Peoria’s 65 Newest Medical Students Celebrate White Coat Ceremony
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria welcomed 65 new, first year medical students during its White Coat ceremony on Friday, August 16, at Embassy Suites in East Peoria.
The White Coat ceremony is a medical school tradition to welcome students to the profession as they begin their study of medicine in the four-year curriculum leading to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. While 35 members of the class consider Illinois their home state, the class as a whole represents 16 different states, 40 different undergraduate institutions, and 20 different majors. Collectively, they have completed more than 46,000 hours of research, 23,000 hours of medical volunteering, and 22,000 hours of community service.
UICOMP Regional Dean Meenakshy Aiyer says of the incoming UICOMP Class of 2028, “Each year, the White Coat ceremony marks a celebration of the best and brightest students entering the field of medicine. We welcome them to the profession as well as to their medical school journey here in Peoria. The growth and contributions that these students will make over the next four years are truly remarkable. When you think of their future patients and the lives they will touch, the potential in this room is powerful.”
At the Peoria regional campus, the UICOMP Alumni Council sponsors the event and provides the white coats for the students. The White Coat ceremony comes at the end of the class’s orientation week before officially starting their studies next week.
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP) educates 265 medical students and more than 300 physician residents and fellows annually. Additionally, it provides clinical care to more than 45,000 patients annually and conducts basic science, clinical and outcomes research. The College of Medicine is home to the Cancer Research Center, Center for Wellbeing, and is a collaborator in Jump Simulation.