GALVESTON, Texas - It’s a symbolic gesture. Students walk up on a stage and are helped into a doctor’s white coat. But for the 230 students who will take to the stage at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, the white coat ceremony marks the beginning of their medical careers.
At the event, Monday, Aug. 24 at UTMB, medical students will help each member of the incoming School of Medicine class of 2013 put on medical white coats in a rite of passage that symbolizes that students are entering into the medical profession.
“This ceremony marks the beginning of a medical student’s journey to becoming a physician,” said Dr. Garland D. Anderson, executive vice president and provost of UTMB. “This year is particularly meaningful for our students and for the institution, because it marks the fact that UTMB is continuing its mission and, once again, did not stop for any storm. It is a powerful thing to be a part of a place that so many people are so willing to fight so hard for.”
Dr. Lauree Thomas, associate dean for student affairs and admissions, said the ceremony “is especially meaningful this year. It’s a new beginning for the students as they embark on an educational journey into the world of the medical sciences and disciplines. It’s symbolic of a transition. It’s a tradition that will have added significance this year after Hurricane Ike.”
UTMB’s Dr. Judith L. Rowen, an associate professor in the pediatrics department, will be the featured speaker. Her topic is “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”
During the ceremony, to be held at 2:30 p.m. in William C. Levin Hall at UTMB, current students and faculty members will be honored for outstanding accomplishments.
The white coat ceremony is a relatively new tradition that started in 1993 at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City. The idea spread quickly and most schools of medicine and osteopathy now have some sort of white coat ceremony.
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UTMB was established in 1891 as the University of Texas Medical Department and has grown from one building, 23 students and 13 faculty members to a modern health science center. The 84-acre campus includes four schools, three institutes for advanced study, a major medical library, a network of hospitals and clinics that provide a full range of primary and specialized medical care and numerous research facilities. UTMB is a component of the University of Texas System.