“At the time I knew I didn’t want to go any other medical school, and I remember seeing the photos four years ago and planning where I would stand if I ever got to be in the picture,” she said. “Being in the picture is definitely a dream come true.”

The official class portrait is taken at the White Coat Ceremony, when first-year students are welcomed to medical school as colleagues in healthcare.  Since the College of Medicine’s Charter Class enrolled in 2009, nine class photos have been hung on the second floor outside the Harriet F. Ginsburg Health Sciences Library.

The designated wall had space for 10 framed portraits. Dr. Deborah German, vice president for health affairs and dean, said every day she walked past the wall, she dreamed of seeing it filled with class portraits. On Monday, the 10^th portrait was hung in a brief ceremony attended by Whittaker, UCF vice presidents and Class of 2022 students.

“Today is an exciting for me,” German said. “I walk up these stairs every day and look at these pictures as I walk by. I knew there would be a day when this wall would be full, and I knew that the 10^th class would be a special class.”

German said the occasion was a milestone for many reasons.

“The medical school is beginning its second decade. The 10^th class began their medical school journey this year. This is also the first year for our fifth president and the first year of the new Academic Health Sciences Center, so it seemed fitting to celebrate these milestones as this is like a turning point for everything we’re doing out here.”

To resounding applause from the students, Whittaker and German pulled the draping from the class picture. Once the formalities were over, students excitedly took turns snapping pictures of the portrait with their cellphones.

“Seeing my picture on the wall makes me feel like I am part of something that’s bigger than myself,” said Class of 2022 student John Weigand. “It feels great today, being part of the 10^th class at such an exciting time for the school, with the new hospital coming soon. I am looking forward to being able to not only learn, but also to contribute and make a difference in the lives of the patients.”

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Read more about the Class of 2022 .

One hundred and twenty medical students received their white coats Monday in a tradition that welcomes them as colleagues in healthcare.

Julia Nedimyer stayed at her alma mater for med school after working with her father to save coral reefs in the Caribbean and South America.

Matthew Abrams, a Fulbright Scholar, came to the with dreams of becoming a psychiatrist who can help people like his mother, who died of alcoholism when Matthew was just 11.

The three were among 120 students who received their white coats Monday in a tradition that welcomes them as colleagues in healthcare. As Dr. Deborah German, vice president for health affairs and dean, finished the 2018 White Coat Ceremony, the crowd of almost 700 gave the Class of 2022 a standing ovation. Standing and applauding in the Pegasus Ballroom’s front row was UCF President Dale Whittaker, who opened the ceremony for the first time as the university’s chief executive.

“You are now part of a College of Medicine that will be a model for 21st-century medical education,” President Whittaker said, “pioneering how to help people live better and teaching you to practice medicine not just for today but for tomorrow.”

He told the new M.D. students there had “never been a better time to join UCF and our College of Medicine,” noting that this summer UCF created an Academic Health Sciences Center bringing together the university’s health-related programs to create new opportunities for interdisciplinary education, research and patient care. Part of that reorganization, President Whittaker said, is a new College of Health Professions and Sciences (CHPS) and the university’s hope to expand the College of Nursing in a new facility in Lake Nona adjacent to the medical school.

Nedimyer said the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students in nursing, social work, physical therapy and other UCF health programs was one of the things that excited her about staying at UCF for medical school after receiving her undergraduate degree in health sciences here. She also was inspired by College of Medicine faculty members Drs. Jonathan Kibble and David Harris, who taught her advanced physiology course. “I love their teaching style,” she said, “and how they communicated with students. They didn’t talk down to you, they engaged you.”

The day was filled with talk of dreams. President Whittaker reminded students that as the UCF motto states, “We reach for the stars.” Griner said he was inspired by seeing the future of the College of Medicine, noting “Dr. German’s dream is infectious.”

Students said they were struck by UCF’s transparency in admissions, its welcoming culture and its commitment to helping students achieve their dreams. The Class of 2022 was selected from a record 5,265 applicants. In comparison, the Charter Class of 2013 whose 41 students received full four-year scholarships, had 4,307 applications.

This year’s first-year class had an average MCAT score of 512 and an average grade point average of 3.79. Students speak 24 languages in addition to English and did their undergraduate work at Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, UCF, ����ֱ�� of Florida and Vanderbilt. Two are candidates in the M.D./Ph.D. program bring that program to a full cohort of students training to be physician scientists. Ninety of the 120 did scientific research before entering medical school on topics that included drug addiction, algae biofuels and metastatic cancer.

