AUA has earned a $5,000 grant from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to finance this year’s White Coat Ceremony. The grant also includes pins that will be given to each student. These pins represent the Foundation’s mission: to foster humanism in medicine.

The Foundation was founded in 1988 to encourage more empathetic physicians. The White Coat Ceremony was originally designed by them to welcome entering medical students and establish a contract with the practice of medicine. The first ceremony was held at Columbia University in 1993 and has become a rite of passage at 94% of U.S. medical schools.

The White Coat Ceremony is a bonding process between the students and respected leaders in the medical field. Each student is cloaked with a white coat by a leader who believes he or she is worthy of carrying on this noble profession. Students also recite the Hippocratic Oath to demonstrate their commitment to the values that are upheld by physicians around the world.

AUA is one of the few international medical schools to take part in this grand tradition. This year’s White Coat Ceremony will take place October 20th.