White Coat Ceremonies Kick off Exciting Year for Newest Medical Students
By Office of The President | Sep 26, 2022
I was honored to welcome the 2022-2023 first-year medical students to one of the most exciting rites of passage in pursuing the noble career of medicine. The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage for medical students and was created by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in 1993. A white coat is placed on each student’s shoulders during the ceremony, and the Hippocratic Oath is often recited, signifying entry to the medical profession.
The White Coat Ceremony holds a different meaning for every new medical student: a commitment to something greater than we are, an obligation to take the best care of each other and our patients, as a symbol of serving humanity, and for many other humane and altruistic reasons.
I had the pleasure of joining Charles Brunicardi, M.D., FACS, Dean of the College of Medicine, Jeffery S. Putman, Ed.D., Academic & Student Affairs Vice President, and I joined nearly 200 new medical students for two ceremonies where we delivered welcome remarks and greetings. The keynote speaker was John Boockvar, M.D., COM Class of 1997 alumni. Dr. Boockvar is also vice chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and director of the Neurosurgery Department’s Brain Tumor Center, the Pituitary/Neuroendocrine Center, and the New York Head and Neck Institute at Lenox Hill and Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat hospitals.
Dr. Boockvar is a professor of neurological surgery and otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
White Coat Ceremony Video | Session I
White Coat Ceremony Video | Session II
Tags: White Coat Ceremony, Ceremony, Education, Awards