Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons celebrates their 30th White Coat Ceremony — which was also the 30th anniversary of the ceremony itself.
The White Coat Ceremony is an iconic ritual that emphasizes kind, safe, trustworthy care from the start of training in the healthcare professions. The Gold Foundation established this tradition in 1993 at Columbia University as a way to highlight the importance of humanism in all care of patients.
For more than 30 years, the Foundation has seeded White Coat Ceremonies at medical schools around the country and world and, starting in 2014, White Coat/Oath and Pledge Ceremonies at nursing schools. Read more about the background and significance of this iconic ceremony.