UH College of Medicine hosts its first White Coat Ceremony
Empty seats and dry eyes were hard to spot at Saturday’s sacred White Coat Ceremony for UH College of Medicine’s first in-person celebration to welcome the Class of 2025.
A captivated audience listened as Dr. Stephen Spann, the founding dean of the College of Medicine, and Dr. Brian C. Reed, chair of clinical science, shared their wisdom with UH College of Medicine students.
“All people deserve access to healthcare,” Spann said inside the Conrad N. Hilton Grand Ballroom on the UH campus. “Commit to serving historically disadvantaged communities. … Serve them with cultural humility.”
He cautioned the medical students about the dangers of fatigue and burnout. And to recognize the importance of self-care.
“You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourselves,” he said in closing. “Competence and compassion go hand-in-hand.”
Since 1993, when the Arnold P. Gold Foundation initiated the tradition for the entering class of Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, cloaking new medical students in their first white coats has remained a hallowed rite of passage for all new medical students.
Last year, due to COVID-19, University of Houston College of Medicine’s inaugural class members put on their own white coats. Only the students and university leadership were in attendance. The historic ceremony was celebratory, if not a little remote. Friends and family cheered on via livestream.
It just wasn’t the same.
“This year feels more symbolic,” said Rashda Khan, a UH staffer.
UH’s inaugural class had 1,728 applications. That jumped to 6,000 applications this year. Thirty students were chosen both years. At least half of this year’s class received a $100,000, fouryear scholarship to cover tuition and fees.
More than 60 percent are considered low socioeconomic status, as defined by Texas Medical Dental Schools Application Services, and 60 percent represent minorities in medicine: Black and Hispanic or Latino.
UH’s College of Medicine was founded to address a leading contributor to poor health: a shortage of primary care doctors. The school’s educational programming prioritizes food insecurity, housing and environment to eliminate health disparities in underserved urban and rural communities.
“With this white coat comes a responsibility that is unmatched in many other professions in the world,” said Reed, the ceremony’s keynote speaker. “Seek balance. This is a profession that can take a toll on your soul.”
He assured the students that becoming a physician is worth the years of study and time away from friends and family because the payoff is a life filled with purpose.
“When I practice medicine, I’m doing what I love and what some divine being designed me to do,” he said before sharing a bit of parting wisdom. “Stay connected. That’s my one regret — I missed a lot of weddings, anniversaries and birthdays.”
It’s a lesson the class of 2025 appeared to have already learned.
Onyeomachi Iheanacho, a Houston native, guessed around 20 of her family members attended Saturday’s White Coat Ceremony. “We’re Nigerian. You can’t tell one of us about an event and not expect everyone to come,” she explained with a wide smile.
College of Medicine leadership urged the crowd to hold applause until the ceremony’s end. Request, denied. Clapping and cheering erupted for all 30 class members.
Alex Garcia, director of student affairs, read aloud brief statements written by each medical student as they crossed the stage to be cloaked. Many thanked their God, family, friends and spouses.
Elliot John Flint, from Texarkana, thanked his partner and fanned away tears as he walked. Adriana Gil, from Cypress, requested her remarks be read in Spanish.
Iheanacho paid tribute to her parents. “I would not be here without your sacrifice,” Garcia read. “This white coat is as much a symbol of your hard work as it is mine.”
After the ceremony, the class of 2025 stood together to recite their oath written jointly, led by Isaiah Carter, also a Houston native. “Above all,” they said in unison. “I commit to do no harm and act as a servant of humanity. I will always strive to be a competent and compassionate physician.”
Later, during the reception, Iheanacho’s brother pinched her ear. “I whispered that we all knew this day would be possible,” he said. “It was such a journey to get here.”
While his family discussed brunch options, Flint stepped away to reflect on what it meant to receive his white coat.
“Looking out at my family and my partner, I just got emotional,” he said. “I’d been thinking about applying to med school for 10 years. The day I dreamed of finally arrived.”