Sarasota, Fla. — New College of Florida Interim President Richard Corcoran is honored to announced that Dr. Scott Atlas will be the commencement speaker for New College’s graduation ceremony on Friday, May 19, 2023, on the Bayfront of the Historic Ringling Mansion.
Scott W. Atlas, MD is the Robert Wesson Senior Fellow in health policy at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and Co‐Founder & Co‐Director of the Global Liberty Institute, among other notable affiliations. The Global Liberty Institute is an independent and non-partisan institute for promoting individual and economic freedom and the free exchange of ideas throughout the world.
Dr. Atlas investigates the impact of government and the private sector on access, quality, and pricing in health care, global trends in health care innovation, and key economic and civil liberty issues related to health policy. He is a frequent policy advisor to policymakers and government officials in the United States and in other countries. He has served as Senior Advisor for Health Care to numerous candidates for President and members of the U.S. Congress, and advised key federal health agencies. From August through November, 2020, he served as Special Advisor to the President and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Before his policy appointment at Hoover Institution, he was Professor and Chief of Neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center for 14 years and in academic medicine for 25 years. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 200 policy pieces, and numerous books. He has received many awards in recognition of his leadership in policy and medicine, including the 2022 Encounter Prize for Advancing American Ideals; the 2021 Freedom Leadership Award, Hillsdale College’s highest honor; and the 2011 Alumni Achievement Award, the highest career achievement honor for a distinguished alumnus from the University of Illinois in Urbana‐Champaign. Dr. Atlas received his MD degree from the University of Chicago School of Medicine.
“Dr. Atlas’ perspective and resume are impressive; he is a champion and fighter for free speech and a renowned national leader,” said Interim President Corcoran. “We are happy to welcome him here at New College, where we place a high value on personal freedom and individual autonomy, as Dr. Atlas does.” “Dr. Atlas is a noted commencement speaker and comes at such a pivotal time for New College,” continued Interim President Corcoran. “But that is not only what led me to asking him to speak to our graduates. Dr. Atlas is a first-generation college student in his family, he knows the value of hard work and what a path to higher education can lead to in one’s future. He has spoken about being bold and rising up over challenges, even amongst criticism. That spoke to me as we seek to stand up for the future of New College, our students and faculty – and now our graduates. I am proud and honored that he has accepted our invitation to speak.”