The School of Medicine’s Class of 2030 took part in the school’s annual White Coat Ceremony Friday. The ceremony is a longstanding tradition in medical schools across the country in which incoming first-year medical students receive their first white coat as they enter the medical profession, signifying their dedication to the profession and patient care.
Barry Collins, associate dean for alumni affairs at the School of Medicine and executive director for the Medical Alumni Association and Medical School Foundation, opened the ceremony by conveying the importance of the white coat as a symbol and discussing the history of the ceremony both at the University and across the country. This year’s White Coat Ceremony was held in Old Cabell Hall and is traditionally attended by students and their families.
Collins began his remarks by discussing Dr. Robley Dunglison, a physician from England, and the University’s first professor of medicine. Dunglison helped establish a classroom-based medical school curriculum, emphasizing scientific study rather than the apprenticeship model that instead focused exclusively on on-the-job training under the supervision of another physician…