University of the Pacific’s Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry celebrated its 19th annual White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, July 22, to mark the beginning of clinical experience for students in the DDS Class of 2019, IDS Class of 2019, and Dental Hygiene Class of 2018.
Held at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco, the annual ceremony gave students an opportunity to celebrate this milestone and pledge to uphold professional integrity in front of an audience of nearly 1,000 guests. After months of practice and instruction with manikins in the school’s Simulation Clinic, these students will begin the transition to caring for patients.
Following the presentation of coats by the group practice leaders, Sigmund Abelson, DDS, class of 1966 and associate dean for clinical affairs, led the students in reciting the professional oath. Students pledged to practice professional integrity, commitment to the community, respect for the people they serve, and all other responsibilities of the dental profession.
The ceremony at the Dugoni School goes back to the mid-1990s, when the school became the first dental school in the United States to organize such an event to celebrate the transition for dental students. The school’s clinics serve about 24,000 patients during 118,000 patient visits each year.
“Our young men and women here today are assuming a major responsibility,” said Nader Nadershahi, DDS, EdD, MBA, class of 1994 and dean of the school. “I know they are up for the challenge because I have seen how hard they have worked in school and during the evenings and weekends to ensure that they are prepared for their patients who will put such deep trust in their hands.”
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