It's a long road to travel to become a doctor; so it's nice when you're given a little something at the start of the journey to send you forth.
On Tuesday, Aug. 24, at a late afternoon ceremony at Uris Auditorium, the Weill Cornell Medical College Class of 2014 received their white coats, a long-standing tradition at medical schools across the country, one that represents the start of a medical student's education.
"No other item is more closely identified with doctors than the white coat," said Dr. Robert Min, chairman of the Department of Radiology and associate professor of radiology, who spoke at the ceremony. "There is no doubt that the white coat has meaning; it grants students a new identity and signals your entry into the medical profession."
In groups of four, the students walked to the front of the auditorium to don their coats with the help of Medical College Dean Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., as well as Dr. Shari Midoneck, the Ehrenkranz Family/Orli R. Etingin, M.D., Associate Professor of Women's Health and associate dean of academic affairs; Dr. Charles Bardes, associate dean for admissions and professor of clinical medicine; and Dr. Estomih Mtui, associate professor of clinical anatomy in neurology and neuroscience and associate professor of clinical anatomy in orthopaedic surgery. A host of other distinguished faculty members were also on hand to help the new students into their white coats, offering congratulations to the students as their families looked on with pride.
Dr. Yoon Kang, the Richard P. Cohen, M.D., Associate Professor of Medical Education, delivered the keynote address to the students, impressing upon them that although the white coat may be the uniform of the physician, the paths they follow throughout their education and careers will be anything but uniform.
"What I find interesting and special about Weill Cornell medical students is that you are not 'cookie-cutter,'" Dr. Kang said. "Each of you brings such a rich diversity of talents and skills and outside interests and life experiences to the table. I think you've chosen the right profession because you can continue to infuse yourself — your personal strengths and interests — into your career. I do hope, however, that as you're sitting there, you keep an open mind. Enjoy your peers, mentors and the patients you will meet along the way. Embrace the wonderful and unexpected opportunities that, I'm certain, medicine is going to offer you."
Prior to receiving their coats, Dr. Gotto recited the Hippocratic Oath to the entering class, a sort of "preview of things to come" at the end of four years of study.
"Unfortunately, right now you can only listen to me recite the oath," Dr. Gotto remarked. "But you'll be saying it yourselves in a few years. Just be patient."
Photography by Weill Cornell Art & Photography.