White Coat Ceremony Welcomes Class of 2017
Philadelphia – Penn Dental Medicine welcomed its incoming Class of 2017 DMD students with its annual White Coat Ceremony, held Monday, August 26, at the Zellerbach Theatre in the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Center. Family, friends, alumni, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate with the Class of 2017 as they began their study of dental medicine.
This annual tradition holds symbolic significance for the incoming class as they declare their commitment to assume the responsibilities and obligations of the dental profession.
This new class includes 120 students – 55 men and 65 women, representing six foreign countries (Canada, Jamaica, People’s Republic of China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam) and 24 states. “The white coats you receive distinguish you for what you are now, sources of pride for your families, and as men and women who will carry on the finest traditions of the University of Pennsylvania,” said Morton Amsterdam Dean Denis Kinane in the program’s welcoming remarks.
The program included a keynote address by Michael A. Fitts, Dean and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law at Penn Law, and a presentation by Dr. D. Walter Cohen (C’47, D’50), Dean Emeritus of Penn Dental Medicine on the history of Penn Dental Medicine.
Following the presentation and introduction of each student in their white coats, the ceremony concluded with the reciting of the Penn Dental Medicine Professional Pledge, followed by a reception for all attendees.