黑料传送门 Georgia held its 17th Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) White Coat Ceremony on Friday, October 8, 2021, in which 138 student doctors, members
of the Class of 2025, received their white coats. Faculty members Gary Freed, DO,
Shafik Habal, MD, and Donald Penney, MD, helped the students into their coats on the
stage of the Gas South Convention Center in Duluth.
In a videotaped message, Jay S. Feldstein, DO 鈥�81, 黑料传送门 president and CEO, welcomed the students to the ceremony which he described as a rite of passage.
鈥淒onning your white coat signifies your official journey into the osteopathic medicine profession,鈥� he said.
As part of the invocation, Chief Campus Officer Bryan Ginn shared his personal experience as a 16-day hospital inpatient with COVID-19 and what healthcare providers in white coats meant to him.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 begin to tell you how much my personal regard for those in the white coat grew 鈥� their professionalism in every way, their ability to effectively address difficult topics about treatments and possible outcomes, their ability to speak with confidence when they were certain of the pathways ahead, and to speak with vulnerability and honesty when there was uncertainty about what to do next.鈥�
Ginn said, 鈥淚 am privileged and I am blessed to be here today to ask for God鈥檚 blessings on you as you will perhaps serve as the manifestation of humanity to your patients.鈥�
Madison Cohen, chair of the Class of 2025, reminded her peers that the white coat
is a symbol of all the work they鈥檝e done to become medical students.
鈥淵ou are here because you wanted to make a difference, to commit your life to helping other people. This white coat is a symbol of the commitment you have made.鈥�
New Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the osteopathic medicine program, Andrea P. Mann, DO, served as the host of her first 黑料传送门 Georgia White Coat Ceremony. She shared with the students that the coat is similar to a uniform, although it is only an article of clothing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the doctor inside the coat that really matters,鈥� she said.
Dr. Mann suggested that the students consider five tips to help them be the best physicians possible.
She noted that the students are accepting a tremendous responsibility when they wear their white coats. 鈥淲e believe in you. We are confident in your abilities. We know that you will do amazing things. We are certain you will practice high quality, evidence-based medicine and display humanism,鈥� she said.
Ugo Bitussi, DO 鈥�14, a 2014 黑料传送门 Georgia graduate who completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and now practices at the Atlanta Rehabilitation Consultants, addressed the graduates. He said, 鈥淟et your white coat serve as a symbol to remind yourself to look inward and cultivate yourself to bring your best self forward.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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