In his remarks, Dalrymple likened donning the white coat to the first step in a medical student’s formation of their professional and personal identity as a physician and individual. “We all have intersectional identities we carry,” Dalrymple said. “For me, I can think of: son, husband, uncle, Latino, Roman Catholic, and gay man, gynecologic oncologist, medical educator, just to start. And you all have your own list. And now you get to add another one—physician. You have what it takes and you are moving closer each day to taking on that identity. And now you get to decide: What kind of doctor do you want to be in that exam room?”
“My challenge to you is to take the time to form and establish who you want to be as a physician in these early days of med school,” he added. “And I’m not referring to the specialty, but to how you show up to care for your patients.”
Having family and friends accompany them on stage to accept the white coat made the ceremony even more meaningful, students said.
“I almost cried,” said Nnenna Obih, “but it was exciting because my family was there to support me, and they were all cheering me on. [The white coat] signifies a lot. It signifies me being the doctor that I’ve always envisioned myself being, even as a little girl. It signifies everybody that I’ll be able to help and serve when I become a doctor. That’s pretty much my promise: to make the world a better place in the way that I can personally touch their lives.”
“I didn’t think I would be this moved by the White Coat Ceremony, but seeing all my friends come in, and everyone’s families, and people’s dreams being realized, it touched a chord,” Sheikh Omar Kunjo said after the event. “I’m definitely very emotional right now.”
During the ceremony, Mohamed “Moe” Aboufares, MBA, CPA, Senior Vice President and Senior Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, presented students with the class of 2028 pin on behalf of Greg Adams, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. Quyen Ngo-Metzger, MD, MPH, Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, introduced faculty members, clerkship directors, and site directors, who presented students with their white coats.
The Physician Oath was introduced by Jonathan A. Finkelstein, MD, MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship, and it was read by Jose M. Barral, MD, PhD, Chair of Biomedical Science; H. Carrie Chen, MD, PhD, Associate Dean for Medical Education Research and Scholarship; Paul J. Chung, MD, MS, Chair of Health Systems Science and Acting Co-Director for Health Equity Research Core; Deepu Gowda, MD, MPH, MS, Assistant Dean for Medical Education; and Carla Lupi, MD, Associate Dean for Assessment and Evaluation.
The Class of 2028 Community Agreement was introduced by Lori Carter-Edwards, PhD, MPH, Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Government Affairs, and it was read by the student editors who oversaw it: Grace D. Achepohl, Jacqueline Joy Masehi-Lano, Bikal R. Sharma, Francesca Dailla Solange Kamwa Dzukou, Maxwell Joseph Probst, and S. Shamtej Singh Rana. The ceremony concluded with a video montage in which members of the Class of 2028 thanked their families and friends for their support.
The white coat ceremony is a traditional event at most U.S. medical schools. It was created by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in 1993. The special event allows future doctors an opportunity to reflect on their fundamental responsibility to heal, protect, and care for their patients.
“It’s a big honor. It felt really good to put on the white coat, especially here at my top choice, Kaiser Permanente,” said Noah Banoub. “This is the end of one journey and the beginning of a new journey, and I’m happy to be here.”
Dean Dalrymple said the White Coat Ceremony is an ideal time for students to pause and celebrate the hard work they’ve done to reach this milestone, “And then to think about the incredible journey that they have before them.”
“Take this moment,” he said. “Honor this moment. Reflect on this. The next four years, and the next several years of your life, is going to be a wonderful journey. It’s going to turn out more beautifully than you ever imagined.”
