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BIDDEFORD, Maine

College of Osteopathic Medicine celebrates White Coat Ceremony

Over 1,200 family members and friends gathered to celebrate as 124 first-year students at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine participated in the College's annual White Coat Ceremony that formally recognizes the transition students make from lay persons to those assuming the responsibility of physicians.

The evening ceremony was held at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, Maine on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009.
 
Event highlights included welcome remarks by Marc B. Hahn, D.O., the new Dean of the UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine, who stated, "... Becoming an osteopathic physician begins now.  Society will increasingly grant you significant, and I hope humbling power and responsibility in your care for your fellow human beings ... As you develop the qualities that will make you good - ìeven outstanding - physicians, you will grow in knowledge and skills ... For this to be true growth, you must recognize your own weaknesses and strengths, and work to develop confidence while maintaining awareness of your own limitations.  Today I congratulate you on your achievements thus far, and encourage you as you begin your medical education."

In keeping with tradition, the medical students were presented their white coats by members of the physician community. UNECOM also initiated a new tradition at this year's event. Both the Maine Osteopathic Association President Joel Kase, DO, MPH, and the Maine Medical Association President David McDermott, MD, MPH, joined Dean Hahn on the dais and welcomed the first-year students into the house of medicine.  

Peter Bell, DO, assistant dean for Ohio University COM/CORE Pre- and Post-doctorate Education, delivered the keynote address.  Second-year medical student Alan Schleier, president of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association, also shared remarks.  Polly Leonard, DO '95 UNECOM, president of the UNECOM Alumni Board, led the reading of the Osteopathic Oath.  A reception to honor the Class of 2013 followed.
 
The White Coat Ceremony was an idea conceived by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to create a psychological contract for professionalism and empathy in medicine. The first White Coat Ceremony took place in 1993 at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons. Since then, more than 100 other medical schools in the U.S. and abroad have initiated a similar ceremony.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.