Ariana Thompson-Lastad ‘03 Announced as 2024 Commencement Speaker

Dr. Thompson-Lastad (née Jostad-Laswell), who graduated from High Mowing School in 2003, conducts research on the role of integrative healthcare in advancing health equity at University of California San Francisco. According to Dr. Thompson-Lastad, "This means working together with many other people to make integrative therapies like acupuncture and midwifery care more widely accessible, particularly to people insured through Medicaid in the United States."

Dr. Thompson-Lastad received her PhD in medical sociology at University of California, San Francisco in 2018, and is a faculty member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine as well as the Osher Center for Integrative Health. She collaborates with healthcare workers and researchers around the country as a board member of Integrative Medicine for the Underserved and the Structural Competency Working Group.

Dr. Thompson-Lastad resides in Berkeley, CA, where she is the mother of two children, ages 9 and 6.

"We are very much looking forward to welcoming Dr. Thompson-Lastad back to High Mowing School," says HMS Dean of Community Cary Hughes, who worked with Dr. Thompson-Lastad when she was a student participating in HMS Model UN. "Her work epitomizes one of the core values of our education: serve those who are underserved in ways that have a real impact on their quality of life."

"I'm grateful to Dr. Thompson-Lastad for speaking during commencement and for her work to bring equity of care to all," says Head of School Katherine C. Meyer, class of 1990. "Having come to know our 44 graduates during their time on the hill, I believe the echoes of Waldorf values in Dr. Thompson-Lastad's work are a fitting reminder of the positive impact the class of 2024 can have as they seek out their place in the world."

HMS celebrates the class of 2024 at 11 a.m. on June 8 on the high school campus. The commencement ceremony is open to the community and a video will be available on our website later that day.