Symbolism & Promise: More than 200 College of Medicine Students Don the White Coat

By Office of the President | Oct 17, 2023

More than 200 students from the Class of 2027 excitedly joined family, friends, faculty, and fellow students for the 29th annual White Coat Ceremony, celebrating this significant rite of passage for aspiring physicians. The ceremony represents and reinforces humanism, professionalism, and the profound responsibility students in our first-year class are about to undertake as committed and dedicated servants in the noble healthcare field. The White Coat symbolizes entry into medicine and is a defining moment for first-year medical students.

In 1993, Dr. Arnold P. Gold created the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and established the White Coat Ceremony at Columbia University to mark the significance of dedication to professionalism and humanity in healthcare. In 1994, Dr. Gold invited SUNY Downstate to participate as a founding member among four other campuses, launching what would become a national rite of passage for medical students. Today, I proudly serve as an Arnold P. Gold Foundation board member.

I had the pleasure of leading the students in the “Oath for Teachers and Learners at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University,” a pledge to the lifelong journey of learning and the dedication required to serve as healers and educators in medicine. Our White Coat recipients left the ceremony with a profound sense of purpose, ready to embrace the weight of responsibility, earn their future patients’ trust, and make their contributions to medicine.

This year, we are proud to salute the generosity of the COM Alumni Association for the 82 alums and leaders who donated white coats to first-year students, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the Downstate family and the legacy of support for the next generation of healthcare leaders.

Congratulations to the Class of 2027 and Downstate leadership, including Jeffrey S. Putman, Ed.D., Academic & Student Affairs vice president, who hosted this year’s ceremony; College of Medicine dean F. Charles Brunicardi, M.D., FACS, who welcomed the students, and UHD chief executive officer David H. Berger, M.D., MHCM, FACS, and COM 94 graduate, who delivered keynote remarks.

View this year’s video here and the pictures here.

Tags: White Coat Ceremony