Proudly continuing a traditional rite of passage to becoming a physician, first-year College of Medicine students and their guests gathered in the NEW Center Ballroom Friday, July 23, for the ceremonial donning of white coats.
President Langell and College of Medicine Dean Elisabeth Young, M.D. (’85), welcomed the audience before Dr. Young offered some valuable and timely advice to the Class of 2025: Adaptability is absolutely crucial for physicians.
“My advice is simple: Look up and say yes!” said Dr. Young.
“Opening your mind and heart to the opportunities before and taking a chance with a resounding ‘Yes!’ will undoubtedly enrich both your school and your life experience. You will have opportunities for research, leadership, teaching, mentoring and innovation that each transcend the classroom of your structured existence as a medical student. With each ‘yes’ opportunity comes a relationship – the kind that can be lifelong and deeply meaningful,” Dr. Young added.
As each member of the Class of 2025’s name was called, the students strode across the stage to have their white coats placed on them for the first time by second-year medicine students, who had been selected by their peers to serve as “coaters.”
Eager to begin their journey at NEOMED, students flashed bright smiles as they received their coats in front of their loved ones.
Physicians in the audience joined the members of the Class of 2025 to read aloud the Oath of Professional Commitment – an oath the students will adhere to throughout their careers as physicians.
“As members of this profession, I urge you to honor this commitment to your patients, their families, and their communities,” said Eugene Mowad, M.D., senior associate dean in the College of Medicine, in his closing remarks. “Listen well, understand your patient as a person not a disease, and be mindful of each patient’s dignity and privacy while acknowledging their fears and their aspirations.”
Marking another tradition at the ceremony, Dr. Young presented the Dean’s Leadership Award to June Yun, Ph.D., associate professor of integrative medical sciences. Dr. Yun has been instrumental in the transformation of our pre-clinical curriculum delivery into an integrated, systems-based active learning experience – always advocating for the success of our students as her focus and priority,” said Dr. Young.
NEOMED’s main website crashed at the start of the White Coat Ceremony due to the number of people accessing it, causing the livestream to be unavailable. The full video of the ceremony is now available at White Coat 2021.
There are some sound issues with the current video, so look for an update in The Pulse and on social media for a new link with improved audio at a later time.