The White Coat ceremony marks an important milestone for every first-year medical student as they begin their medical education journey.
WMed invites community members to sponsor a student’s white coat to have a significant and direct impact on the medical school’s newest students. Each year, the White Coat Sponsorship Program raises funds to support the White Coat Ceremony. This year, the ceremony is slated for Friday, September 8, at 3:00 p.m. inside Miller Auditorium, with an opportunity for sponsors and students to meet immediately following the ceremony. At the ceremony, each first-year student will receive their first white coat of their medical career in the presence of family, friends, sponsors, and the medical school community.
“We are incredibly grateful for the community members who choose to sponsor our students,” said Michele Serbenski, senior associate dean for Institutional Advancement. “This sponsorship expresses trust in and support for our next generation of physicians, and often has an impact on them for the rest of their medical school experiences.”
Classic sponsorship opportunities begin at $500 and increase if an individual chooses to sponsor more than one student. Sponsorships allow each of the medical school’s 84 students in the Class of 2027 to receive their first white coat, along with a stethoscope, tuning fork, reflex hammer, personal protective equipment, and apparel needed for coursework and clinical applications. White Coat sponsors have the chance to write a note of congratulations that will be placed inside the pocket of their sponsored student’s white coat.
2023 White Coat sponsorship levels:
- Classic Sponsorship - $500 to support 1 student
- Copper Sponsorship - $1,000 to support 2 students
- Bronze Sponsorship - $1,500 to support 3 students
- Silver Sponsorship - $2,500 to support 5 students
- Gold Sponsorship - $5,000 to support 10 students
- Platinum Sponsorship – $10,000 to support 20 students
Click here to make a sponsorship donation online or send a $500 check payable to WMU Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine to: Gift Processing, 1903 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5403. Please write “White Coat Sponsor” in the memo section for the check.