More than 60 first-year students in Mercer University’s School of Medicine will receive their white coats and be welcomed into the medical profession Saturday at 10 a.m. in Willingham Auditorium on the Macon campus.
 
“The white coat ceremony is a tradition that marks the beginning of a course of transformative education leading to the title of physician. It implies the acceptance of great responsibility, trust, compassion and a call to service,” said Jean R. Sumner, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine.
 
W. Douglas Skelton, M.D., former dean of the School of Medicine, will be keynote speaker. Guy D. Foulkes, M.D., board certified orthopaedic surgeon at OrthoGeorgia and an alumnus of the School of Medicine, will cloak the participants.
 
“OrthoGeorgia is a proud, longtime sponsor of this ceremony that marks a very significant milestone in the lives of future physicians,” said Dr. Foulkes.
 
In addition to support received from OrthoGeorgia, SunTrust provided support for the School of Medicine’s white coat ceremonies in Macon and Savannah.
 
“The SunTrust Foundation has a long and proud history of supporting schools and educational programs that positively impact the lives of students and benefit our communities and, ultimately, the economic viability of our state,” said Jim Manley, president, SunTrust Bank, Macon/Columbus/Albany Region. “Our partnership with Mercer University’s School of Medicine continues that long tradition and helps these students take a step toward financial confidence. We could not be more pleased to grant this honor to this deserving and dedicated group of future healthcare professionals.”
 
The white coat ceremony was designed by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation as a way to welcome new medical students and set clear expectations regarding their primary role as physicians by professing an oath.
 
Today, the ceremony emphasizes the importance of compassionate care as well as scientific proficiency. The first white coat ceremony took place in 1993 at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Since then, more than half of the nation’s medical schools have had some form of white coat ceremony.