As is a UCF College of Medicine tradition, Monday’s White Coat Ceremony included the students’ first class, called “The Good Doctor.” Dr. German asked each new student to imagine the person they love most in the world is seriously ill with a disease doctors can’t diagnose. She asked them to imagine being at the clinic with their beloved person, waiting to see another physician. “What qualities do you hope this physician will have?” she asked.

Students suggested characteristics that Dr. German wrote on a blackboard that will remain on display the entire year. This year’s list of 41 traits included courageous, honest, compassionate, humble, culturally aware, perseverant, inquisitive and charitable.

“This is your contract with me, your faculty, friends, family, community and each other,” Dr. German said, pointing to the words. “With the guidance of the faculty and your own hard work, you will become The Good Doctor.”

The activities were part of Hannah’s December 11 Make-A-Wish Foundation visit to the med school. The ailing girl’s dream – to be a UCF medical student for a day.

At 18, Hannah suffers from Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), a severe immune disorder that causes life-threatening allergic reactions to all kinds of triggers, including food, temperature changes, odors or even being upright for too long. She began having severe symptoms at 11 and was diagnosed at 13. The Ohio native spent almost 200 days last year in the hospital and must take all her classes via computer – she’s a straight A student — to protect her from the world’s triggers.

She’s always dreamed of being a doctor and in the fifth grade did a research paper on the top 10 medical schools in the country she wanted to attend. UCF was number one on her list.

A member of  the family’s church learned of the teen’s wish and contacted Make-A-Wish. The youngster must travel with at least 14 different drugs – including 100 epi-pens in case of an allergic reaction. Though a trip to Orlando was risky for Hannah’s health, she insisted on going to UCF.

“We could have done this 10 minutes from our home,” said her mother, a critical care nurse. “There is a medical school in our town and she knows all of the physicians there. I work in the two largest hospitals in our community and I said to her ‘Hannah, I could get you a better experience at home, you could shadow a physician, and I could get you in the operating room’ but it was not her dream. Her dream was to come to the ����ֱ��.”

“She knew the risk because we had to fly and she could be exposed to any number of triggers. But for her it was worth the risk because this is her dream.”

The trip to UCF was two years in the making and had to be postponed four times because Hannah was hospitalized or too unstable to fly. The last few months have been especially difficult for the teen, who spent two weeks in ICU after a severe reaction to the anesthetic she received for surgery on a broken toe. She also lost one of her best friends, a fellow MCAS patient she met in an online support community.

Hannah’s White Coat Ceremony was a last-minute surprise to the day. First-year UCF students wore their own white coats and created a mini “Good Doctor” board for their young classmate. The Good Doctor is a UCF College of Medicine tradition. Each year on their first day of class, Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and dean, asks students to list the traits of the doctor they would want caring for their most beloved person. Dr. German writes the characteristics in a chalk board that remains on display at the college the entire year. So students wrote on a small board the traits they had said at their August White Coat ceremony — words like courage, compassion and persistence – and presented it to the teen.

“Every minute of the day has been great,” she said. “It’s hard to pick my favorite part. The students are all amazing and was just so sweet of everyone who tried to put all of this together. They really went out of their way. It’s gone above and beyond what I thought medical school was going to be like.”

Her mother said the visit was one of the best days of her life – second only to giving birth to her children. “As a parent, to be able to watch your child live a lifelong dream, it gives you unspeakable joy,” a tearful Culler said. “Many people can live a whole lifetime and not have their dream come true and today UCF is making our daughter’s dream come true. We have no words, just thanks and appreciation.”

Meeting Hannah also “meant the world” to first-year medical student Kevin Petersen, who helped plan the day’s activities.

“The White Coat ceremony is the pinnacle of any med student’s life, because it marks the beginning of your journey to becoming a doctor and so I think it was important for Hannah to experience,” he said.

“Medical school gets really hard and sometimes I wish I wasn’t here. So to know that Hannah’s biggest wish is to be one of us was really a humbling experience. It took us back to why we wanted to be here in the first place.”

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The Cullers’ visit to UCF was featured in the and on FOX 35 television.

Thibeaux and Hosang were among 120 first-year students recognized at the College of Medicine’s Class of 2021 White Coat Ceremony, a med school tradition that recognizes newly enrolled students as colleagues in healthcare. They, like many in the new class – 109 of 120 – did research before they came to medical school. The College of Medicine’s focus on research, its location in Orlando’s emerging Medical City and its innovative teaching and learning tools were reasons both decided to continue their medical training at UCF.

