Shared graduation ceremony: MHB bids farewell to 64 graduates

Neuruppin, 17 January 2026

The Neuruppiner Kulturkirche was the venue for the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane (MHB) to bid farewell to its graduates on Saturday, 17 January 2026. A total of 64 students completed their studies with success this year, among them 25 physicians, 26 Bachelors in Psychology and 13 graduates of the Master program in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. Nearly all of them were present to celebrate together with family, friends and MHB teachers and staff.

This was the second joint ceremony for graduates of all programs – a young tradition which reflects the special spirit of this university, so MHB president Prof. Dr. Hans-Uwe Simon in his welcome address. He underlined the culture of cohesion: “Major developments are not initiated in isolation but via exchange, collaboration and joint pursuit of excellent education, progress and provision.”

The Kulturkirche is a symbolic site; this is where this year’s graduates had been welcomed as new students. Prof. Simon found words of praise for their dedication, imagination and persistence and their impact on the university to which they would stay connected through the alumni network.

In particular, he mentioned the sixth cohort of medical students and their performance during years of intensive training, clinical assignments, electives and exams. He spoke of manifold challenges which contributed to forming the well-trained and mature graduates of this class.

Praise also went to the eleventh class of Bachelors in Psychology and the tenth class of Masters in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. They addressed the complex facets of human experience with scientific precision and empathy, in preparation for the responsible undertaking of guiding individuals through crises and mental upheavals.

All graduates of medicine and psychology, so Prof. Simon, are now faced with the task of assuming responsibility for the health and well-being of other people, in clinical settings, in medical practice, in research and society: “You have made a conscious decision for this dedication, and that is what makes this moment so special.”

In conclusion he gave thanks to families, friends and instructors for accompanying the graduates up to that point. He encouraged all graduates to remain upright, curious and considerate, and wished them all the best for their future.

Prof. Andreas Winkelmann, MHB professor of anatomy and director of the Institute of Anatomy, gave insights into his own time as a student and recommended keeping up friendships with fellow students. Psychology graduate Sebastian Bayer described funny, exciting and happy moments in his review of the past few years at the MHB. He was pleased to have learned much about communication skills in protected settings and also about “how to remain silent and listen. We have learned much about ourselves.”

The time at the MHB started for Joy Siegel with the ceremony at the Kulturkirche on 4 October 2019. She has kept the bunch of flowers her parents gave her on that occasion. She says it stands for the fellow students of her class – highly diverse but still closely connected. “We studied, laughed, argued and partied together, and we matured by common experience.” Looking back, she particularly mentioned the Corona pandemic and the difficulties involved: obligatory masks, Corona tests and video lectures.

Graduates then received their certificates from Cornelia Gammelin, active at the student service counter until autumn 2025, and Prof. Johannes Lindenmeyer (psychology and psychotherapy) and Prof. Andreas Winkelmann (medicine). Special acclaim for top grades in their class went to Nadine Bessel (Psychology B. Sc.), Franziska Weißenstein (Psychotherapy M. Sc.) and three medical students, Lena Gerlach, Philipp Weber and Julian Bredehorst. Their awards were endowed with € 200 respectively and handed over by Mario Zehle from the board of the regional savings bank. Josephine Steinborn received the award for outstanding commitment from Dr. Eric Hoffmann, head of communications and university spokesman. In his laudation he described her initiative in creating an innovative tutorial called “First Aid” in support of beginners in programs of medicine and dental medicine, and in starting several typification campaigns which recruited new bone marrow donors.

The event, again presented by Tina Knop, concluded with much applause, music (the Berlin Jazz Ensemble grouped around Prof. Johannes Albes) and many personal encounters, as a further milestone and shared experience for the MHB and its graduates.