Traditions in the OHSU academic mission
White Coat and other ceremonies mark milestones in learners’ journeys
Photo left to right: the School of Dentistry Dean Ron Sakaguchi, D.D.S., Ph.D., M.B.A., congratulates Geoff Khoury. Celyna Becerra enjoys a light moment with friends. Lynn Choi shakes the hand of her bridge group leader, Allison Broyles, D.M.D., M.S. Andie Jamison, Diyar Dezay, Sara Garci and Madison Dunlop gather during the celebration. Photos by Jordan Sleeth and Patrick Lee
School of Dentistry
On Friday, July 18, 2025, the OHSU School of Dentistry celebrated its annual white coat ceremony. Seventy-four learners marked the milestone of completing their first year and now step forward to assist third- and fourth-year peers in the dental clinics.
The white coats, embossed with their name and the OHSU logo, signal the part of the profession rooted in science, service and ethics. The second-year learners—the Class of 2028—were joined by their families, friends and faculty, to formally acknowledge their achievements and emphasize their ethical responsibilities during an event in the OHSU Robertson Life Sciences Building.
“This evening has felt very wholesome…. celebrating this night with the friends that I’ve made in this past year has been amazing. Being able to meet their parents and siblings and loved ones who have supported them … as we’ve been going through this journey together has made it the best night ever,” said second-year student Nikki Bardel.
School of Medicine
Spirits were high as 150 new medical students donned their white coats during the annual OHSU School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 15. They were surrounded by nearly a thousand family members, guests and other loved ones as they pledged a life of service.
As part of this long-standing tradition, the students were given short, hip-length coats, to distinguish them as medical students. They also recited the Oath of Geneva, a code of medical ethics that is a modern adaptation of the Hippocratic Oath.
“The M.D. class of 2029 represents an astonishing diversity of thought, experiences, hometowns and home countries, approaches to problem solving, philosophical and spiritual orientations, ethnic and racial backgrounds, gender, and goals for the future,” said School of Medicine Dean Nathan Selden, M.D., Ph.D. “They are more than ready to meet the technical challenges of medical training.”
The OHSU M.D. Class of 2029 White Coat Ceremony celebrate with faculty and family. Photos by Bri Garcia
Physician Assistant
The OHSU Physician Assistant class of 2025 celebrated their graduation on Aug. 9, 2025, with a ceremony at the Robertson Life Sciences Building. Joined by family and friends, the 41 graduates celebrated the completion of their 26-month program and donned their white coats to symbolize their transition from students to practicing clinicians.
The group is the 29th class to graduate from the physician assistant program. They conducted 52,711 patient visits in the 14-month clinical portion of their training.
“I have witnessed great transformation, growth and achievement among our students—now colleagues—which cannot be better stated than by sharing feedback from the physicians, PAs and other providers whom they trained alongside,” said director Lillian Navarro-Reynolds, MS, PA-C.
“Whether it’s the empathetic approach to patients and consideration of socioeconomic barriers to care, exemplary bedside manner, unwavering intellectual curiosity, stellar clinical decision making or writing notes that keep the surgery service running, our students have demonstrated the bright future they have for serving the needs of our patients in Oregon and beyond.”
Radiation Therapy
The radiation therapy students celebrated their program completion with an awarding of diplomas and dinner at the conclusion of their summer term on Aug. 8, 2025. Constance Tucker, M.A., Ph.D., vice provost, Educational Improvement and Innovation, gave a keynote address to the graduates.
“The decisions you make, the compassion you offer, and the example you set will ripple outward in ways you may never fully see and it matters,” Tucker said. “My hope for you is that you go forward with intention. And let the legacy you’re building, be one that inspires others to do the same.”
History
The ceremony of white coats in health care education is traced to about 1990 at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and then, in 1993, at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, according to Gary Stafford, D.M.D., senior associate dean for academic systems at the School of Dentistry.
“The white coat … is a cloak of compassion for those we care for. The white coat serves as a symbol to signify that our responsibility is not only to take care of patients but also to care for our patients,” he said.
Story by Rhonda Morin, APR, Karen Bishop and Seth Preuss
