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Dr. Jon Santiago, an emergency management physician whose career spans public service, healthcare, and the military, will serve as Commencement Speaker at Curry College’s 2026 Commencement on May 17 on the Curry College campus in Milton, Mass. Dr. Santiago will also receive an honorary degree. Other honorary degree recipients include Lily Hsu, President of Labouré College of Healthcare.
Dr. Santiago was appointed as Massachusetts’ first Cabinet-level Secretary of Veterans Services. He built the agency from the ground up—establishing core HR, IT, finance, and legal functions—and transformed an underperforming operation into a high-performing leader in veteran services. Today, the Secretariat is delivering proven outcomes, from modernizing two state veterans’ homes and securing $500M for a new state-of-the-art facility, to passing the most comprehensive veterans’ legislation in state history and launching a historic $20M campaign to end veteran homelessness.
Dr. Santiago also served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he brought his clinical and public health expertise to policymaking. He authored 53 bills, several enacted into law, on healthcare access, pharmaceutical affordability, voting rights, and economic justice. He secured more than $15.5M in targeted funding and played a leadership role in advancing health policy as an active member of the COVID-19 response, healthcare financing, and public health committees. He was a frequent public voice on health equity and systemic reform, publishing multiple op-eds in The Boston Globe and other outlets.
Alongside his public service, Dr. Santiago is a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Boston Medical Center, where he provides high-acuity care to a diverse and often underserved patient population. His work in emergency care has informed his leadership in high-pressure, mission-driven environments.
He served as a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps, deploying twice to Syria and Kuwait and earning multiple awards for his military service, including recognition for providing life-saving combat care.
Dr. Santiago is a Fulbright Scholar and former Peace Corps Volunteer who speaks English, Spanish, and French. He holds an MD from Yale University School of Medicine, an MPH from the University of Washington, and a BA from the University of Texas at Austin.