Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine holds White Coat Ceremony for Class of 2028

SCRANTON – Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine held its 16th annual White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2028 on Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Theater at North in Scranton.
The Class of 2028’s 115 future doctors participated in a ceremony held in common with virtually every other medical school in the nation.

Geisinger Commonwealth’s president and dean, Julie Byerley, M.D., M.P.H., noted that more than one-third of the class is composed of Abigail Geisinger Scholars and a similar number are local students. “This White Coat Ceremony welcomes many future doctors who intend to stay and practice medicine right here in our communities,” she said. “And those who venture to other communities will take with them the uniquely Geisinger perspective on how to use innovation to make better health easier.” 

White Coat ceremonies are designed to initiate new medical students into the profession by taking an oath acknowledging their responsibilities as future physicians and their obligations to future patients. The high point of the ceremony is when the future doctors are cloaked with the white coat — the mantle of the medical profession. White coats were provided by The Stanley J. Dudrick, M.D., and Alan G. Goldstein Endowed Fund.

Dr. Byerley said the oath reminds students of the universal constant of medicine — the doctor-patient relationship. “We need you to bring your uniquely human presence into this work,” she told students. “Such service is demanding . . . and at times you will feel the burdens of service to be quite heavy. At those times, remember your oath. The oath will remind you that your relationship with the patient is central to your identity as a physician.” 

Gehred D. Wetzel, D.O., presented the Dr. Lester Saidman Memorial Lecture, named in honor of the legendary Tunkhannock OB-GYN and educator who brought the concept of round-the-clock emergency care to Luzerne County.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.