31st Annual
White Coat Ceremony

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
College of Medicine

Celebrating the Class of 2029

Friday, September 12, 2025
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 2029 | 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

Shari Andrews, M.D.
College of Medicine, Class of 2010
Emergency Medicine Physician, Author, Coach

PRESENTING OF THE CLASS OF 2029

FACULTY MARSHALS

Riccardo Bianchi, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Foundations

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

Elka Jacobson-Dickman, M.D.
Associate Dean for Clinical Medicine

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

Antonia Quinn, D.O.
Associate Dean for Clinical Skills

NAME READER

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

COATING OF STUDENTS

Christina Guillen, MD, FAAP
Interim Chair of Pediatrics and
Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Michael Reinhardt, MD
Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

CLASS OF 2029 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 2029 | 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 2029 | Speaker Biography | Acknowledgements

Class of 2029

Order of Exercises | Oath | Class of 2029 | Speaker Biography | Acknowledgements

Speaker Biography

Shari Andrews, M.D.

College of Medicine, Class of 2010
Emergency Medicine Physician, Author, Coach

Dr. Shari Andrews, MD is a board-certified emergency medicine physician, Amazon bestselling author, wellness coach, and proud alumna of SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Class of 2010. She served as President of the Medical Board at Northwell Glen Cove Hospital from 2023 to 2025 and was named Physician of the Year in both 2019 and 2025.

Dr. Andrews is the author of Find Your Pulse: Thriving in Career, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery, a memoir-meets-motivation book that explores how to balance high-stakes careers with personal identity, while overcoming societal pressure. Her work inspires empowerment, resilience, and lasting change.

She is the founder of Peak Pulse, a coaching platform for busy professionals and single moms prioritizing mind-body wellness without losing momentum; Teeny Dose, a blog making real-world healthcare more digestible; and Statement Piece NY, a fashion boutique turned content studio rooted in bold self-expression.

Featured by The Tamron Hall Show, Dr. Oz, New York Weekly, AARP Magazine, and more, Dr. Andrews is known for her authenticity, relatability, and her signature Triage Framework, equipping high achievers with tools to balance, breathe, and thrive. Her mission is simple: to help others reset, realign, and find their rhythm one pulse check at a time.

Order of Exercises | Oath | Class of 2029 | 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 2029 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. List complete as of September 1, 2025

Order of Exercises | Oath | Class of 2029 | Speaker Biography | Acknowledgements

Congratulations to the Class of 2029!