Class of 2026 to receive white coats Jan. 9
McGovern Medical School students from the Class of 2026 take the next step in their medical education journeys when they participate in the annual White Coat Ceremony, Jan. 9.
The White Coat Ceremony begins at 3 p.m. at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts (800 Bagby St.), and a ticket distributed by a McGovern Medical School student is required for entry. A live stream of the event will also be available courtesy of the McGovern Medical School Facebook and YouTube pages.
The welcoming address for the White Coat Ceremony will be delivered by Margaret McNeese, MD, Ransom Lummis Family Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and vice dean of Admissions and Student Affairs. The keynote speaker for the event is Eugene Toy, MD, professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and assistant dean of Educational Programs.
The investiture of the white coats will be led by LaTanya Love, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, and dean of education; while Sheela Lahoti, MD, professor of pediatrics and associate dean for admissions and student affairs will lead the administration of the Oath of Hippocrates.
Founded in 1993 by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the White Coat Ceremony officially signifies the first-year medical student’s entrance into the medical profession. At the ceremony, incoming students hear from guest speakers before receiving their white coats, donned with the McGovern Medical School logo. They then participate in the most important element of the ceremony, the Hippocratic Oath, which acknowledges a central obligation of caring for patients.
The 240 students composing the current class of first-year students featured an average MCAT score of 512 and a cumulative GPA of 3.84. The class consists of 230 students from the state of Texas as well as seven other states and Puerto Rico. In total, 52 undergraduate majors are represented in the Class of 2026 from 71 undergraduate colleges. The youngest student of the Class of 2026 is 20 years old, while the oldest student entered medical school at the age of 35.