The First Coat, the First Promise

By Office of the President | Sep 8, 2026

There is something deeply moving about watching students receive their first white coats. Before their families, friends, faculty, and University leaders, members of the College of Medicine Class of 2030 stepped forward to be coated by faculty and recite the Oath for Teachers and Learners. Their coats, generously sponsored by Downstate alumni, connected our newest students with the physicians who came before them.

Putting on my own white coat still feels special. It reminds me of the privilege of caring for people throughout their lives. For our students, the coat marks the responsibility to earn each patient’s trust through knowledge, humility, compassion, and respect.

We welcomed Akeem Marsh, M.D., DFAACAP (COM ’09), back to Downstate as our keynote speaker. As a student, Dr. Marsh served as Co-President of the Daniel Hale Williams Society, was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society, and received the Jennifer Timbrook Memorial Award for his service to fellow students.

Dr. Marsh found his calling in psychiatry during his clinical training in the G Building at Kings County Hospital. Today, he is a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist, educator, author, and advocate. He returned to the place where his career began to welcome those now starting their own.

Kathleen Reeves, M.D., FAAP, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, also joined us. My relationship with the Foundation is personal. I knew Arnold and Sandra Gold and sat at their kitchen table as they spoke about their concern that medicine could lose its human connection. I now have the honor of serving as a Trustee and Secretary of the Board, helping to carry their vision forward.

Downstate was among the first medical schools to adopt the White Coat Ceremony in 1994. We later extended the tradition to students in Nursing, Physician Assistant, and Physical Therapy programs.

I thank the College of Medicine Alumni Association and the alumni who sponsored the coats; Jeffrey S. Putman, Ed.D., Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs; F. Charles Brunicardi, M.D., FACS, Dean of the College of Medicine; the faculty who presented the coats; and everyone who organized the ceremony. I also thank the families and friends whose support helped our students reach this day.

To the Class of 2030: Wear your coats with pride and humility. Remember the people who helped you reach this moment and the patients and communities you will serve.

Watch the 32nd Annual White Coat Ceremony

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•