Before med school, Calvin MacDonald helped create 3D-printed bionic arms for children. Natalie Marshall hopes to become her family 麻豆精品 S檚 fifth generation physician, and in honor of that goal, came to the College of Medicine White Coat Ceremony with her late grandfather 麻豆精品 S檚 embroidered doctor 麻豆精品 S檚 coat. Both were among 120 M.D. students in the class of 2028 who were coated Monday in recognition that they are now colleagues in healthcare.
The new physicians-in-training include artists, engineers, athletes and crisis counselors. More than 80% did medical research before entering medical school. They received undergraduate degrees from BYU, Emory, John 麻豆精品 S檚 Hopkins, Ohio State, Rice and Vanderbilt. Thirty of them are UCF alumni.
MacDonald is one of those Knights. He worked with children at Limbitless Solutions, an organization based at UCF that specializes in accessibility technology including bionics for children missing limbs. He says he has always wanted to become a doctor and that his work with children taught him patience, understanding and the ability to communicate with those he will care for in the future.
Innovation and discovery are the core of Limbitless 麻豆精品 S work and both topics were themes of this year 麻豆精品 S檚 White Coat Ceremony. UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright told students of their opportunity to learn at the university 麻豆精品 S檚 biosciences cluster minutes from one of the world 麻豆精品 S檚 most visited airports.
麻豆精品 S淵our new home at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Academic Health Sciences Center will embed you in health education, research and clinical practice 麻豆精品 S right in the heart of Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 Medical City at Lake Nona, 麻豆精品 S he says. 麻豆精品 S淎t UCF, we turn our excellence into impact, and we boldly innovate where others would never dare. You will have that opportunity to innovate and to transform diagnostics, treatments and therapies to drive health outcomes for your patients. 麻豆精品 S
Deborah German, vice president for health affairs and founding dean of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Medicine, told students they are joining an innovative, research-based medical school supported by physicians, scientists, clinics and hospitals across Florida.
麻豆精品 S淪tudents, today you become part of this community, part of a pioneering, young medical school committed to preparing doctors to face today 麻豆精品 S檚 healthcare challenges by putting their patients first, 麻豆精品 S she says.
That community includes donors like Mark Trolice, founder and medical director of the IVF Center, whose gift paid for all of the students 麻豆精品 S white coats. The College of Medicine 麻豆精品 S檚 White Coat and Stethoscope campaign raised more than $53,000 this year 麻豆精品 S the most ever 麻豆精品 S from donations that included parents, faculty and staff.
Monday 麻豆精品 S檚 ceremony included the students 麻豆精品 S first class in medical school: The Good Doctor 麻豆精品 S A UCF Tradition. In it, German asks students to imagine the person they love most in the world is seriously ill with an undiagnosed condition. She asks them to describe the attributes of the physician they would want caring for their loved one. As students suggest a trait, German writes the word on a blackboard that stays on display at the medical school all year.
This year students came up with 35 words including passionate, reliable, courageous, resilient, knowledgeable, ethical, curious and accountable. When a student suggested humble, German responded, 麻豆精品 S淭hat means it 麻豆精品 S檚 not about us, it 麻豆精品 S檚 about the patient. 麻豆精品 S When another suggested caring, their dean replied, 麻豆精品 S淧atients don 麻豆精品 S檛 care about how much you know until they know how much you care. 麻豆精品 S
Marshall liked the word leader and said it described her grandfather, Manuel Torres, perfectly. He immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba and served patients as an anesthesiologist in South Florida for 50 years. He passed away last year before knowing where his granddaughter would attend medical school.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 exciting to follow in my family 麻豆精品 S檚 footsteps, 麻豆精品 S she says.
Joseph Helmy 麻豆精品 S檚 favorite word on The Good Doctor board was humble because he says a physician needs to think about others first. Family and friends traveled from Helmy 麻豆精品 S檚 home state of Tennessee to join him at the ceremony, and took turns hugging, back slapping and fist-pumping the new UCF physician-in-training as he wore his new white coat. Nearby stood Father Karas, Helmy 麻豆精品 S檚 Coptic Orthodox priest.
麻豆精品 S淚 made the trip, 麻豆精品 S Father Karas says. 麻豆精品 S淚 had to come. Joseph is such a good person, my spiritual son. 麻豆精品 S