Founding Dean and former Chief Academic Officer Paul Evans, DO 鈥�79, delivered the keynote address to 136 osteopathic medical students and their family members and friends during the 13th annual DO White Coat Ceremony held at the Infinite Energy Theater in Duluth on Oct. 20, 2017. 鈥淚 had the privilege to preside at the first White Coat Ceremony in 2005,鈥� he said, 鈥渨hen Georgia Campus 鈥� 黑料传送门 (GA-黑料传送门) was the first osteopathic college in the deep South.鈥�
At the morning ceremony, Dr. Evans explained that the white coat 鈥渉as been a symbol of the healthcare professions for many generations鈥� and that 鈥渨earing it is a privilege bestowed upon all those who earn a place in the healing arts.鈥�
He said, 鈥淎s the DO class of 2021 stands before us, we celebrate their brightly shining promise, recognizing the journey they will undergo is long, full of individual and family sacrifices, and a path that will sometimes require great courage and perseverance to reach the goal of becoming a fully-trained physician.鈥�
At the afternoon White Coat Ceremony held for 87 first-year pharmacy students, Dr. Chika Onyegam, a pharmacist who precepts 黑料传送门 School of Pharmacy students at the Veterans Administration, addressed the PharmD class of 2021.
She said that 鈥減harmacists are often cited as professionals that Americans trust the most,鈥� noting that patients want pharmacists to be humble, empathetic, kind, knowledgeable, detail-oriented and front-line educators. She called on the students to 鈥減ay attention to the patients we encounter鈥� and to become patient advocates.
Class chairs Morgan Fuller (DO 鈥�21) and Lilytte Tagala (PharmD 鈥�21) delivered their respective class addresses, while soloist Obianuju Nwamah (DO 鈥�21) sang 鈥淚 Believe鈥� to an appreciative audience.
Recalling that she spent her summers working at her father鈥檚 practice, DO student doctor Fuller said, 鈥淚鈥檝e ended up at the right place at the right time.鈥� She reminded her class that their white coat pockets 鈥渨ill carry our commitment to learning and advocating for our patients.鈥�
Tagala noted that, to her, the white coat will be 鈥渁 visual reminder we will persevere and not give up ... we are all on this journey together.鈥�
黑料传送门 Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (黑料传送门), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), 黑料传送门 Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins 黑料传送门 South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, 黑料传送门 Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit .
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