Michigan State University is a national leader in the number of health care professionals who graduate each year, and more are on the way. The MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and the MSU College of Human Medicine welcomed a total of 479 new students with White Coat Ceremonies in August.
The White Coat Ceremony, or convocation, marks the successful conclusion of the students’ path to getting accepted into medical school and the beginning of their medical studies. Students are “cloaked” in their first professional white coat and take an oath to practice compassionate and ethical care. Faculty members, mentors and practicing physicians chosen by the students assist with the cloaking ceremony while friends and family members observe and celebrate the tradition.
The College of Human Medicine
Welcoming 190 new students, the College of Human Medicine Class of 2029 includes 73% from Michigan and 16% first-generation students. A number of students hold undergraduate degrees in literature, entrepreneurship and criminal justice, while others had previous careers in economics, history, mechanical engineering and music.
The students will spend their first two years of medical school in either Grand Rapids or East Lansing. The following two years, they will be embedded in one of the college’s eight community campuses across Michigan. Fourteen students will complete the Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved certificate program in Flint, and 22 students will complete the Leadership in Rural Medicine certificate program in either Midland, Traverse City or the Upper Peninsula.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine
The College of Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2029 includes 289 students. Among the new Spartans, 68% are Michigan residents, reflecting the college’s mission to serve the state’s health care needs. The class also includes 14% first-generation college students, nine veterans and 12 international students who bring unique perspectives and experiences to their medical education.
Dean Joyce deJong welcomed the students and reaffirmed the college’s commitment to preparing the next generation of Spartan osteopathic physicians.
“Being an osteopathic physician is more than diagnosing disease,” deJong said. “It’s about understanding the whole person — body, mind and spirit — and meeting them where they are, with skill and humility.”
Read more from the College of Human Medicine
Read more from the College of Osteopathic Medicine
