. One graduate said 17 of his relatives were in attendance.

Dr. Swetha Singh of Columbus said being a doctor is “the only job she could see herself doing.” Her father, also a doctor, shared in her success.

“It’s as much an achievement for him as it is for me,” she said.

The number of relatives in robes showed that medicine — like the military — tends to run in families. Dr. Nathan Mercer has inherited both.

The only graduate to swear the oath of office and the Hippocratic oath, Dr. Mercer of Peninsula, Ohio will join the Army in Washington state as a doctor at Madigan Army Medical Center, where he was born and where his mother once worked as an Army nurse. 

Dr. Mercer said the military’s scholarship for medical professionals allowed him to pursue his degree and jibed well with his upbringing. 

“It was the perfect fit for me, being from a military family,” he said. 

Like many of the graduates, Dr. Mercer hopes to use his degree to contribute to his community and cited service as a major reason for his career choice. 

“I felt it was my duty to give back and do my part,” he said.

Contact Lily Moore-Eissenberg at lillianme@theblade.com, 419-724-6368, or on Twitter @LilyM_E

First Published May 26, 2018, 4:18 a.m.