White Coats and a Bright Future for New UIW Medical Students
Special Ceremony Welcomes Third Class to UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine
San Antonio – Hundreds of elated family and friends packed the Tobin Center in downtown San Antonio on Saturday, July 27 for the 3rd Annual University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) School of Osteopathic Medicine White Coat Ceremony. The traditional rite of passage is considered a students official beginning in medical school as they are presented with their first white coat.
“This is a day these students and families will never forget and another historic day for the UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine,” says UIW President Dr. Thomas M. Evans. “These are the future doctors who will carry on the tradition of osteopathic medicine, which is founded in the dynamic interaction of mind, body and spirit. It is a blessing for us at UIW to help provide the knowledge and skills needed for these students to be life-long learners and healers.”
There are 160 students in the incoming class of 2019 who hail from 20 different states and the class has an average age of 26 years old.
Evans joined the faculty from the School of Osteopathic Medicine to present the white coats and Dr. Humayun Javaid Chaudhry, President and CEO of The Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States delivered the keynote address. Among the topics Dr. Chaudhry addressed is what he considers the importance of self-care and self-awareness among medical students as they navigate the sometimes difficult journey of reaching their life-long goals.
The School of Osteopathic Medicine is located at Brooks and opened in 2017. The first class will graduate in 2021.