2024 UCSF School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony: A Celebration of Commitment and Community
On August 11, 2024, the UCSF School of Medicine Class of 2028 took their first steps into medical training at the White Coat Ceremony, held at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. The event was filled with joy and pride as students, faculty, staff, family, and other loved ones gathered to celebrate this milestone.
Vice Dean for Education Karen Hauer, MD, PhD, opened the ceremony, followed by remarks from Dean Talmadge E. King Jr., MD, who began by acknowledging the significance of the students receiving their white coats. “The white coat you will don today is more than just a garment – it symbolizes the trust society places in you, the commitment you are making to patients, and the dedication to lifelong learning and service,” he said.
The exceptional class of 2028 is already poised to take on this responsibility. One such student is Nickie Yang, who is part of this year’s San Joaquin Valley PRIME cohort. Having grown up in Fresno, California, Nickie intends to use her UCSF education to care for and serve her community, both learning and practicing medicine in the San Joaquin Valley. Her own upbringing has inspired her to care for historically underserved communities, saying, “As a first-generation Hmong woman, my family’s health experiences heavily influenced my interest in medicine. My family were refugees of the Vietnam War and immigrated to the United States in the mid-1990s. Seeing the struggles that my family went through as they learned how to navigate the health care system and learned about the importance of preventive health has inspired me to become a physician who can help underserved communities gain a better understanding and autonomy over their own health.
This focus on serving one’s community, especially those who are underserved, is a common thread throughout the class. UCSF’s focus on training community leaders led many students here, including UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program (JMP) and Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US) student, Alondra Aguilar. The oldest child of immigrant parents from Mexico, Alondra grew up in the Bay Area. Seeing the health care inequities present in our communities, she felt called to action. “From migrant farm workers who enable California’s immense agricultural industry to generations of families who have contributed to and advocated for their communities, this is an area with a rich history and immense heart. However, as the pandemic exacerbated health disparities among Black, Latino, and Asian communities, I felt even more compelled to help address and combat the systemic inequities that perpetuate disparate health outcomes among people of color in the Bay.”
Keynote speaker Megan Mahoney, MD, MBA, Professor and Chair in the UCSF Department of Family and Community Medicine, reinforced the responsibilities and community bonds the white coat symbolizes. “You are joining a community of pioneers in every field of medicine, a dynamic institution, abundant with people who think out of the box, who treat each patient with full attention, while tracking big-picture humanity issues,” she said.
Dr. Mahoney’s remarks highlighting the remarkable environment at UCSF is similarly valued by members of the Class of 2028. Incoming Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) student Trishabelle Manzano spoke to how this class will continue to nurture the welcoming atmosphere that UCSF is known for, saying, “Community plays a critical role in medical school and medicine by holding accountability for one another and shaping our perspectives. As a member of the UCSF community, I hope to listen to my peers’ lived experiences and honor each of their identities by learning how to properly advocate for one another’s respective communities.”
The highlight of the afternoon was the coating ceremony. Associate Dean for Curriculum John Davis, PhD, MD and Associate Dean for Students Erick Hung, MD read the names of the 181 members of the Class of 2028 who walked across the stage to the cheers of family and friends. Associate Dean for Admissions Michelle Albert, MD, MPH and Associate Dean for Regional Campuses Peter Chin-Hong, MD then put the white coats on the students, who greeted Dean King and Vice Dean Hauer for a photo at the end of the stage. Celebratory shouts and applause constantly filled the hall with proud family members excitedly taking pictures of their new physician-to-be.
The role of family members in supporting these students in their path to medicine was evident as well. PRIME-US student Karina Brito spoke to this, saying, “My grandmother's holistic healing traditions from Mexico fascinated me from a very young age and motivated me to explore medicine in other cultures. After traveling to China to learn about the integration of Western and traditional Chinese medicine, I felt inspired by the cultural humility among the physicians I shadowed. This experience made me passionate about serving my community in a similar way and led me on the path to becoming a clinician.”
The next part of the event was the reading of the UCSF Physicians Declaration. This year, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine Josué Zapata, MD, MBA, led the recitation. He invited all students, faculty, and physicians in the audience to stand and recite the declaration together. It was truly moving to hear hundreds of voices in unison, some of whom were just starting their medical journey and others decades into their careers but all sharing the same dedication to a field rooted in the service of others through compassionate care and the advancement of science.
Incoming student Andrew Rosenblatt exemplifies how the Class of 2028 will uphold the values set forth in the UCSF Physician’s Declaration. He said, “I am drawn to how we can prevent diseases, particularly chronic diseases. Be that through advancements in public health, technological innovation, or just dutiful primary care. My experiences in clinical research, public health, and community service have shown me the wide array of opportunities within medicine to make a meaningful impact.”
Vice Dean Hauer closed the event, acknowledging the interdisciplinary teams the students were joining, and welcoming the Class of 2028 to the UCSF community and the challenging yet rewarding journey ahead.
Reflecting on the ceremony, the students truly felt the significance of the occasion. When asked what the white coat symbolized to them, JMP student Doug Morris said, “The White Coat, symbolizes both past commitments and a commitment to the future. It celebrates the commitment of both the students and their supporters leading up to this moment. Receiving my white coat was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to my career, but also years of sacrifice and encouragement from my parents, extended family, and friends. The White Coat Ceremony also marks the day incoming medical students make a new commitment—to serve humanity to the best of their abilities.”
With this ceremony, these students are now part of the UCSF community, and this sense of connection is already present throughout the class. When asked to reflect on the afternoon, Andrew Rosenblatt spoke to this new community, summarizing the essence of the White Coat Ceremony: “What I will take away most from the ceremony is how we all felt together: connected by our shared sense of purpose, anticipation for the time we will spend together, and excitement for all that is to lie ahead.”
