A tradition for the past 25+ years at medical schools across the country, the White Coat Ceremony celebrates the official entry of new students into the medical profession. With a reading of “The Oath” (Larner uses an adapted version of the 1964 Oath of Lasagna), the students acknowledged the responsibilities and ethical commitment that come with wearing the iconic white coat. Larner is also proud to have its values and performance hinge on the ideals of professionalism: integrity, accountability, compassion, altruism, social responsibility, cultural humility, kindness, and respect. The Professionalism Statement was also read by the incoming class to reinforce the ideas and standards that the college seeks to uphold across all disciplines.
“The white coat … reflects the confidence we have in our students and our commitment to supporting their growth into compassionate, skilled physicians who will provide exceptional care to patients and communities.” — Christa H. Zehle, M.D.’99
The ceremony was opened with remarks from Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Professor of Pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine Christa H. Zehle, M.D.’99. After welcoming friends, family, mentors, and the greater Larner community, Dr. Zehle said, “The white coat is a tangible symbol of a student’s entry into the medical profession. It reflects the confidence we have in our students and our commitment to supporting their growth into compassionate, skilled physicians who will provide exceptional care to patients and communities.”
Following Dean Zehle, Richard L. Page, M.D., dean of the Larner College of Medicine, professor of medicine, and chief medical affairs officer at the University of Vermont, and Stephen M. Leffler, M.D.’90, chief executive officer of UVM Health and professor of emergency medicine at Larner, delivered remarks to inspire, guide, and provide support for this new class throughout and beyond their time here at Larner.
Dr. Leffler congratulated the class by saying, “May your white coat always remind you of not only the knowledge you possess, but also the humility, compassion, and humanity that define great physicians.”
Dean Page said, “The White Coat Ceremony represents a defining moment in a medical student’s journey. As students receive the white coat, a symbol of the profession and its responsibilities, and recite the oath, they take an important step toward becoming the physicians they aspire to be. It is a day of tremendous pride and promise.”
“May your white coat always remind you of not only the knowledge you possess, but also the humility, compassion, and humanity that define great physicians.” — Stephen M. Leffler, M.D.’90
Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award recipient and Larner Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology Christina Litsakos, M.D.’18, M.A.’17, then delivered the Humanism in Medicine keynote address, assuring the members of this year’s class that each and every one of them had earned the right to be here and urging them to avoid falling prey to anxiety about “imposter syndrome.” She underscored her advice by calling for a show of hands from the distinguished physicians and faculty sitting in the stage, asking if any of them had ever experienced feelings of self-doubt—and everyone raised their hand.
Meet Some of Larner’s Future Doctors
Each year the Larner College of Medicine is thrilled to welcome its next cohort of medical students to its halls. This class of 124 was drawn from the largest applicant pool in the college’s history—a resounding 11,609 total applications.
Below, three members of the Larner Medical Class of 2030 share their unique stories on growing up, choosing medicine, and what it means to them to put on the white coat for the very first time.
Nader Allam ’30
As a child, Nader Allam was inspired by watching his mother, a dentist, have people come to her in pain and leave with a great big smile. This early experience kindled the flames of his interest in science and a passion for developing tools that could improve lives. Before starting his undergraduate studies in biophysics at York University in his hometown of Toronto, Canada, Allam visited a rehabilitation clinic and saw those affected by paralysis and limb differences finding independence and strength in pursuing athletics, which solidified his interest in the field.
He continued his studies at the University of Toronto, receiving his master’s in medical biophysics with a goal and eventual work in biomedical engineering creating prosthetics for communities in remote areas. One day, coming home from the lab, Allam came across a man in distress and realized that despite years of studying health care, he couldn’t act and help in the way he had wanted to. It was then that Allam decided to volunteer as a medical first responder with St. John Ambulance, and it soon became clear to him that he wanted to pair his years of research with a medical education.
Throughout his life, Allam has continually put his community first, teaching STEM education in English and in French for underserved communities and serving in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves in Thunder Bay. The thread between his experiences has always been “rural medicine and developing practical technologies that respond to what patients and communities need.”
