Keynote speaker encourages authenticity at College of Medicine White Coat Ceremony

On Friday, August 9, the Central Michigan University College of Medicine welcomed the Class of 2029 with a traditional white coat ceremony.  This is the 13^th cohort of medical students to join the CMU community.  This year’s class consists of over 100 students, selected from more than 8,500 applicants. Among them are 86 Michigan residents, eight of whom received their undergraduate degrees from CMU.  These future physicians began their formal medical education by accepting their white coats and making a commitment to compassionate care by reciting the Declaration of Geneva.

This year’s keynote speaker was Brian Williams, M.D., a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy.  After his active-duty service, Williams earned his medical degree from the University of South Florida and completed his surgical residency training at Harvard Medical School.  He has completed fellowships in trauma and critical care at Emory University.

On July 7, 2016, Williams led the Parkland Hospital team that treated seven Dallas, Texas police officers ambushed by a sniper. His impassioned response to the tragedy thrust him into the national spotlight, sparking his political advocacy.  He was subsequently appointed chair of the Dallas Citizens Police Review Board and served as special advisor for Health Equity for Dallas County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As an expert in gun violence prevention and health care disparities, Williams has authored an award-winning memoir; “The Bodies Keep Coming: Dispatches from a Black Trauma Surgeon on Racism, Violence and How We Heal.”  The book diagnoses the roots of violence and provides an intimate look at the grief and anger Williams experienced as a Black doctor on the front lines of trauma care.  He provided a copy of the book for every student in the class.

When speaking to the students, Williams urged them to maintain their authenticity throughout their medical career and stressed to them the tremendous impact they will have on their patients and their profession by bringing their authentic selves to their jobs every day.  “There will be moments that will test you throughout your journey,” Williams said. “And I mean tested at your core.  What do you stand for?  What are your values?  You need to embrace your authenticity, live your values.  And if you do that, you will have the power to save patients' lives, the power to change the world.”

The tradition of the White Coat Ceremony was started by Dr. Arnold P. Gold at Columbia University in 1993. Gold was a professor, pediatric neurologist, and passionate advocate for humanistic health care. He believed the oath taken by new physicians at the end of medical school came too late. Through the nonprofit organization he and his wife, Dr. Sandra Gold, started, The Arnold P. Gold Foundation has expanded the White Coat Ceremony around the globe.  Now, nearly every medical school in the United States hosts a similar event for incoming students.