White Coat Ceremony
About the White Coat Tradition
This annual tradition has been a great opportunity to celebrate the formal acceptance of students’ responsibilities to patients, their communities and society. This occasion is marked in health professions schools across the United States. The School of Dental Medicine established the tradition of the White Coat Ceremony with the inaugural class and will continue that tradition with the Class of 2026. During this event, each student will be receiving a white coat with his or her name and East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine embroidered on the coat.
The Class of 2026 will have the special opportunity to celebrate this milestone in their professional career with their fellow classmates, family and friends. Leaders from dental professional organizations across North Carolina representing the thousands of dentists worldwide will officially welcome these students into the profession. The ceremony also marks the first time that the class publicly reads their Class Pledge to serve the citizens of North Carolina. The pledge reflects the professional aspirations and commitments of the Class of 2026.
Alumni, friends, family and professional colleagues have been invited to support this event and provide an encouraging note to one or more of our students to receive as part of the evening’s festivities. By doing so, this class realizes the significance and excitement that others share with them as they continue their journey towards caring for patients and becoming a dentist.
Students in the class will write their class pledge and read it publicly for the first time. This pledge reflects the professional aspirations and commitments of the Class of 2025. They will then sign this pledge when they graduate like the Class of 2022.
Faculty Coaters
Prior to the ceremony, the class also nominates two faculty members to be honored as their ‘coaters’ who assist in putting the coats on during the ceremony. This represents the donning of responsibility of the profession for treating all patients equally, ethically and reverently. Faculty that are selected for this honor have played a significant role in the students’ education and are “welcoming” them to the profession.
This year, members of the Class of 2026 selected Dr. Roopsi Kaur and Dr. Lakshmi Senkumar to present their coats.
Sponsor a Coat
Thank you to all of our sponsors for this year’s White Coat Ceremony. Special thanks to the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, the Pierre Fauchard Academy, the North Carolina Academy of General Dentistry for their generous contributions to demonstrate their commitment to the profession.
Please note that we do request that you sponsor a coat before we use your note of encouragement. If you have questions about the particular student you sponsored or would like to request a particular student, please reach out to Jon Jones, senior director of advancement, at 252-737-7063 or email jonesjona19@ecu.edu. (Please note that we may not be able to address all requests for specific students until every student is sponsored. We will communicate with you regarding the availability.)
Individuals requesting accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact the ADA coordinator at least 48 hours prior to the event at 252-737-1018 / ada-coordinator@ecu.edu