[The white coat] “marks the beginning of a responsibility, rather than a completion of a journey.” — Nader Allam ’30
Allam states that being at Larner feels surreal; however, he is excited to have the chance to learn more about caring for rural communities here in Vermont. For Allam, his white coat “marks the beginning of a responsibility, rather than a completion of a journey.” He is reminded of those he will serve as a physician, as well as his family, mentors, friends, and partner who have supported him along the way.
Kerrie Go ’30
Before her current study of “medicalese,” Kerrie Go grew up speaking Korean. Go is the eldest daughter of Korean immigrants, and Dumont, New Jersey, is where she calls home. Growing up in small-town America, she felt like an outsider, and she began to distance herself from her Korean identity in an effort to adapt and fit in. Her parents did not have the opportunity to attend college but had always stressed the importance of education to her and her brother as they grew up. Go was left to learn to navigate financial aid, taxes, and her path to becoming a physician on her own. She remembers feeling frustrated. “It wasn’t until I was older that I understood how difficult it must have been for my parents to build a life in a new country while navigating unfamiliar systems in a language that was not their first,” she recalls.
“When I put on my white coat, I know I won’t be putting it on just for myself. I’ll be thinking about my parents and everything they gave up creating better opportunities.” — Kerrie Go ’30
Financial pressures created a stressful routine as an undergraduate at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. Go knew she wanted to pursue medicine but did not feel ready to commit to that transition after her graduation in 2020. During her time in college, she had begun volunteering with her local ambulance corps in emergency services; she continued working in EMS after graduation, eventually rising to the level of captain and training and mentoring EMTs to care for those experiencing their toughest moments.
Go says the White Coat Ceremony “represents something I have worked toward for a very long time, but it also represents all of the people and experiences that allowed me to get here.” She goes on to reflect that “when I put on my white coat, I know I won’t be putting it on just for myself. I’ll be thinking about my parents and everything they gave up creating better opportunities for my brother and me.” She is proud of the path she’s taken to arrive at Larner and looks forward to all those whom she will have the opportunity to work alongside.
Morgan O’Brien ’30
Morgan O’Brien’s great-grandfather, Robert E. O’Brien, M.D. (1921–2013), was a member of the University of Vermont medical class of 1945 and also served as a professor of internal medicine here. Inspired by the stories of his impact on the Winooski and Greater Burlington community and by his work as an internal medicine physician, Morgan felt a natural pull to pursue medicine in his footsteps.
For O’Brien, putting on the white coat connects her not only to the community that she will serve, but to her great-grandfather … [with whom she will] share the title of “Dr. O’Brien.”
Morgan O’Brien grew up in Georgia, Vermont, and obtained her bachelor of science in biological sciences through the College of Arts and Sciences here at the University of Vermont. Building on her studies, she got hands-on experience through work as a phlebotomist at the University of Vermont Medical Center. O’Brien began to deepen her skills through volunteering with Steps to End Domestic Violence, further shaping her passion for empowering vulnerable populations, and later went on to work as a medical assistant at Maitri Healthcare for Women. O’Brien states that she has already dedicated her future practice to continuing her work in equitable health care outcomes for all.
Her drive to pursue medicine “comes from a desire to give back to the community here in Vermont that has given me everything.” For O’Brien, putting on the white coat connects her not only to the community that she will serve, but to her great-grandfather. More than 80 years ago, Dr. Robert O’Brien was conferred a degree by the University of Vermont’s College of Medicine. In 2030, his great-granddaughter will get to have that same experience and share the title of “Dr. O’Brien.”
“The white coat, to me, symbolizes the privilege and moral responsibility we have as physicians to serve our patients.” — Heidi Schumacher, M.D.’10
Continuing in Their Education
For the Class of 2030, this is just the beginning of an incredible journey to reaching their goal of being a physician. Heidi Schumacher, M.D.’10, associate professor of pediatrics at Larner and president of the UVM Medical Alumni Association, congratulated the class and reflected, “The white coat, to me, symbolizes the privilege and moral responsibility we have as physicians to serve our patients. Wearing a white coat always brings me back to the community of physicians and patients with whom I began my career here at UVM.”
The 124 students in the Larner Medical Class of 2030 have gracefully integrated into the community these past two months and are well on their way to accomplishing great things.