White Coat Ceremony 2017 Largest Yet
On Saturday, July 8, 2017, a record number of friends and family members packed into Metcalf Hall in the BU Student Union at 4 p.m. to watch the members of the DMD Class of 2019 and DMD Advanced Standing (AS) Class of 2018 participate in the annual White Coat Ceremony, which marks the midway point of the dental students’ education and celebrates their transition from the classroom to the Patient Treatment Center.
After all the 860 students and attendees had taken their seats in Metcalf Hall, the White Coat Ceremony began with a welcome from Assistant Dean of Students Dr. Joseph Calabrese, followed by opening remarks from Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter.
Although they (our students) have had the opportunity of treating patients since they began their dental education, they are about to begin the very important phase of their education in which they manage their own patients and provide comprehensive oral healthcare to them,” said Dean Hutter.
The keynote address followed Dean Hutter’s remarks and it was delivered by Dr. Joseph P. Crowley, President-elect of the American Dental Association (ADA). After the keynote address, the two classes were presented to Dean Hutter by Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Cataldo Leone to signify the beginning of the ceremony.
The students approached the stage four-at-a-time to don their white coats, signifying an important transition in their educational and dental careers. While Dr. Stephen Dulong announced their names, Dr. Joseph Calabrese, Dr. John Guarente, Dr. Celeste Kong, Dr. Cataldo Leone, and Dr. Janet Peters assisted the students in donning their coats. Dr. Tina Valades and Dr. Matthew Zwieg served as Marshalls for the Ceremony. When all the students had their coats on and had returned to their seats, Dean Hutter sked them to stand as he led the DMD Class of 2019 and DMD AS Class of 2018 in reciting the Professional Oath.
Several students were then recognized with awards. The recipients of the Spencer N. Frankl Scholarships, American Dental Association (ADA) Foundation Scholarship, and Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dr. William S. Kramer Award of Excellence were announced.
The Spencer N. Frankl Scholarships were awarded to Safina-Aliya Dhanji DMD 19, Brian Nadeau DMD 19, Katelyn Quan DMD 19, and Elaine Wu DMD 19, while the American Dental Association Foundation Scholarships were presented to Erica Janik DMD 19 and Charmi Shah DMD 19.
Lastly, the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dr. William S. Kramer Award of Excellence was presented to Zachary Fried DMD 19 by Dean Hutter and Dr. Crowley
Dean Hutter closed the ceremony with a few more remarks to the students and their families and friends.
“Members of the Doctor of Dental Medicine Class of 2019 and the Doctor of Dental Medicine Advanced Standing Class of 2018, we value your experience and we are certainly very fortunate to have you as students,” he said. “You are the best and the brightest and I know that I speak for the entire faculty and staff when I say that we feel privileged and deeply gratified that you made the decision and, it was the correct one, to attend our Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.“
All of the DMD 19 and DMD AS 18 students, now that they officially have their white coats, will be tasked with managing the comprehensive oral healthcare of their patients, while providing them with needed treatment in the Predoctoral Patient Treatment Centers of GSDM.
Following the ceremony, a reception was held in the Ziskind Lounge.
Before the ceremony began, students, families, and friends were also invited to participate in special tours of GSDM conducted by: Jaime Waller DMD 18, Megan Sullivan DMD 18, Scott Jegard DMD 18, Valerie LaScala DMD 18, Nobiru Suzuki DMD 18, Luis Perez DMD 18, Amanda Alon DMD 18, Sasha Manchanda DMD 18, Sloane Kaminski-Ditzel DMD 18, Selena Francis DMD 18, Victoria Mitic DMD 18, Katherine Moynihan DMD 18, Kyle Glass DMD 18, and Alicia Tavares DMD 18. These tours provided families and friends of the DMD Class of 2019 and DMD AS Class of 2018 an opportunity to see where the dental students are educated and provide oral healthcare to their patients. Dean Hutter and Dr. Calabrese greeted and took photos with the students, families, and friends on the front steps of the School prior to the tours.
Photos can be found on Flickr.