The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine officially welcomed 140 first-year medical students during the Class of 2030 White Coat Ceremony, Sept. 4.
In front of friends, family, mentors, staff and faculty, each student received their first white coat and recited the Oath of Commitment, symbolizing their transition into the healthcare profession. The ceremony marked the students’ formal entry into medicine and their commitment to patient care and lifelong learning.
“We are so excited to have you here. You are entering the most noble of professions,” Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine said to the students. “The white coat is a symbol of trust With that trust comes obligation. The coat confers authority and demands integrity, intelligence and humility.”
Adreeja Mukherjee, Morsani College of Medicine Class of 2030
Like many of her classmates, Adreeja Mukherjee has wanted to be a doctor since she was a child, and reaching this milestone is a reminder of the formative experiences that led her to pursue medicine. The daughter of immigrants, Mukherjee was driven to become a physician in part by the loss of family members in India who might have survived if more healthcare resources had been available.
While completing her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Florida, Mukherjee volunteered with Love Without Boundaries, an international children’s charity providing medical care, education, nutrition, foster care and family strengthening to vulnerable children and families around the world.
She said receiving her first white coat is about seizing the opportunity to carry those experiences into her own work with patients, perhaps one day as a plastic surgeon treating underserved patient populations with Love Without Boundaries.
“I initially looked at getting my first white coat as the first milestone. Now I’m more driven to serve,” said Mukherjee. “I’ve watched many kids heal from their various types of surgeries and go on to live happy and healthy lives. Working with them solidified my love for representing the underserved.”
Dolly and Joe Madachy with medical students and their donated stethoscopes from the Jason Madachy Foundation.
With new white coats on their shoulders, students exchanged their first stethoscopes, provided generously by the Jason Madachy Foundation. Dolly and Joe Madachy, who were in attendance, established the foundation to honor their son’s love of medicine and philanthropy. Each stethoscope is engraved with the phrase “Excel in Leaving a Mark,” a motto personifying the values Jason lived by. Having medical students exchange the stethoscopes signifies their mutual support for each other throughout their medical school journey.
University of South Florida President Moez Limayem attended the ceremony for the first time as university president. In his address, he reminded students that receiving their first white coat means accepting the responsibility that comes with being a physician.
“As you begin this journey, I encourage you to always stay curious, ask questions and seek excellence,” President Limayem said. “During long days and challenging moments, stay connected to your purpose. We are excited to see the physicians, leaders, innovators and advocates you will become.”
Meet a couple of the Morsani College of Medicine students who received their first white coat:
Andrew Maroun
When Andrew Maroun was just 10 years old, he made a life-sized red and blue clay model of a heart. It was emblematic of the interest in medicine and cardiology he held at an early age. More than a decade later, he keeps that same model heart in his freezer as a reminder of his lifelong goal.
As an early-admission student at USF and a National Merit Scholarship recipient, the Lutz, Fla., native spent what would have been his senior year at Steinbrenner High School beginning his undergraduate studies at USF. He earned a place in the USF 7-year B.S./M.D. Accelerated Program, a partnership between the Judy Genshaft Honors College and Morsani College of Medicine for first-time-in-college students to receive admission into the medical school.
That program gave him an early look at the medical school, and during his final year as an undergraduate, he took a course that introduced him to the medical school’s leadership and faculty.
“I had a very positive experience with everyone I had a chance to talk to,” Maroun said, recalling those interactions. “It got me even more excited to go to medical school here.”
Maroun also earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from USF, a subject that he says helps to examine the ethical questions he will encounter as a physician. It also gives him a deeper appreciation for the symbolism of the white coat he now dons. He hopes can live up to the same standards and philosophies set by Hippocrates.
“It’s an honor participating in a tradition and taking an oath that dates back more than 2,000 years,” Maroun said. “I believe there is good and evil in the universe. Being good involves serving others, and that’s a mission worthy of sacrifice. I hope that through helping others, I can make a real difference.”
Katryna Adamski
By the time Katryna Adamski was in third grade, the Tarpon Springs, Fla., native was interested in a healthcare career, inspired by her mother, a nurse practitioner. Watching her mother care for patients in need helped her begin to picture herself doing the same.
Adamski’s experience of the provider-patient relationship became personal when her brother Joel was diagnosed with pediatric cancer while she was in middle school. As he was treated at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, she was struck by the kindness and consideration of his doctors, something she said brought “moments of joy” to an otherwise difficult situation.
“The doctors were always finding the silver lining and keeping positive energy and good morale for our family,” Adamski said.
While earning her undergraduate degree in Nutrition Sciences at the University of Florida, she regularly volunteered with the organization that supported her family during her brother’s diagnosis and treatment: Child Life, a UF Health organization established to help children and families cope with the stress and anxiety of hospitalization. She spent time with children who were hospitalized for long periods of time by playing with them, talking to them, doing whatever she could to help bring a sense of normalcy.
Many of Adamski’s family and friends were at the ceremony to watch her don her first white coat, a humbling reminder, to her, of how big her support system is. She’s considering specializing in critical care to be able to help patients and families through some of their most difficult moments, just like the doctors did for her brother and father.
“It’s an honor to get my first white coat. Life has taught me that even under the worst circumstances, physicians can still bring optimism, compassion and hope to the bedside even if the long-term outcome isn’t good,” Adamski said. “The most important lesson for me is that caring for the person is just as important as treating the disease.”
Additional images from the ceremony
