At the conclusion of the first week of medical school, M.D. students slip on their white coats for the first time as part of long-standing tradition to signify the beginning of their journey in medicine.
This tradition continued Aug. 16 as 150 Oregon Health & Science University medical students donned their coats for the first time at Portland State University’s Viking Pavilion.
The 2028 White Coat Ceremony marks the 10th anniversary of the YourMD White Coat celebration at OHSU, and was led by Tracy Bumsted, M.D., M.P.H., professor of pediatrics and associate dean for undergraduate medical education in the OHSU School of Medicine. Of the 150 M.D. students who are starting this fall:
- 80% are Oregonians or of Oregon heritage
- 68% come from a disadvantaged background
- 57% identify as female
- 46% come from racial or ethnic backgrounds other than white
- 21% come from a racial or ethnic group underrepresented in medicine
- 20% come from a rural background
- 9 have completed military service
- 6 are Wy’east Pathway Scholars
Family, friends, faculty and staff cheered and waved from the audience or watched a live video stream of the event.
Watch a recording of the event.
“I welcome you to the White Coat Ceremony for the OHSU School of Medicine Class of 2028,” Bumsted said in her opening remarks. “We are so glad to be here to honor and celebrate you.”
Bumsted gave a nod to the encouragement and support required to achieve admission to medical school and invited the incoming class to applaud and thank those in the audience and virtual attendees. “None of us who have ever taken this journey in medicine has done so without the support, guidance and wisdom of others. The transformation from student to physician truly does take a village.”
Bumsted also acknowledged the attendance of Sandy Reinschmidt — daughter of J.S. and Maxine Reinschmidt, who established the J.S. Reinschmidt Endowment Fund for Excellence in Medical Education to support the annual J.S. Reinschmidt Lecture and the advancement of medical education at OHSU — before turning the podium over to OHSU School of Medicine Dean Nathan Selden, M.D., Ph.D.
“This White Coat Ceremony and the journey you will take with us in the OHSU School of Medicine will change you and mark you forever,” Selden said. “Our goal is not just to train you, but also to welcome you to a community and a calling that will become a truly important part of your identity and of your life, that will enhance your sense of purpose and mission and give you and those around you pride.”
The OHSU School of Medicine is committed to increasing the diversity of its student body. Selden celebrated the diversity of the incoming class, emphasizing both its significance and importance for serving communities in the future.
“Medicine is a difficult and challenging profession. Excellence matters. To find you, we needed to look everywhere and in every community for those who have the talent and the commitment to succeed,” he said. “Each and every one of you has that ability and that energy. You are exceedingly capable and tremendously deserving of your place in our community. Secondly, in your careers, we want you to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and pluralistic society. Your patients need to see themselves in the ranks of our profession, and they will.”
Lucas Meuchel, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, gave the annual J.S. Reinschmidt Lecture. The J.S. Reinschmidt Endowment Fund for Excellence in Medical Education supports the lectureship and the advancement of medical education at OHSU.
Meuchel recently completed his first year as an attending physician at OHSU. He completed both his fellowship in critical care medicine and residency in anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at OHSU, after graduating among the first class of OHSU medical students in the YourMD curriculum in 2018. In his youth, Meuchel considered careers as a farmer, welder or fly-fisher before a summer biotechnology internship focused on vaccine development changed his course.
Meuchel shared his journey and encouraged the incoming class to push past their feelings of inadequacy or imposter syndrome. He shared a story of saving the life of a patient by relying on his training, when their life was at risk for unknown reasons following a procedure. He recalled how much it meant to him when the patient thanked him and told others he was the reason she was alive, instead of criticizing him or questioning the treatment after complications.
“The next few years are going to be hard, and they are supposed to be hard,” Meuchel said. “But it’s not made difficult just for the sole purpose of academic rigor. It’s difficult because you earn your M.D., move on to residency, and become an attending — you need to be ready to be the person who is there to help; the doctor with knowledge, experience and answers. Today you formally start to become that person.”
Robert Cloutier, M.D., M.C.R., professor of emergency medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine and assistant dean for undergraduate medical education admissions, offered some brief words of wisdom and read each student's name in a symbolic handoff from the admissions team to the medical school team, before Becca Cantone, M.D., associate professor of family medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine and assistant dean for undergraduate medical education student affairs, helped each student don their coat as they walked across the stage.
Following a video presentation, the students listened to Karen Gunson, M.D., president of the OHSU School of Medicine Alumni Association Council and member of OHSU’s M.D. Class of 1981.
“Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will,” Gunson said as she shared a quote from Irish author James Stephens. “Being curious can protect you from yourself. Even when the record seems conclusive or indicative of a particular diagnosis — stay curious! Curiosity can be your superpower; it has been for me.”
Amy Kwon, M.D., assistant professor of medicine (general internal medicine and geriatrics) in the OHSU School of Medicine, led the students in the Oath of Geneva.
“The next time that you recite this oath, you’ll likely be at graduation to receive your doctoral hood; there will be a lot of changes between now and then,” Kwon said. “But I hope that some things about you never change, particularly the empathy, caring and basic decency that have brought you here today. Keep these values close and let them be your guiding light.”
“Breath, just breathe,” Bumsted said in closing. “Learn — from us, from your patients, and help us learn from you; observe carefully; take a pause and reflect; ask questions; and be curious!”