Starting in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic moved White Coat Ceremonies to a virtual event, the Gold Foundation has offered video remarks by healthcare leaders, tailored to medical and nursing schools. Schools are welcome to incorporate these videos into their ceremonies. This is a free benefit for schools. They are not available for public viewing at this time.
The Gold Foundation thanks the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for their support and assistance in creating these addresses.
For any questions, please reach out to Michelle Sloane at msloane@gold-foundation.org.
The 2022 White Coat Ceremony virtual keynote address for medical schools features Dr. Nana Afoh-Manin, an emergency medicine physician, social entrepreneur, and champion of health equity. She is the Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Shared Harvest Foundation, and is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. There are two versions of the video; the only difference is the introduction. In the version for allopathic (MD) schools, she is introduced by Dr. Richard I. Levin, President & CEO of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, and Dr. David J. Skorton, President and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). In the version for osteopathic (DO) schools, she is introduced by Dr. Richard I. Levin, President & CEO of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, and Dr. Robert A. Cain, President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM).
Medical schools planning a White Coat Ceremony can request access to this virtual keynote address through this form.
The 2022 virtual keynote address for nursing schools features Chief Nurse Officer Rear Admiral Aisha K. Mix, an experienced clinician, public health practitioner, educator, and emergency manager. She is introduced by Dr. Richard I. Levin, President and CEO of the Gold Foundation, and Dr. Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
Nursing schools planning a ceremony can request access to this virtual keynote address through this form.
For more resources, school administrators should visit our Medical Ceremony Toolkit and Nursing Ceremony Toolkit.
The White Coat Ceremony is an iconic ritual that emphasizes compassionate, collaborative, scientifically excellent care from the very first day 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 nearly 30 years, the Foundation has seeded White Coat Ceremonies at medical schools and, starting in 2014, White Coat/Oath and Pledge Ceremonies at nursing schools, around the globe. Read more about the background and significance of this iconic ceremony.