University of Illinois College of Medicine Celebrates Class of 2030 at White Coat Ceremonies
Introduction
On Friday, August 14, 2026, the University of Illinois College of Medicine hosted its 32nd annual White Coat Ceremony at each of its campuses. More than 300 students were welcomed to the College of Medicine, received their white doctor’s coats, and took the Medical Student Oath.
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is a national nonprofit that champions humanism in healthcare, defined as clinically excellent care that is kind, safe, and trustworthy. Founder Dr. Arnold P. Gold believed that the oath to compassionate patient care should come at the beginning of training, not just at graduation, to help anchor future clinicians in the importance of humanism. The Gold Foundation held its first White Coat Ceremony in 1993 and has since spread the meaningful ritual around the world. Each year, the Gold Foundation distributes about 50,000 pins to White Coat Ceremonies, which all UI COM incoming M1s received today; the pins feature a möbius loop, which represents the patient-clinician bond at the center of the best care.
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Chicago
On the Chicago campus, Dean Amanda Osta, MD began the ceremony by welcoming the Class of 2030 and their loved ones to the UI COM community.
Kathleen Reeves, MD, FAAP, CEO of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, served as this year’s keynote speaker. In addition to her role as CEO of the Gold Foundation, Dr. Reeves also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Her specialties include the human connection in healthcare, ethics, trauma-informed care, substance misuse, urban health, healthcare professions education, and health equity.
Speaking on the legacy of Dr. Arnold P. Gold and offering wisdom to incoming students, Dr. Reeves posited, “It is too late to await until graduation to have the privilege of taking an oath to the people you are going to care for. Today, you begin your medical education by pledging to prioritize the human connection in your practice. You must intentionally develop the habits that will guide your interactions with your patients, and you must remember to take care of yourself and one another. The oath you take today must be a daily promise to yourself, your teachers, your colleagues, and your patients.”
Watch the Chicago ceremony
Peoria
In Peoria, Dean Meenakshy Aiyer spoke to students about the importance of integrity when facing the rapid rate of evolution in the medical field. “You will encounter tremendous change during your medical education and throughout your careers in medicine. There will be new treatments, new knowledge, new technology and challenges unimaginable today. As you put on your white coat today, remember this: Let the science of medicine continue to evolve, but let your commitment to compassion, integrity, respect, accountability, service, excellence, and lifelong learning remain constant,” she said.
Watch the Peoria ceremony
Rockford
On the Rockford campus, Dean Thompson spoke of the utility of the coat paired with its representation of the field, stating, “The white coat represents the combination of both the science of medicine and the humanism of medicine as our brand-new medical students embark upon their journey to become physicians.”