Future physicians from Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine’s 16th class were the stars Friday in one of the school’s signature events — the White Coat Ceremony.
Traditionally held during orientation week, the ceremony is considered a rite of passage as the newest cohort of medical students receive their white coats. The class also recites the Oath of Geneva, which is the declaration of physicians’ dedication to the humanitarian goals of medicine.
About 1,000 attended in person or watched the event held on the campus of Oakland University. Officials from OU, OUWB, and Corewell Health attended.
Christopher Carpenter, M.D., Stephan Sharf Dean, welcomed everyone, and delivered the keynote.
“When you are keeping your patients healthy and well, diagnosing and treating their illnesses, and easing their passing at the end of life, you will be assured of your reason why,” he said.
“And every time you look into your patients’ eyes, and listen to them intently, it will become clear that you are an OUWB-trained physician – one who is culturally aware, compassionate, and competent. Your dream achieved.”
After leading the recitation of the oath, Carpenter left the students with four words of encouragement.
“Your time is now,” he said.
Jay Fisher, M.D., president, medical staff, Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital (WBUH), offered words of encouragement as did Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D., president, Oakland University.
Pescovitz also noted the significance of medicine as a profession.
“It’s about a sacred life choice,” she said. “It’s never really about just going to work because once you’re a physician…you’re always a physician.”
“Welcome to OUWB,” she said. “You should be proud of everything you did to get here … we can’t wait to see everything that you will accomplish as you carry on the proud traditions of our great school.”
Abhinav Krishnan, Ph.D., associate dean, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, introduced the class and led presentation of the white coats. He noted that the 124 new medical students were chosen from more than 8,600 applications received.
Krishnan also provided other details about the class – as undergrads they attended more than 60 colleges and universities, and accumulated more than 88,000 hours of community service before starting at OUWB.
But, he said, there were three main reasons for their admittance to OUWB — their character, compassion, and potential.
“You belong here because we saw something in you that couldn’t be measured by numbers … and those qualities are exactly what this profession needs,” said Krishnan.
M2 Courtney Shields, president, OUWB Medical Student Government (MSG), addressed the class, and painted a picture of what their first year will include – countless hours in the anatomy lab, learning the language of medicine, and “the unique opportunities you will have to learn outside of the classroom,” just to name a few.
She also talked about the new medical students being part of the support system that comes with joining the OUWB family.
“Every one of you will bring something valuable to this community, whether that be sending academic resources in the group chat or just providing a shoulder to cry on when things get tough,” she said. “At OUWB, there will always be someone there for you.”
Students who participated in the ceremony generally expressed excitement and nervousness.
Michael Powers said it represented achievement of a big goal.
“To commit and make it actually become a reality for me once seemed so far-fetched,” he said. “It just shows that with a lot of time and commitment, anything’s possible.”
Peyton Cahill said the day was “very exciting, and a little nerve-wracking.”
“It feels like a really pivotal moment, and yet we’ve got the entirety of the four years ahead of us,” she said. “And it’s kind of surreal … you sometimes feel like you’re not going to make it. Realizing you finally hit that milestone is exciting.”
Many family members shared in the excitement of the day.
Chukwudi Okonmah, M.D., said he felt “a lot of gratitude” as he watched his daughter, Nneoma Nwozo, participate in the ceremony.
“Something every parent looks forward to is having a child that is helpful to society and the globe in general,” he said.
Veslav Stecevic, M.D., expressed similar feelings about his daughter, Jane Stecevic.
“It’s very nice to see that she’s following my career path,” he said. “She’s a compassionate individual and I know she will be very successful.”
“The ceremony was beautiful … very uplifting and nice,” he added.
And many students said they were ready to get to work.
“I’ve spent so many years trying to get to this point, and just the chance to learn and beginning practicing medical skills is exciting,” said Erika Leasher.
“It's been a long road,” said Loay Matti. “I'm excited to be treated like a health care professional and work toward my goal of becoming a doctor.”
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