The College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) welcomed more than 170 new student health care professionals during its Parents Appreciation Day/White Coat Ceremony on Friday, August 11. More than 900 guests were in attendance overall.
The day began with a Continental Breakfast in the Schreier Auditorium in the UTHSC Student-Alumni Center and ended with a reception after the White Coat Ceremony to be held at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Memphis.
The White Coat Ceremony was instituted at UTHSC College of Medicine in 1996 by Hershel “Pat” Wall, MD, special assistant to Dr. Joe DiPietro, president of the University of Tennessee system.
“We were one of the first medical schools in the country to celebrate our new students and mark this rite of passage with their first white coat,” said Susan Brewer, MD, FACP, associate dean of Student Affairs and Admissions for the College of Medicine. “It is only fitting that Dr. Alvin Crawford, the first African -American graduate of our College of Medicine, welcomed this diverse class into the profession. It is always a joyful time and we are honored to share it with our students and their loved ones.”