Physician, Author and Health Equity Leader to Address Class of 2026
George Rust, MD, MPH, FAAFP, FACPM, author of “Healing in a Changing America: Doctoring in a Nation of Needless Suffering,” will deliver the keynote address at Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences’ 2026 Commencement ceremony in May.
Rust serves as co-director of the Center for Medicine and Public Health Policy and Practice and as a professor in the behavioral sciences and social medicine department at Florida State University College of Medicine. His distinguished career spans clinical medicine, academic leadership, community health and national health policy, with a sustained focus on improving access to care and advancing health equity for underserved populations from inner-city Chicago to the small-town rural South.
A physician-teacher-scholar-author who has spent his career at the intersection of race, health and poverty, Rust has consistently worked in settings where he could make a difference. His book, released in 2025, chronicles the stories of lessons learned, mistakes made and skills acquired during his journey in medicine and public health.
“We are honored to welcome Dr. Rust as our 2026 Commencement speaker,” says Angela L. Walker Franklin, PhD, president and CEO of DMU. “His commitment to primary care, community health and justice in health care reflects the core values we strive to instill in every DMU graduate. His message will inspire our students as they begin their careers serving patients and communities across the country.”
Rust is board-certified in both family medicine and public health/preventive medicine. Throughout his career, he has held numerous leadership positions, including serving as founding director of the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine and as senior scientific advisor to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and has received local, state and national recognition for teaching service and contributions to health equity.
DMU’s 126th Commencement ceremony will take place Friday, May 29, at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Stephen Richards, DO, will serve as grand marshal for the ceremony. Richards is a 1974 graduate of the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program at DMU who practiced family medicine for 32 years in north-central Iowa.
The event will celebrate the achievements of graduates from the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery and the College of Health Sciences, welcoming them into the larger health care workforce.