University of Illinois College of Medicine Hosts Annual White Coat Ceremony
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The University of Illinois College of Medicine held its 30th annual White Coat Ceremony across each of its campuses on Friday, August 16, 2024. Community members from Chicago, Peoria, and Rockford each gathered to bestow incoming M1s with their white doctor’s coats, symbolizing their pledge to the embodiment of humanism in medicine from the very start of their medical education.
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On the Chicago campus, Chancellor of the University of Illinois Chicago, Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda, gave remarks in celebration of the dedicated support systems each medical student has within their personal and academic lives as foundational to their continued success. “As you complete your studies and make progress on your path to graduation, I urge you to remain strong advocates to improve the public good, and to remain grounded in our values of kindness to others, compassion for those in need, and justice for those that continue to face structural impediments to a better quality of life,” she commented. In her keynote address, Dr. Sarah Messmer, spoke of the symbolic nature of the white coat—that this garment, whether being worn by the physician or forgone in favor of more practical clinical garb, remains central to the oath each student takes on their journey through the practice of medicine.
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On the Peoria campus, Regional Dean Meenakshy Aiyer spoke of the incredible promise for the future gestating within their incoming students. “Each year, the White Coat ceremony marks a celebration of the best and brightest students entering the field of medicine. We welcome them to the profession as well as to their medical school journey here in Peoria. The growth and contributions that these students will make over the next four years are truly remarkable. When you think of their future patients and the lives they will touch, the potential in this room is powerful,” she observed before the class.
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In Rockford, Dr. James Girardy, a clinical professor in the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, presented a keynote address speaking to the importance of letting the patient lead with their values and goals in the development of unique, personalized treatments for all, stating “Carefully watch and listen. Practice being a keen, quiet listener, and an intently focused observer. Be truly open to each encounter. These are essential skills for a clinician; they require discipline and practice to master. The ability to still oneself is the best starting point to understanding your patients, colleagues, and perhaps yourself.”