The medical school’s newest students – the MD Class of 2030 – will be officially welcomed into the medical profession in October during the White Coat Ceremony at WMU’s Miller Auditorium.
The ceremony is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2, 2026. This is a free event and tickets are not required.
“White Coat is one of my favorite moments of the year because it gives us the chance to pause and celebrate our students and the incredible journey they are beginning,” said Alex Carlson, director of Student Life and Well-Being at WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed). “We are so excited to celebrate the Class of 2030 and see them put on their white coats for the first time. It’s a special milestone, and we can’t wait to share it with our students, their families and friends, and the entire WMed community!”
The White Coat Ceremony is a tradition in which first-year students receive their first short white coat of their medical school career. The white coat, a symbol of the medical profession for more than 100 years, signifies the student’s commitment to the practice of medicine and the patient-physician relationship.
The White Coat Ceremony was founded in 1993 by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, which concluded that the beginning of a student’s journey into medicine is the best time to influence standards of professionalism, humanistic values and behavior. At the close of the event, students recite an oath each class writes collectively, which serves as a code of conduct throughout their time at WMed and as physicians after graduation.
The ceremony on October 2 will feature remarks from J. Adrian Tyndall, MD, MPH, FACEP, the Hal B. Jenson, MD Dean, President and CEO of WMed, as well as Maria Sheakley, PhD, associate dean of Student Affairs, and fourth-year student Karli Crouch.
The keynote address will be delivered by Juanita Moses, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at WMed.
Following the White Coat Ceremony, attendees are invited to a reception at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus.
If you are unable to attend the White Coat Ceremony, a livestream of the festivities will be available at wmed.edu/whitecoat.