“Today is almost surreal,” Thibeaux said moments after receiving his white coat. “Seven years of studying in undergrad and for my Masters…med school is finally here for us. I’m ready to make a difference.”

Making a difference is a theme of UCF’s White Coat Ceremony. Each year, Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and founding dean, conducts the students’ first class, called “The Good Doctor.” In it, she asks new students to imagine the person they love most in the world is seriously ill with a disease doctors can’t diagnose. She asks them to imagine being at the clinic with their beloved person, waiting to see another physician. What traits do they want that doctor to have?

Students suggest characteristics that Dr. German writes on a blackboard that remains on display the entire year. This year’s list of 48 traits included altruistic, resilient, empathetic, humble, brave and affordable – a term that generated strong applause from White Coat attendees in the Pegasus Ballroom in the UCF Student Union.

“This is your contract with me, your faculty, friends, family, community and each other,” Dr. German said, pointing to the words. “With the guidance of the faculty and your own hard work, you will become The Good Doctor.”

Maryam Zeinomar said The Good Doctor class made her think of her father. Mohammad, a pediatric gastroenterologist. Ever since she was a child, Zeinomar said she was struck by her father’s commitment to caring for others. “It is his passion, something he really goes after,” she said. “It’s not a job.” Zeinomar did her undergraduate work at Case Western Reserve and her passion is women’s health. After med school, she hopes to improve medical access to other women who share her Muslim faith.

Zach Helm knows first-hand what it means to have one of The Good Doctors. As a junior at Oregon State ����ֱ��, he collapsed from Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome, a disorder of the heart’s electrical system. Hospitalized and requiring surgery, he met “the coolest dude in the world. He was just a kind, charismatic doctor. I had known that I wanted to be in healthcare, but I thought maybe I wanted to be a physician’s assistant. After that experience, I said ‘I want to be that guy’ — the guy who was able to walk into the room and make me feel comfortable and I want to be able to do that for other people.”

He’s been in Orlando for 11 days and is focused on the next four years. “I’m looking forward to putting my nose to the grindstone, going in and working and trying to make a difference, helping patients and helping my classmates,” said Helm, who worked as a scribe in an emergency room for two years in Portland. “The journey itself through these next four years and all the unique experiences that we’re going to have, I’m just excited for it all.”

Monday’s White Coat Ceremony was the ninth in the UCF College of Medicine’s young history. The Class of 2021 is the fifth at full enrollment of 120. So far, UCF has graduated 376 physicians, with students scoring in the top quartile nationally in all measures of performance.

In welcoming attendees, UCF President John C. Hitt talked of the medical school’s accomplishments in such a short time. “At this time 10 years ago, we had yet to break ground for the medical college,” he said. “And it was just seven years ago that we moved into a facility that anchors a thriving Medical City that is transforming Central Florida’s health care, economy, and lifestyle.” He also noted that the medical school just received state approval to create the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, an academic hospital in partnership with the Hospital Corporation of America.

He told new students they were joining “a bold young medical college that aspires to be a 21st Century model for medical education.” He noted that the 59 women and 61 men were selected from a pool of 4,823 applicants based on their academic excellence and passion for medicine. They graduated from institutions including

Stanford, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Duke, the Air Force Academy, Wake Forest, ����ֱ�� of Florida and UCF. Nineteen have master’s or doctoral degrees, and they speak 29 languages in addition to English.

Matt Sasaki came to the White Coat Ceremony from California, with his grandmother, parents and aunt. He joked that the family is sharing hotel space with his Ikea furnishings because he hasn’t moved into his Orlando apartment yet. As his family beamed, he talked about preparing for med school – an undergraduate degree in biology from UCLA and a master’s degree in public health from USC. He described by name the orthopedic specialist who had helped him with sports-related knee injuries as a child and inspired him to seek a career in medicine. “Today is amazing,” he said, sporting his white coat. “It was a long time coming and now it’s happening.”

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At the Jan. 10 event held in the Pegasus Ballroom at the UCF Student Union, traditional baccalaureate nursing (BSN) students from UCF’s Orlando, Cocoa and Daytona Beach campuses were cloaked in the symbolic white coat as they took an oath to promote humanism in all aspects of their care.

