Dr. Who Inspired Will Smith Film Speaks At UC Davis Commencement

DAVIS, CA -- The doctor who inspired the Hollywood movie Concussion will be among the guest speakers at the spring commencements of the University of California, Davis, this week through June 16.

Bennet Omalu, the forensic pathologist and neuropathologist who discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in deceased athletes and military veterans, will speak at the Graduate Studies commencement at 3 p.m. Thursday, June 13, at The Pavilion at the Activities and Recreation Center.

Other guest speakers include Judge Troy L. Nunley of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Sacramento, who speaks May 18; Sharon Stevenson, president of patient advocacy company Bellwether Care Inc. and managing director of Okapi Venture Capital, Laguna Beach, who's scheduled for May 24.

Also, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, chancellor, California Community Colleges, is set for June 12; and Brian Underwood, co-founder of the company that developed the technology underlying high-definition video devices (HDMI) and digital visual interface (DVI), June 14.

Omalu, a clinical professor and associate clinical physician in the UC Davis Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has been honored by the American Medical Association and the U.S. Sports Academy. Concussion chronicles his discovery of CTE and the opposition he faced from the National Football League as he shared his concerns about the links between football and traumatic brain injury.

Nunley, who was appointed to the federal bench in 2013 after serving on the Sacramento Superior Court bench for 11 years, will deliver the commencement address at the School of Law ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. A professor at Lincoln Law School in Sacramento, Nunley has been recognized for his contributions to the community in the area of juvenile justice.

Stevenson, who earned a doctorate in comparative pathology from UC Davis in 1985, will speak at the School of Veterinary Medicine commencement at 3:30 p.m. Friday, May 24, at the Mondavi Center. She founded Bellwether Care to help patients, caregivers and families navigate the health care system and medical decisions. She also founded Okapi Venture Capital and guides its life sciences investments.

Oakley, who has served as chancellor of the 115-institution community college system for more than two years and is a member of the UC Board of Regents, will speak at the School of Education graduation celebration at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at the Mondavi Center.

Underwood, who earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from UC Davis in 1991, will return to speak at the College of Engineering commencement at 2 p.m. Friday, June 14, in The Pavilion. He owns and manages Whaleback SBG, which invests in high-tech startups, real estate and agricultural development. His entrepreneurial career includes co-founding Silicon Image Inc., the company with the technology behind HDMI and DVI; co-founding an internet travel search engine acquired by Kayak; and helping grow a speaker phone software startup acquired by Cisco Systems.