32nd Annual
White Coat Ceremony

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
College of Medicine

Celebrating the Class of 2030

Friday, August 28, 2026
1:00 & 3:00 pm

Sponsored by the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine Alumni Association, the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine Office of the Dean and the SUNY Downstate Division of Student Affairs 

Order of Exercises | Oath | Class of 2030 | Speaker Biography | Acknowledgements

Order of Exercises

INTRODUCTION

Jeffrey S. Putman, Ed.D.
Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

GREETINGS

Wayne J. Riley, M.D., MPH, MBA, MACP
President

F. Charles Brunicardi, M.D., FACS
Senior Vice President & Dean of the College of Medicine

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Akeem Marsh, M.D., DFAACAP
College of Medicine, Class of 2009
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Educator, Author, and Advocate

PRESENTING OF THE CLASS OF 2030

FACULTY MARSHALS

Riccardo Bianchi, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Foundations

Carla Boutin-Foster, M.D., MSc
Associate Dean for Diversity Education and Research

Jason Lazar, M.D., Ph.D., MPH
Executive Vice Dean, College of Medicine

NAME READER

Christopher A. J. Roman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair of Cell
Biology, College of Medicine

COATING OF STUDENTS

Temitope Jose, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Director of Pediatric Clerkship

Carla Liberatore, M.D., FACOG
Visiting Associate Professor, Vice Chair, & Director of Gynecology
Assistant Dean of Wellness and Wellbeing
Clinical Advisory Dean

CLASS OF 2030 ORIENTATION VIDEO

OATH FOR TEACHERS AND LEARNERS AT SUNY DOWNSTATE HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY

Wayne J. Riley, M.D., MPH, MBA, MACP
President

Order of Exercises | Oath | Class of 2030 | Speaker Biography | Acknowledgements

Oath for Teachers and Learners at Suny Downstate Health Sciences University

FACULTY & STUDENTS

"We pledge to serve our patients, their families, our community and each other, with respect, integrity, competence, compassion, humility, and humanity. We hold as our ideal the care and treatment of all of our patients. From them we will learn. We hold as our ideal the advancement of knowledge. Through it disease will be understood, prevented and cured. We hold as our ideal open-minded collaboration. To this we are collectively committed. We hold as our ideal critical self-evaluation. Through this we will grow."

FACULTY

"We, your faculty, promise to serve as worthy role models, as our own teachers have before us."

STUDENTS

"We, your students, recognize the expertise and commitment of those from whom we learn."

FACULTY

"We promise to support your personal and professional growth, in the clinic, in the laboratory, in the community, and in your own teaching."

STUDENTS

"We promise to pursue responsibly in our calling to patient care, to service, and to research."

FACULTY

"We promise to maintain an environment where scientific integrity and ethical standards sustain your trust in us."

STUDENTS

"We commit ourselves to the highest standards of academic honesty, scientific integrity and ethical practice as both students and in our professional lives."

FACULTY & STUDENTS

"We honor and embrace the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University College of Medicine history of and commitment to service to the people of the Borough of Brooklyn, the City of New York, our nation and the global community. We support its rich tradition of teaching and research excellence. We accept the challenges and opportunities of those alumni whom we follow. We humbly commit to serve humanity—caring for the sick, promoting good health, and alleviating pain and suffering. We will not permit considerations of race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, nationality, or social standing to influence our duty of care. We solemnly pledge our commitment to this oath and our assistance to others who pledge the same."

Adapted from oaths used at The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the University of San Francisco School of Medicine and the University of Namibia Medical School and modified for SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University College of Medicine.

 

Order of Exercises | Oath | Class of 2030 | Speaker Biography | Acknowledgements

Class of 2030

Order of Exercises | Oath | Class of 2030 | Speaker Biography | Acknowledgements

Speaker Biography

Akeem Marsh, M.D., DFAACAP

College of Medicine, Class of 2009
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Educator, Author, and Advocate

Akeem Marsh, M.D., DFAACAP is a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist, educator, author, and advocate whose work focuses on trauma, disruptive behavior disorders, and the impact of racism and other biases in mental health treatment.

Dr. Marsh is a proud alumnus of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University's College of Medicine. During medical school, he served as Co-President of the Daniel Hale Williams Society, the Downstate chapter of the Student National Medical Association, from 2008–2009. He was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2008 and received the Jennifer Timbrook Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions and Selfless Service to the students of SUNY Downstate College of Medicine at his 2009 graduation.

It was during his clinical experiences in the G Building at Kings County Hospital that Dr. Marsh made the decision to pursue psychiatry as his specialty. His experiences at Downstate and Kings County helped establish the foundation for his enduring commitment to leadership, advocacy, humanism, and service.

Dr. Marsh currently serves as Vice President of the Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection and Medical Director of the Home for Integrated Behavioral Health at The New York Foundling. He is also Clinical Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.

A Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Marsh serves on the boards of the New York Council on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Association of Professionals Solving the Abuse of Children. He co-edited Not Just Bad Kids: The Adversity and Disruptive Behavior Link and has presented nationally and internationally on trauma, child mental health, and behavioral health equity.

Order of Exercises | Oath | Class of 2030 | Speaker Biography | Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the College of Medicine Alumni Association, the Division of Student Affairs, Office of Student Life and the Office of the Dean of the College of Medicine.

White Coat Gold Pins were provided by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

The White Coats for the Class of 2030 have been generously donated by the Alumni Association for the College of Medicine. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the alumni listed below who personally sponsored coats, as well as to the Alumni Association and Fund Board of Trustees and Managers, along with the many alumni, donors, and friends whose generosity makes this tradition possible. The Alumni Association is proud to provide white coats for each incoming class of the College of Medicine. We are deeply grateful to all who sponsor coats and support this cherished tradition year after year, helping us welcome the next generation of Downstate physicians from the very beginning of their medical journey. List complete as of August 17, 2026

Order of Exercises | Oath | Class of 2030 | Speaker Biography | Acknowledgements

Congratulations to the Class of 2030!