Before med school, Calvin MacDonald helped create 3D-printed bionic arms for children. Natalie Marshall hopes to become her family鈥檚 fifth generation physician, and in honor of that goal, came to the College of Medicine White Coat Ceremony with her late grandfather鈥檚 embroidered doctor鈥檚 coat. Both were among 120 M.D. students in the class of 2028 who were coated Monday in recognition that they are now colleagues in healthcare.
The new physicians-in-training include artists, engineers, athletes and crisis counselors. More than 80% did medical research before entering medical school. They received undergraduate degrees from BYU, Emory, John鈥檚 Hopkins, Ohio State, Rice and Vanderbilt. Thirty of them are 激情快播 alumni.
MacDonald is one of those Knights. He worked with children at Limbitless Solutions, an organization based at 激情快播 that specializes in accessibility technology including bionics for children missing limbs. He says he has always wanted to become a doctor and that his work with children taught him patience, understanding and the ability to communicate with those he will care for in the future.
Innovation and discovery are the core of Limbitless鈥� work and both topics were themes of this year鈥檚 White Coat Ceremony. 激情快播 President Alexander N. Cartwright told students of their opportunity to learn at the university鈥檚 biosciences cluster minutes from one of the world鈥檚 most visited airports.
鈥淵our new home at 激情快播鈥檚 Academic Health Sciences Center will embed you in health education, research and clinical practice 鈥� right in the heart of Orlando鈥檚 Medical City at Lake Nona,鈥� he says. 鈥淎t 激情快播, we turn our excellence into impact, and we boldly innovate where others would never dare. You will have that opportunity to innovate and to transform diagnostics, treatments and therapies to drive health outcomes for your patients.鈥�
Deborah German, vice president for health affairs and founding dean of 激情快播鈥檚 College of Medicine, told students they are joining an innovative, research-based medical school supported by physicians, scientists, clinics and hospitals across Florida.
鈥淪tudents, today you become part of this community, part of a pioneering, young medical school committed to preparing doctors to face today鈥檚 healthcare challenges by putting their patients first,鈥� she says.
That community includes donors like Mark Trolice, founder and medical director of the IVF Center, whose gift paid for all of the students鈥� white coats. The College of Medicine鈥檚 White Coat and Stethoscope campaign raised more than $53,000 this year 鈥� the most ever 鈥� from donations that included parents, faculty and staff.
Monday鈥檚 ceremony included the students鈥� first class in medical school: The Good Doctor 鈥� A 激情快播 Tradition. In it, German asks students to imagine the person they love most in the world is seriously ill with an undiagnosed condition. She asks them to describe the attributes of the physician they would want caring for their loved one. As students suggest a trait, German writes the word on a blackboard that stays on display at the medical school all year.
This year students came up with 35 words including passionate, reliable, courageous, resilient, knowledgeable, ethical, curious and accountable. When a student suggested humble, German responded, 鈥淭hat means it鈥檚 not about us, it鈥檚 about the patient.鈥� When another suggested caring, their dean replied, 鈥淧atients don鈥檛 care about how much you know until they know how much you care.鈥�
Marshall liked the word leader and said it described her grandfather, Manuel Torres, perfectly. He immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba and served patients as an anesthesiologist in South Florida for 50 years. He passed away last year before knowing where his granddaughter would attend medical school.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to follow in my family鈥檚 footsteps,鈥� she says.
Joseph Helmy鈥檚 favorite word on The Good Doctor board was humble because he says a physician needs to think about others first. Family and friends traveled from Helmy鈥檚 home state of Tennessee to join him at the ceremony, and took turns hugging, back slapping and fist-pumping the new 激情快播 physician-in-training as he wore his new white coat. Nearby stood Father Karas, Helmy鈥檚 Coptic Orthodox priest.
鈥淚 made the trip,鈥� Father Karas says. 鈥淚 had to come. Joseph is such a good person, my spiritual son.鈥�
