Members of the MD Class of 2028 took their first steps as future physicians by participating in this year’s White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 16. As each student’s name was called, department chairs helped them don their white coats for the first time on the stage at Harrison Opera House.
“Today’s ceremony affirms the vision and the core values we hold dearly in medicine: professionalism, integrity, compassion, empathy and dedication,” said Alfred Abuhamad, MD, executive vice president of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, dean of EVMS and the Mason C. Andrews Distinguished Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology. “This ceremony reinforces the reasons all physicians, including myself, answered our professional calling — to care for those less fortunate, to comfort the sick and to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. It is a great privilege and joy to be a physician.”
More than 7,600 people applied to be in the MD Class of 2028, but only 151 were chosen. Among those students, half are from Virginia, including 30 from Hampton Roads.
This was the first class to receive their white coats as part of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University.
“We believe the joining of these two institutions will transform the health and economy of Hampton Roads and beyond, through sustained excellence in education, research and clinical care,” Dr. Abuhamad said. “It’s a bold vision that is grounded in a commitment to the diverse communities we serve.”