{"id":141411,"date":"2024-08-12T15:39:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T20:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/?post_type=bu-article&p=141411"},"modified":"2026-01-29T18:50:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T23:50:37","slug":"pa-white-coat-ceremony-welcomes-22-students-to-the-class-of-2027","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/news-events\/articles\/2024\/pa-white-coat-ceremony-welcomes-22-students-to-the-class-of-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"PA White Coat Ceremony Welcomes 22 Students to the Class of 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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The 22 members of the PA Class of 2027 comprise the program’s 11th class.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPA White Coat Ceremony Welcomes 22 Students to the Class of 2027\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n
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August 12, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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Now donning their white coats, the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Physician Assistant (PA)<\/a> Class of 2027 has officially entered the study and professional practice of medicine. The cohort\u2019s 22 students celebrated their White Coat Ceremony surrounded by faculty, staff, family and friends on Friday, Aug. 9, in Hiebert Lounge. The students comprise the program\u2019s 11th<\/sup> class and will one day join more than 200 PA alumni who have graduated since 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annual ceremony marks the beginning of the 114.5 credit-hour professional-degree program, which spans over 34 months. For the next 18 months, the incoming PA class and first-year medical students will attend team-based classes together that integrate foundational sciences and clinical medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BU is one of two medical schools nationwide<\/a> that offer combined classes for PA and MD students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the ceremony, students heard from BUMC Provost and medical school Dean Karen Antman<\/a>, MD,<\/a> Clinical Associate Professor of OB\/GYN and PA Program Director Susan White<\/a>, MD, and Theresa Davies<\/a>, PhD, assistant dean of master\u2019s programs for Graduate Medical Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, as of now, you\u2019re already part of the health care team,\u201d Antman said. \u201cYou must behave as a professional from the start of your PA education, even if you don\u2019t quite know what that means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antman acknowledged that the new cohort is likely both nervous and excited to start on a new career path and academic program. Despite inevitable bumps in the road to come, Antman reassured the class that no matter what, \u201cyou\u2019ll still be a great PA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She advised the cohort to work as a team, to avoid procrastinating, to reach out for help when needed, to have fun and to \u201cstart thinking like a PA, not an undergraduate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Davies commended the family and friends of the incoming class, as well as the PA program faculty who will support them on their academic journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have an incredible faculty serving you,\u201d Davies said. \u201cDo use your faculty. They really are on your side to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoston is a great place to go to school, be a student, grow and learn,\u201d she continued. \u201cDon\u2019t forget to enjoy your time as you study.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Oren
Oren Berkowitz, PhD, MS, PA-C, delivers the PA White Coat Ceremony keynote address. Berkowitz, now the medical director of Boston-based Clexio Biosciences, was a founding faculty member of the BU PA program.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Oren Berkowitz, PhD, MS, PA-C, delivered the keynote address. Berkowitz, a clinical researcher in psychiatry and neurology, is medical director of Boston-based Clexio Biosciences and a founding faculty member of the BU\u2019s PA program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe white coat is a physical emblem of your status as a health care professional,\u201d Berkowitz said. He encouraged students to wield the \u201cmagic\u201d of the white coat to their advantage as they enter the field and begin providing care to patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce you move beyond these hallowed halls of learning, [\u2026] the white coat is something you become,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople will turn to you for advice. They will trust you as someone who is sharp, educated, honest and reliable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berkowitz said that his white coat has opened professional doors for him \u201cthat were sometimes surprising.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He began his career as a neurosurgery PA before being recruited to launch the BU PA Program and develop the program\u2019s director of research position. He then expanded his career into public health, health services and policy in his work to develop the PA profession around the world, particularly in Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat can you do with your white coat?\u201d he asked the cohort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each student received their white coat following the keynote address. PA Associate Director of Clinical Education Michael Smith<\/a>, MS, PA-C,<\/strong> read student names, while second-year PA student mentors coated their first-year mentees as they approached the podium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"PA
The PA Class of 2027 recites the Physician Assistant Professional Oath, signifying their commitment to the ethical and professional responsibilities of the profession.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Once all students received their white coats, Class of 2026 President Paige Conner, PA-S, led the cohort in reciting the Physician Assistant Professional Oath. The oath marks the cohort\u2019s recognition of the ethical and professional responsibilities of the PA profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are our 11th<\/sup> class,\u201d White said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to spending the next couple of years here with you. It will be great fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the Facebook album<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Submitted by Sarah Rowan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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