{"id":36676,"date":"2026-09-29T15:51:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T19:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/news\/?p=36676"},"modified":"2026-09-30T11:08:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T15:08:06","slug":"geisel-school-of-medicines-white-coat-ceremony-focused-on-knowledge-trust-and-respect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/news\/2026\/geisel-school-of-medicines-white-coat-ceremony-focused-on-knowledge-trust-and-respect\/","title":{"rendered":"Geisel School of Medicine\u2019s White Coat Ceremony Focused on Knowledge, Trust, and Respect"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Geisel MD Class of 2030 (Photo by Rob Strong<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Friday, September 25, during the medical school\u2019s annual White Coat Ceremony, 96 first-year medical students in the Geisel School of Medicine MD Class of 2030 celebrated a rite of passage in the field of medicine when they received their short white coats, symbolic of their status as physicians in training. The ceremony is the first time students don the white coat, an iconic symbol in medicine representing the bond of trust between those who wear it and their patients.<\/p>\n

Rather than receiving their white coats during orientation, as is common among many medical schools, Geisel medical students spend the first two months of their training in a clinical clerkship seeing simulated patients where they gain hands-on experience. This early immersion introduces them to the art and science of medicine, core concepts of humanism and professionalism, and commitment to patient care that they will carry with them throughout their medical training.<\/p>\n

Welcoming remarks from several guest speakers, including Dean Jennifer Hunt, converged on Geisel\u2019s ethos: the white coat is earned through accumulated experience and represents a promise of trust between physician and patient, not simply a symbol of scientific authority.<\/p>\n

Recalling her early years in medicine, Hunt talked about what happens while wearing the \u201ciconic uniform of the healer,\u201d saying over the next several years, the medical students will gather countless experiences, planned and unplanned, that taken together will shape them into physicians\u2014each is crucial, so none should be skipped or undervalued. Sharing an early lesson learned, she also encouraged them to own mistakes early and jump into action to correct them.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 At the end of four years, your white coat will be dirty, worn, and a little shabby,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it\u2019ll hold the rich and rewarding experiences that mold and form you into the spectacular physician that you\u2019ll be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why does this piece of white clothing matter?<\/p>\n

Historically, doctors wore serious black coats that were also practical for hiding stains. The shift to white in the late 19th century paralleled medicine becoming more scientific, lab-based, and focused on antisepsis, noted Roshini Pinto-Powell, associate dean of admissions, director of On Doctoring, and a professor of medicine and medical education.<\/p>\n

Today, the coat symbolizes more than scientific knowledge; technical mastery isn\u2019t enough if, as a physician, you fail to see the patient as a person, not just a diagnosis, she added. Though it\u2019s just clothing, putting it on feels meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment I put one on, it meant something deeply personal to me, and I have worn one throughout my clinical career,\u201d Pinto-Powell said. \u201cToday is the first time you will put one on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coat carries authority and assumes trust before patients know anything else about you, but that trust must be earned; it is not automatic, she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the most important part of the White Coat Ceremony is that each of you gets to decide what your white coat will symbolize.\u201d<\/p>\n

White Coat Ceremony Photo Gallery (Photos by Rob Strong<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In a warm, humorous, and personal address, blending mentorship anecdotes with practical and philosophical advice for new medical students, keynote speaker Alexander Fuld, an assistant professor of medicine and of medical education, reflected on his 25 years as a hematology\/oncology physician framed around the white coat.<\/p>\n

Offering a humorous anecdote about how, as a medical student, he stuffed his coat pockets with so much stuff, including snacks, he added a custom-made pocket so he could carry more. By then the coat weighed more than 10 pounds. As a physician, Fuld confessed, he no longer owns a white coat.<\/p>\n

He advised students to find their north star. \u201cA point of reference. Something that is immutable that serves as an anchor, a guide, a focal point that doesn\u2019t change even if you might. For me,\u201d he said, \u201cit is the patient and the commitment to helping them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recognizing the individuality and the humanity of each patient is crucial, he emphasized truly listening to them because there is value in knowing something personal about each one.<\/p>\n

He encouraged navigating uncertainty and embracing mistakes. \u201cMedicine involves practical wisdom applied in messy, uncertain, real-world conditions. \u2026 Resilience comes from moving past losses, not avoiding them,\u201d Fuld said, citing a Roger Federer anecdote.<\/p>\n

Tying together the threads of his address, Fuld said\u2014find your north star, don\u2019t dwell on stumbles, remember Federer\u2019s mindset, and keep snacks in your pocket.<\/p>\n

Second-year medical student Kevin Cayabyab MED\u201929 shared a personal memory of growing up in rural California, where his family, immigrants from the Philippines, was taken in by an older couple, Jim and Jean Richardson. Though strangers with no obligation to help, instilled their own life lessons of hard work, and how to live with honesty, kindness, and service to others.<\/p>\n

Cayabyab connected this story to the students\u2019 new role as physicians, saying they are about to become the \u201cJim and Jean\u201din strangers\u2019 lives, showing up for people who have no claim on them except need.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey taught me how to live a meaningful life. To serve others. To build trust and community. To be honest and kind,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir wealth and their life was not measured in dollars, status, or prestige. It was measured in something much deeper. I suspect a good number of you have someone like this in your own life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cayabyab then framed difficulty and failure not as obstacles to becoming a good physician, but as the actual process of becoming one. Closing with a Robert Frost quote about having \u201cpromises to keep, and miles to go,\u201d he urged the class to resist shortcuts and build the character needed to bear the weight of a medical career, and to someday become for someone else what Jim and Jean were for him.<\/p>\n

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Geisel Grooves, a student-led ensemble (Photo by Rob Strong<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In their White Coat Ceremony debut, the Geisel Grooves, a student-led ensemble performed selections from Elgar\u2019s Chanson de Matin, Lehar\u2019s The Merry Widow, Tchaikovsky\u2019s Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker, Bizet\u2019s Carmen Intermezzo, Elgar\u2019s Salut D'Amour. The processional was Handel\u2019s Music for the Royal Fireworks and Strauss\u2019s Radetzky March closed the ceremony.<\/p>\n

All second-year medical students who share a love of music and performing, they have appeared at a variety of events across the Dartmouth Health, Geisel, and Upper Valley communities. Ensemble members include Arpie Bakhshian, violin; Irene Chang, bassoon; Maggie Cheng, sheng; Aren Choi, flute; Alex Daskalopoulos, viola; Demetri Garbis, double bass; Raymond Huang, piano; Mathew Lin, cello; and Michelle Yoon, clarinet.<\/p>\n

If you missed the livestream of the White Coat Ceremony, you may watch a video of the celebration below.<\/p>\n