Looking out at the medical school’s newest students as they anticipated receiving their first white coats, Neil Hughes, MD, was reminded of the day a decade before when he sat in the same seats at the White Coat Ceremony for the MD Class of 2019 at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed).
“When I think back to sitting where you are now, I remember feeling like I had just finished a 27.2-mile marathon only to find myself standing at the starting line of another race,” said Dr. Hughes, the medical school’s assistant dean for Simulation and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine. “It reminds me of the words Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke to the troops before D-Day in 1944: ‘You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.’
“The eyes of the world are upon you, too,” he added. “From this moment forward, people will be watching you, looking up to you, depending on you, hoping you’ll be the one who can help. You will be their lifeline in moments of fear and uncertainty.”
Dr. Hughes served as the keynote speaker for the Class of 2029 White Coat Ceremony, which was held on Friday, September 5, 2025, at WMU’s Miller Auditorium. The event was also livestreamed, allowing family members and friends who could not attend in-person to tune in to the festivities.
The opportunity to address the 86 students from the MD Class of 2029 was, in a way, a full-circle moment for Dr. Hughes, whose involvement with WMed began more than a decade ago when he worked as a part-time, on-call simulation technician in the medical school’s Simulation Center. His journey as a medical student in Kalamazoo began in 2015 and he completed his residency training in the Internal Medicine residency program at WMed in 2022 before joining the faculty in the Department of Medicine and becoming assistant dean for Simulation in May 2025.
“The white coat ceremony is more than a tradition – it marks a moment of transformation,” Dr. Hughes said. “Today, you step into a role that will challenge you, shape you, and ultimately change your life. I know this because WMed has changed mine … I’ve seen WMed grow, I’ve grown with it, and I can tell you with certainty: this school will transform you too.”
In addition to Dr. Hughes, students and their families heard remarks from WMed Dean Robert G. Sawyer, MD, and M2 Omar Shaikh, among others, during the ceremony.
Having just finished his first year at WMed, Shaikh shared with the Class of 2029 five lessons he hoped would “serve as guideposts for your own journey.” Shaikh told the students to embrace imposter syndrome; to employ gratitude in all that they do; to live medicine, not just study it; to remember that medicine is a team sport and to build a support system, and to always lead with empathy.
“Your white coat will feel big today, literally and metaphorically,” Shaikh said. “But over the next four years, you’ll grow into it. You’ll add little creases and coffee stains, you’ll learn what goes in which pocket, and you’ll start to carry yourself like someone who belongs in it.
“And, one day, a patient will look at you and trust you with their life,” Shaikh added. “That’s when you’ll realize: you didn’t just put on a white coat. You became it.”
The white coat for each student at the White Coat Ceremony was made possible by contributions from white coat sponsors. Each student received a handwritten note from their sponsor that was placed in the pocket of their white coat for them to read.
“Serving as a white coat sponsor is an exciting and rewarding way to support a medical student as they begin their journey to become a physician,” said Susan Thoms, MD, who serves as co-chair of the 2025 White Coat Sponsorship Campaign, along with her husband David Thoms.
Before they were cloaked with their first white coats, students from the Class of 2029 heard from Dr. Thoms, as well as M2 Sydney Slepian. The Thomses served as Slepian’s white coat sponsors at the White Coat Ceremony for the MD Class of 2028.
Slepian acknowledged the challenges that come with being a medical student and navigating the rigors of medical school. While all of that can feel daunting, she assured the students that their white coat sponsors can serve as an important part of their support system to help them along the way.
“That name on the piece of paper in your white coat pocket is not just someone who covered the costs of your white coat and stethoscope, it is someone in the community who wants to be a part of your journey, someone you can count on and turn to throughout your medical school career,” Slepian said.
As the White Coat Ceremony concluded, the students recited their class oath, which they wrote collectively. The oath serves as a code of conduct throughout their time at WMed and as physicians after graduation.
During his remarks, Dr. Hughes passed along to the students from the MD Class of 2029 what he said were the seven “transformative lessons” that he has learned during his time as a learner and physician. The lessons, he said, not only provide guidance about succeeding in medical school but also “about building a meaningful career and a meaningful life.”
“As you step forward into this profession, carry these lessons with you,” Dr. Hughes said. “Remember that nobody is just anybody – you belong here, and your presence matters. Run your 27.2–mile marathon and go the extra mile, but take the water breaks when you need them. Teach and be teachable, because medicine is a lifelong exchange of knowledge.
“Use your voice boldly, but never forget the power of silence because sometimes listening is the most healing act you can offer,” he added. “Laugh often, because joy will sustain you.
Be the giant when others need your strength, and never underestimate the impact of simply being nice. If you can live out these lessons, you will not only survive this journey – you will thrive. WMed will change your life, just as it changed mine. And when your time here is done, you will leave with more than a degree or a white coat. You will leave with the ability to change lives. That is the privilege and the responsibility of wearing this coat. And today, it becomes yours.”