White Coat
Finding Purpose in a Passion for People: Meet M1 Abhi Manda
Sep. 5, 2023—By: Kyra Letsinger As a high schooler, Abhi Manda had no plans of becoming a doctor. That is not to say he knew exactly what he wanted to do – in fact, the opposite seemed to be true. There was so much he wanted to do that by the time he completed his first year...
Threads old and new: HPSP students take oath at White Coat Ceremony
Sep. 10, 2021—by Lexie Little M1 students Sean Luong and Natalie Jones commit to service as officer-physicians When Lt. Col. Will Hansen officially retired from the U.S. Army on Sept. 1, 2019, he stashed his uniform in the closet not knowing light outside would ever reach its stitching for a military reason again. Five days later, he...
First Years Share What It Means to Receive the White Coat
Aug. 27, 2018—Receiving my white coat was incredibly humbling. Donning the white coat was not just the act of putting a coat on our backs, but also was symbolic for my classmates and I relieving our future patients of the burdens they carry when they come to our care. Carsen Cash It means the world to receive...
Current VUSM Students Reflect on the White Coat
Jul. 28, 2017—I have been thinking about what it would feel like to wear a white coat for a long time – almost 11 years. Now that the day is fast approaching, I almost can’t believe it! The closer we are to wearing this white coat, the more I realize the gravity and responsibility we will soon...
Daughter Continues Father’s Tradition of Supporting the White Coat
Jul. 26, 2017—Mrs. Helen Harwood is the daughter of Dr. Charles Rankin Zirkle, VUSM Class of 1941. Dr. Zirkle was a highly regarded surgeon in the Knoxville area, who supported the White Coat program from 2002 through 2011. He passed away in 2012 and Helen continues to be a sponsor in his memory each year. We reached out to Helen to share a few...
VUSM Alumni Reminisce About Their White Coat Ceremonies
Jul. 24, 2017—The white coat ceremony is a particularly important memory for me even though my parents were unable to attend. It was difficult for my mother to travel at the time and my father died suddenly, two years prior from an MI. When I was in college, he bought me a medical-themed necktie for my birthday....