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Incoming students to the UCI School of Medicine received their white coats on Aug. 9. This marked the beginning of their medical school journey during the White Coat Ceremony at Cheng Hall in the Barclay Theater.
The class of 2028, consisting of 114 students, gathered with friends, family and loved ones while UCI School of Medicine faculty and student leadership facilitated the ceremony.
Dr. Megan Boysen Osborn, senior associate dean for students, began the event by congratulating the incoming class and their loved ones, noting that fewer than 2% of applicants were admitted to the medical school. Osborn also thanked alumni and donors for their support and recognized the UCI School of Medicine Class of 1968, who gifted the white coats to incoming students.
Osborn then welcomed the school’s vice dean for medical education, Dr. Khanh-Van Le-Bucklin, who introduced the 11 faculty and student leaders of the medical school on the stage.
UCI School of Medicine Dean Michael Stamos explained the history and significance of the white coat for those in medical professions. In his speech, Stamos described how the white coat became commonplace thanks to the work of 19th-century surgeon and antiseptics pioneer Dr. Joseph Lister. Over time, the white coat became a symbol of the “pureness of medicine” and a medical professional’s “compassion and honor.” According to Stamos, the coat also represents the primacy of patient care, patient autonomy, empowerment and social justice.
“You will continue, as my generation and those before us have, to treat patients with compassion and care, putting their interests ahead of your own when necessary,” Stamos said in his speech to students. “However, you will also help guide us in the new generation of healthcare and the achievement of a society where healthcare is perceived as a right, available to all.
Stamos also spoke on advancements in medicine, noting the new UCI Health hospital facility, expected to open in 2025 as the first all-electric hospital. Stamos then announced that each incoming student will be given a Butterfly Ultrasound, a handheld machine used to assess patients.
“You are here, and you are the future. Embrace it and go forth with enthusiasm and passion,” Stamos said.
Keynote speaker and UCI School of Medicine assistant clinical professor, Dr. Sara Stern-Nezer, encouraged students to embrace the change that comes with entering the field of medicine.
“What was not obvious was that this journey would make me a better friend, a better child, a better partner, a better mother and even a kinder stranger … You will get to see a side of humanity that most people do not have the privilege to see,” Stern-Nezer said in her speech.
Osborn read the names of the incoming students as Stamos coated them individually. After receiving their coats, students received a pin from Gold Humanism Honor Society representatives Zariyah Mohammed and Trinidad Alcala-Arcos. Students walked across the stage and received their white coats to cheers and applause from the audience.
Le-Bucklin then led students to recite the Medical Student Oath, affirming their dedication to the medical profession and “the service of humanity” in a version of the Hippocratic Oath.
The ceremony concluded with remarks from the co-president of the Associated Medical Student Government, Cassandra Smith, and co-president of the Medical Students 4 Class, Christine Louis. Smith and Louis welcomed the incoming students and offered advice for the next four years of medical school.
“You may have some of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of your life here, but through it all, remember to hold on to the reason you decided to be a doctor,” Smith said.
Louis added, “You are all meant to be here, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Incoming medical student Areen Andreasian described the environment at the ceremony as having “contagious joy.” Andreasian, who is originally from Tehran, Iran and is of Armenian background, spoke about his motivations for pursuing the medical profession — “the most intimate profession” to him.
“My grandmother has always been a pillar in my life, so trying to make her proud, and trying to care for her, and also trying to extend that to everybody else — that’s really the goal for me,” Andreasian told New University.
UCLA graduate Natanya Gunn, originally from Fresno, Calif., explained the significance of receiving the coat as an incoming medical student.
“For me, [the white coat symbolizes] a lot of hard work and also a promise to myself and my patients to do the best that I can in terms of caring for them,” Gunn told New University.
Editors note: corrections made for accuracy
Inga Chilingaryan is a News Intern for the summer 2024 quarter. She can be reached at chilingi@uci.edu.
Beatrice Lee is a 2024-2025 Assistant News Editor. She can be reached at beatrirl@uci.edu.
Edited by Jaheem Conley
