The Warren Alpert Medical School offered a ceremonial welcome to the 148 students who comprise the MD Class of 2028 at its annual white coat celebration.
The 148 first-year medical students at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School took an important ceremonial and sartorial step toward becoming the next generation of physicians at this year’s Ceremony of Commitment to Medicine on Saturday, Sept. 21.
The annual event, informally known as the white coat ceremony, acknowledges the dedication that brought Brown’s newest medical students to Providence and welcomes them to the profession. Per tradition, students are “coated” by the dean, with white coats donated by the Brown Medical Alumni Association.
Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Mukesh K. Jain, MD, opened the ceremony by congratulating students for their achievements. He emphasized the importance of support from loved ones, friends, family and mentors.
“We choose this as our calling not because it is easy, but because it is hard, and it is important,” Jain said.
Idowu Olugbade MD’25 delivered a student reflection, offering advice from her own medical school experience in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. She advised the incoming class to “learn to embrace and lead through uncertainty,” and said doing so is central to working in medicine.
“Patients do not come with instruction manuals or neatly packaged symptoms that fit textbook descriptions,” Olugbade said. “They come with complexities and stories that are sometimes only half-told. You will find yourself piecing together fragments, and there will be times when you must act without a complete picture.”
Olugbade said the science of medicine would give students a framework to build from, but emphasized that the underlying “art of medicine” would be how to respond in unfamiliar situations and conditions. This uncertainty has only been heightened in a world facing global turbulence.
“Amid this uncertainty, our patients will look to us for answers, for reassurance, and for hope,” Olugbade said. “You don’t need to have all the answers — I definitely don’t, and no one does. But as future physicians, our strength lies in our ability to step into uncertainty, listen, act with compassion, use our voices and lead.”
The symbolism of the white coat
Benjamin Brown ’08 MD’12, the Mimi Pichey ’72 Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who gave this year’s Charles O. Cooke, M.D. Distinguished Visiting Lectureship, reflected on the true meaning of the white coat and how his experiences as a medical student and physician shaped him. He said his old white coats, with all their stains and wear, remind him of his days as a trainee as well as past patients who taught him everything from how to start an I.V. to how to give comfort and counsel.
“I would not have learned any of these things without my white coat—without my patients granting me the privilege to accompany them,” Brown said. “Just as my Quaker school taught me when I was very young, wearing a white coat has taught me time and again that wisdom can come from anyone in our community. We should listen when people speak.”
Brown recalled his time testifying before a committee at the Rhode Island State House on access to abortion. He wore his white coat as a “reminder of humanity” he shares with patients.
“Do not let your white coat separate you from your patients,” Brown said. “Your white coat is not a symbol of otherness. It is not a symbol of superiority. It is a symbol of humanity and of humility. It is a symbol of your commitment to go with your patients and to allow yourself to be changed by them.”
After the ceremony, Victor Damptey MD’28 said the reality of how “momentous” receiving his white coat had settled in. He said he was thankful to be able to share this moment with his family and his classmates.
“I’ve always been interested in helping people, whether that’s through technology, engineering, or face-to-face interactions,” he said. “Being here at Brown has enabled me to put all those skills together to be able to help my community.”
Another newly coated medical student, Julia Contini MD’28, said she is excited to attend clinical rotations and see different specialties, as she explores potential educational and career options.
“It’s so exciting to be here with all my classmates and all our families and friends, just to celebrate such an exciting journey to come,” Contini said.
Contini’s family in attendance included her aunt, Elena Massarotti, MD, a rheumatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Massarotti said working in medicine would fulfill all of her niece’s dreams.
“It’s a great profession, and I told her to learn the material well and do what she loves—whatever it is,” Massarotti said.