“Nurses today are taking on greater roles and responsibilities, and science and technology are making groundbreaking achievements in health care. However, despite all of these advancements, we must not forget that the core of what we do, as nurses, is to provide care to our fellow humankind,” said Mary Lou Sole, dean of the UCF College of Nursing. “May this white coat serve as a reminder each day in your practice to treat patients with compassion and empathy, and be an advocate for their health, safety and rights.”

A rite of passage associated with medical schools for more than 20 years, the white coat ceremony is beginning to take place at nursing schools across the nation thanks to a ground-breaking collaboration launched last year between the and the . Through the ceremonies, the foundation and AACN hope to promote humanistic, patient-centered compassionate care among future generations of registered nurses. in 33 states to receive funding to participate in this year’s effort. has also provided funding to support this inaugural ceremony at UCF.

“With health care becoming more patient-centered and team-driven, nurses, physicians, and other providers must embed humanism in their practice as a way to elevate the patient care experience and improve care outcomes,” said Dr. Eileen T. Breslin, AACN president.

The white coat ceremony coincides with clinical rotations, which is when students begin their hands-on training in clinical settings under the supervision of an instructor, and serves to establish a foundation and commitment to providing patient-centered care at the beginning of a nurse’s professional formation. UCF students perform their clinical rotations in hospitals, health care agencies and long-term facilities throughout the Central Florida region.

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In opening Monday’s event, UCF President John C. Hitt described how far the new medical school has come. “At this time in 2007, we had yet to break ground on the medical college that has made possible this morning’s White Coat Ceremony,” he said. “And it was just four years ago that we moved into a facility that anchors a thriving Medical City that will transform Central Florida’s healthcare, economy and lifestyle in the coming years.”

The incoming class was selected from a pool of 4,171 applicants based on their academic excellence and passion for medicine. The Class of 2018 has 67 men and 53 women and includes five military veterans. Twelve of the incoming students have master’s degrees, one has a doctoral degree, and more than a dozen published scientific research before ever entering medical school. The new medical students include:

One of the first-year students in Luke Pearson, a National Merit Scholar who graduated from the College of Medicine’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences. UCF was the only place Pearson applied for medical school. Minutes after getting his white coat, Pearson said he was speechless. “It’s so exciting,” he said, “I’m so fortunate to be in this position, to become a doctor and serve our community.” As his mother Rosy looked on, she said Luke had announced in kindergarten at the age of 5 that he was going to be a doctor. “Today is a day of dreams coming true,” she said.

Before she “coated” the students, Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and founding dean of the UCF College of Medicine, taught their first class – The Good Doctor, A UCF Tradition. In the class, Dr. German asks students to envision the person they love. That person is sick with an undiagnosed ailment. What traits do the students want their beloved person’s doctor to have? she asks. As students provide traits, Dr. German writes them on a blackboard that stays on display at the medical school for the students’ entire first year.

The Class of 2018 came up with traits including “dedicated,” “brave,” “trustworthy,” “knowledgeable,” “intelligent,” “enthusiastic,” “benevolent” and two that drew some chuckles from the crowd – “affordable” and “well-rested.”

When she was done writing the 37 traits on the board, Dr. German explained why she does The Good Doctor class each year. “I want to show you and the community that you know what it takes to become The Good Doctor,”  she said. “Those traits live and breathe inside of you. It is why you are here. This is your contract with me, your faculty, friends, family, community and each other. With the guidance of the faculty and your own hard work, you will become The Good Doctor.”

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The young medical school now has an enrollment of 360 – a nine-fold increase in the last five years. By 2016-2017, UCF will be educating 480 physicians-in-training a year.

“Just six years ago, we had yet to break ground on the medical college that made possible this morning’s White Coat Ceremony. And it was just three years ago that we moved into a facility that anchors a thriving Medical City,” UCF President John C. Hitt said as he opened the ceremony. “The remarkable rise of the College of Medicine underscores how landmark community achievements can evolve when people work together for the greater good.”

The incoming Class of 2017 was selected from a pool of 3,843 applicants based on their academic excellence and passion for medicine. They averaged an MCAT score of 31 and a grade point average of 3.75 on a 4-point scale. They are graduates of institutions including Duke, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Brigham Young, Vanderbilt, ����ֱ�� of Florida, Florida State and UCF. The new medical students are song writers, actors, painters and dancers. They are athletes in sports ranging from lacrosse to Florida State’s Flying High Circus. The class includes a varsity swim team captain and a martial art stunt double. They are scientists, engineers, economists and humanities majors. Thirteen published medical research before ever coming to medical school.

