2017 White Coat Ceremony
August 10, 2017 – On a hot August day, the School of Medicine welcomed the 161 students of the Class of 2021 to the University of Virginia at the 2017 White Coat Ceremony and Convocation, endowed by the Class of 1965. This year’s event was held at The Paramount Theater in downtown Charlottesville and presented by the UVA Medical Alumni Association and Medical School Foundation.
Among the events highlights: Executive Director Barry Collins welcomed the new students, families and attendees; Mulholland Society President Elizabeth Hoang, SMD ’18 discussed how the white coats would help students — physically and emotionally — over the next four years; and Tom Newbill, MD ’79, Res, ’84, past president of the UVA Medical Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, explained how the association supports students, including scholarship funding. School of Medicine Dean David Wilkes, MD, James Carroll Flippin Professor of Medical Science, was also on hand to welcome students and stressed that while they learn about medicine, they should never forget compassion.
As Randolph Canterbury, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Education, read out the students’ names, college deans Meg Keeley, MD ‘92, (Dunglison); John Densmore, MD ‘95, PhD, (Hunter); Christine Peterson, MD, (Pinn); Sean Reed, MD, (Reed), and Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program Dean Kedes, MD, PhD, assisted the students into their crisp, personally-embroidered white coats.
Quick Facts about the Class of 2021
- Total Students: 161
- Virginians: 46%
- Out of State: 54%
- Women: 48%
- Under Represented in Medicine: 22%
- Mean GPA: 3.84