M.D. White Coat Ceremony 2026
A legacy in the making
John W. Traubert White Coat Ceremony
The White Coat Ceremony was developed by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation of New York, and was initiated for the entering class of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University on August 20, 1993. The original concept was to clarify for students, prior to their entrance into the medical community, that a physician’s responsibility is twofold; to take care of patients and to care for patients. This ceremony has since been established at nearly all the nation’s medical schools, with various adaptations.
At WVU, our first ceremony, held on January 26, 1996, deferred from the original concept. It honored second-year students and marked the transition from the basic sciences to clinical sciences, from reading about illness and disease to diagnosing it; from learning about treatments to prescribing them.
However, with changes in medical education, that transition point is becoming less defined. Patient contact coming early on in training, meshing with the obvious importance and relevance of the basic sciences, broadens the concept of WVU’s ceremony and more clearly defines its purpose.
In 1999, upon retirement of Dean of Students, John W. Traubert, the ceremony was named in his honor.
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Keynote Speaker
Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, M.D., director and executive chair of the West Virginia University Cancer Institute, addressed the class and reminded them of why they are here, who they are helping and the difference they are making in the world.
Class of 2028
The following medical students earned their white coats this year.
- Olajumoke Faith Adebulu
- Nida Amir
- Ryan Anderson
- Amelia Angotti
- Luke Anzaldi
- Katherine Baker
- Brandon Barash
- Sierra Binduga
- Emily Katherine Blizzard
- Jacob Blizzard
- Isabella Bowers
- Branden Chet Brooks
- Darren Brown
- Olga Burke
- Katherine Grace Byrd
- Reagan Campbell
- Joshua C. Castillo
- Julianna Celeste
- Leo Cevallos
- Laura Cho
- Alyssa Clark
- Lea Colantonio
- Eli Collavo
- Piper Rose Cook
- Hayden Cooke
- Julia Corton
- Caitlin Cowell
- Sophie Crowder
- Sneha Dass
- Natalie Dauber
- Ignacio de Anquin
- Victoria Dean
- Neeley de la Mata
- George Edwards
- Samantha Eggleston
- Lara Fetty
- Sophia Flower
- Veronica Gibbons
- Carly Glover
- Colson Glover
- Jack Goembel
- Amelia Haley
- Ryley Handyside
- William Harvey
- Christopher Haskins
- Benjamin Hatcher
- Caitlin Hoffman
- Caleb Holbert
- Bronco Hollowell
- Stephanie Ice
- Yaheya Idris
- Rayna Jannes
- Willie Johnson
- Brentyn Jones
- Caleb Jones
- Anisha Karunananthan
- Savannah Kincaid
- Marleah Jordhanne Knights
- Allison Elizabeth Kollitz
- Lauren Kozlowski
- Nikolas Lam
- Tanner Lantz
- Mitchell Laton
- Zachary LeBlanc
- Richard Lee
- Ian Leighton
- Peyton Lilly
- Victoria Mackowiak
- Ethan Malinoski
- Vamsi Manchikalapudi
- Lauren Marshall
- Daniel Mathes
- Rachael McClure
- Coleman McHose
- Feno Monaco
- Sydney Nassabeh
- Bao-Vuong Nguyen
- Erik Norloff
- Jacob Novotny
- Michael Moe O'Connell
- Taylor O'Hair
- Adelle Pacyna
- Kiran Patel
- Rushik Patel
- Michael Prabhu
- Parker Preaskorn
- Audrey Pulliam
- Jasmine Raudys
- Matthew Rexroad
- Simran Rijhwani
- Addison Norden Santana
- Jade Schlegel
- Lauren Sexton
- Mackenzie Shank
- Rahul Shimpi
- Kathryn Grace Shultz
- Kartik Sivakumar
- Jazlyn Skeen
- Mikayla Smith
- Joshua Spiess
- Janani Sundar
- Vincent Tierno
- Kathryn Tippets
- Brian Trigg
- Katherine Olivia Triplett
- Emma Somers Troischt
- George Turner
- Ryan Wagner
- Conner Way
- Jeffrey Wieand
- Thomas Wilkins
- Mark Williams
- Lorn Grant Wolfe
- Zeriel Wong
- Natalie Wonsettler
- Heather Wyllie
- Yusuf Zaman
Scenes from the day
View photo galleries from the event: University Relations photos and Student Services photos.
What the white coat means at WVU
We do things a little bit differently here. Most schools start with the ceremony, but we wait until the end of the second year as students transition to clinical rotations. We feel it makes the moment extra special. Jeff Cannon, M.D., an alum of the Class of 2019, explains.
Colson Glover
M.D. Degree
“I am drawn to the responsibility of caring for people in their most vulnerable moments, and I am motivated by the chance to make a real impact on patients, families and communities, especially in West Virginia.”
Darren Brown
M.D. Degree
“I sensed from my interview day, and have confirmed it since living here, that the School of Medicine and Morgantown have a highly collaborative and down-to-earth atmosphere.”
Explore More
Learn more about our M.D. White Coat Tradition
CEREMONY HISTORY
WVU’s White Coat Ceremony, strategically positioned in the second year of training, is designed to:
- help students reaffirm their reasons for choosing medicine as their lives’ work
- allow students to express their commitment to becoming technically excellent and professionally compassionate with patients
- reinforce the importance of the doctor-patient relationship and the relevance of the white coat as a “cloak of compassion”
BACKGROUND
- August 20, 1993 -- The White Coat Ceremony was developed by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation of New York, and was initiated for the entering class of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University. The original concept was to clarify for students, prior to their entrance into the medical community, that a physician’s responsibility is twofold; to take care of patients and to care for patients.
- January 26, 1996 -- WVU's first ceremony was held, and it deferred from the original concept. It honored second-year students and marked the transition from the basic sciences to clinical sciences, from reading about illness and disease to diagnosing it; from learning about treatments to prescribing them. However, with changes in medical education, that transition point is becoming less defined. Patient contact coming early on in training, meshing with the obvious importance and relevance of the basic sciences, broadens the concept of WVU’s ceremony and more clearly defines its purpose.
- 1999 -- upon retirement of Dean of Students, John W. Traubert, the ceremony was named in his honor.
GET INVOLVED -- SPONSOR A STUDENT
Our School of Medicine MD alumni and current faculty have a unique opportunity to directly affect and leave a positive, lasting impression on a future physician. By sponsoring a white coat, you can leave a note of encouragement and impart valuable wisdom that the students can take into the clinic with them as they begin caring for patients.
View the list of 2026 sponsors.
The ceremony is also sponsored in part by WVU Medicine.
Alumni and faculty can visit the WVU Foundation site below and complete your information online. In the "comments" box, you can write the content of the note you wish to give the student.
QUESTIONS?
Contact the WVU School of Medicine Alumni Office at (304) 293-5110.