They received their white coats from Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine after participating in their first class, “The Good Doctor,” which has become a UCF White Coat tradition. It in, Dr. German tells students to imagine the person they love most in desperate need of medical care. What are the qualities the students want in the doctor who will treat their loved on? As the students suggest traits, Dr. German writes the words on a chalk board that remains on display throughout the school year.

This year’s class offered characteristics that included “courageous,” “patient,” respectful,” “honest,” “collaborative” and for the first time, “affordable,” a term that generated laughter and much agreement from the audience.

“This is your contract with me — with your faculty, friends, family, community and each other,” Dr. German said as she reviewed the list with the students.  “With the guidance of the faculty and your own hard work, you will become The Good Doctor.”

She also introduced students to the College of Medicine faculty and staff, people she called “the heart and soul of this medical school.”

The faculty “created our College of Medicine from nothing and are now poised to expand it, always looking ahead,” she said. “Our faculty has made an impact on our community and beyond. They are supported by a dedicated staff that works tirelessly to assure that every aspect of the college is excellent and is ready for our students.”

Orientation for the new students begins Tuesday.

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The 120 new students will receive their white lab coats from Dr. Deborah German, UCF vice president for medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine, during the “White Coat Ceremony,” a traditional event where first-year students are recognized as colleagues dedicated to patient care.

With its first full class, the College of Medicine now has an enrollment of 360 – a nine-fold increase in the five years since its charter class enrolled. By 2016, UCF’s medical school will be educating 480 physicians-in-training a year.

The incoming Class of 2017 was selected from a pool of 3,843 applicants based on their academic excellence and passion for medicine. They averaged an MCAT score of 31 and a grade point average of 3.75 on a 4-point scale. The 64 men and 56 women are graduates of institutions including Duke, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Brigham Young, Vanderbilt, ����ֱ�� of Florida, Florida State and UCF. Eleven of the incoming students have master’s degrees, one has a doctoral degree, and one is a veteran of the nation’s armed forces.

“This fifth class at the UCF College of Medicine is outstanding,” Dr. German said.  “They are bright, community-minded young people who are eager to make a positive impact in the lives of their patients and become leaders in healthcare.”

“We wish you much personal and professional growth as you begin your journey to medical expertise and greater service to humanity,” UCF President John Hitt told the students in front of hundreds of family and guests. “You are now an essential part of a bold new college that is gaining national attention as a 21st century model for medical education.”

The class of 2016 includes 53 men and 47 women; 76 are Florida residents and 11 percent are underrepresented minorities. Their undergraduate majors range from theater to accounting, engineering to zoology. Twenty of the new M.D. students are graduates of the college’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences.

The White Coat Ceremony included the new students’ first medical school assignment. Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine, asked the class to list the traits they would want to see in a doctor caring for the most beloved person in their lives. Dr. German has conducted “The Good Doctor – A UCF Tradition” at each of the college’s four White Coat Ceremonies since the charter class was enrolled in 2009. As the students list the traits of the Good Doctor, Dr. German writes each word on a blackboard. In a matter of minutes, this year’s class had announced its traits, which including compassionate, courageous, caring, collaborative, a person who is culturally sensitive and a strong team worker.

The class debated some traits, such as whether ambition is a good trait for a doctor. The characteristic was kept on the Good Doctor list after students agreed it was appropriate – if ambition is used on behalf of patients, to improve as a doctor and to find new, better, cutting-edge treatments.

“It is my expectation that each one of you will become this Good Doctor with the guidance and help of our faculty and the support of your family, friends and this community,” Dr. German said.

This year, the 3-year-old medical school is welcoming 80 new students, bringing its total enrollment to 180. The college will enroll 100 new students in 2012, and 120 new students in 2013 and each year after that, bringing its full enrollment to 480.

More than 3,329 applicants sought admission to UCF’s College of Medicine. The 80 new students were selected because of their academic excellence and passion for medicine.

Eleven of the students have Master’s degrees and three have doctorate degrees. The Class of 2015 is comprised of 40 men and 40 women who speak 16 different languages. The students have volunteered with community organizations from the Girl Scouts to Habitat for Humanity and have conducted medical research on topics ranging from asthma in swimmers to glaucoma.

“I am proud to welcome our third class to the UCF College of Medicine,” said Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and founding dean. “These bright, servant-leaders are eager to make a positive impact in the lives of their patients and in the community.”

The first class that joined the medical school will graduate in 2013.