The School of Medicine welcomed the incoming class of PhD students beginning their biomedical research career at the annual “Seeds of Discovery” White Coat Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 20.
Interim Dean Stan Gerson stressed the importance of donning the white coat as a symbol of the students’ “commitment to this profession of biomedical science and impact on human health” and shared the school’s commitment to teach each of them a new approach to education and discovery.
“The purpose of this program is to really teach you how to learn, not what you will learn, different ways of learning, different ways of listening to your colleagues, asking questions in a different way and encouraging you to become as independent as you can in the process you take of asking fundamental questions that are out there in the world about human health,” he said. “Our job is to help you get to the point where you have that prepared mind.”
After each student received their coat from the department chairs, Biomedical Graduate Student Organization President Alyssa Hubal congratulated the students on moving “one step closer to their future careers as scientists” and addressed the significance of being a champion for unbiased discoveries after the recent scrutiny of biomedical research related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You will not only have the opportunity to conduct meaningful research that will contribute to the advances of science and medicine but aid in the restoration of the public’s trust and confidence in that research,” she said. “As a member of the scientific community, you are, and should be, the biggest advocate of your scientific findings while still maintaining impartiality that will effectively communicate the truth regarding all scientific research.
Family and friends celebrated the students after the ceremony with refreshments.
The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine congratulates this new cohort of scientists!