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By: UPIKE Public Relations | September 15, 2018
The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) will formally welcome members of the Class of 2022 during a traditional White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 2 p.m. at the East Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville.
White coat ceremonies are rites of passage for beginning medical students. White represents purity, healing and the professional ideals of the medical profession that focus on compassionate caregiving. The long white coat is the quintessential symbol of a physician and conveys to patients and the public the wearer’s identity as a physician. The short white coat indicates the wearer’s status as medical student or student doctor.
The white coat ceremony tradition was begun by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in 1993 to promote humanism in medicine. The Gold Foundation provides a gold pin to KYCOM student doctors to wear on their white coats to symbolize commitment to providing compassionate and competent patient care.
In the presence of family members, friends and the campus community, students from the Class of 2022 will be “coated” by the students from the Class of 2021.
The keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Stephen C. Shannon, D.O., MPH. Shannon has been president of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) since January 2006.
Prior to assuming his current position, Shannon served as vice president for Health Services and dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of New England since 1995. He also served as chair of the AACOM Board of Deans from July 2003 to June 2005.
Throughout his career, Shannon has maintained a strong professional interest in public health and preventative medicine, disease prevention, health professions workforce, rural health and medical school curriculum. He is a past president of the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions and currently serves as vice president of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative.
Shannon was instrumental in the development of the Master of Public Health program at the University of New England, and prior to his appointment as dean was the director of Occupational and Environmental Health at the Maine Bureau of Health. He has served on numerous public health boards and commissions and is a founder and past chair of the board of the Maine Center for Public Health.
As a past president of the Maine Biomedical Research Coalition and member of the state’s Biomedical Research Board, he was instrumental in implementing biomedical research expansion within the University of New England, targeting such areas as the impact of diabetes on heart disease and the neurophysiology of pain, memory and addiction.
He has received many awards throughout his career, but most recently was awarded the 2016 Phillips Medal of Public Service by the Ohio Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, the 2016 Dale Dodson Award for leadership and the 2013 Distinguished Service Award from the Maine Osteopathic Association.
The community is cordially invited to attend the White Coat Ceremony. For more information, contact the University of Pikeville Public Affairs office at (606) 218-5273.