Over 100 first-year medical students will participate in two Mercer University School of Medicine White Coat Ceremonies in August on the Macon and Savannah campuses, as the students will be “cloaked” in their first white coats.

The Savannah ceremony will take place on August 23 at 11 AM in the Mercer Auditorium at Memorial Health University Medical Center.  Dr. Mark E. Murphy, president of the Georgia Medical Society will be the keynote speaker. Dr. William F. Bina III, Dean of the School of Medicine and Dr. Samuel D. Murray, Associate Dean of Admissions, will cloak the 45 participants. 

The Macon ceremony will take place on August 30 at 1PM in Willingham Auditorium.   Dr. Bruce Innes, professor emeritus of surgery, will be the keynote speaker, and Dr. Guy Folkes, Assistant Professor of Surgery, will cloak the 65 participants. 

The White Coat Ceremony was designed by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation as a way to welcome new students into the medical profession and to set clear expectations regarding their primary role as physicians by professing an oath. Today, the Ceremony emphasizes the importance of compassionate care as well as scientific proficiency. 

The first White Coat Ceremony took place in 1993 at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Since then, more than half of the nation’s medical schools have had some form of White Coat Ceremony.