On Sunday, August 24, 230 new medical school students at the University of Texas Medical Branch took part in a symbolic ceremony marking a significant step toward becoming a physician.
The white coat ceremony, while relatively new, has become a staple at medical schools across America.
The entering class of 2018 at the UTMB School of Medicine, the state’s first medical school, had their names called, stepped onto the stage at Moody Gardens Convention Center and were helped into a brand-new, physician’s white coat.
“It’s a milestone in a person’s life,” said Dr. Danny O. Jacobs, executive vice president and provost and dean of the School of Medicine. “The ceremony reinforces our students’ connection with the history of medicine, and reflects their commitment to becoming outstanding physicians.
“Sometimes you can see a person’s face change as they put on the coat; a realization that they are on their way toward becoming a doctor,” Jacobs said.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Matt Dacso, a UTMB alum of the class of 2006. Dacso, an assistant professor, is director of UTMB’s Center for Global Health Education. His spoke on “Being humanitas: The key to success, satisfaction and sanity.”
The white coat ceremony as known today got started in 1993 at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. The first white coat ceremony at UTMB was in 1996.