White Coat Ceremony Welcomes Class of 2029

Conducted nationally and considered a rite of passage, the White Coat Ceremony welcomes students while instilling the values of professionalism, empathy and compassion essential to practicing medicine.

Joining the Jacobs School are 181 MD students and six individuals entering the MD-PhD program. 

Hosting the ceremony, David A. Milling, MD ’93, senior associate dean for medical education, greeted the mix of local families and friends and first-time visitors to Buffalo with light-hearted reassurance: every day in Western New York, he promised, is as beautiful as this one.

Milling, who is also associate professor of medicine, still emphasized the deeper meaning behind the day. “We have some very important events that take place throughout medical school,” he said. “They are symbolic. In some ways they are ritualistic, but they are extremely important in terms of setting a tone as we move forward into medical school, and when we leave medical school after the next four years. Today is the start of that process.”

While welcoming the audience of new medical students, their families, and all of their supporters, Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, UB’s vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School, spoke to the white coat’s meaning beyond attire.

“Today is a day that you will remember for the rest of your lives, the day that you got your first white coat,” she said. “It’s not just a coat, it is really a symbol of trust, of responsibility, and hope between you and your patients, the rest of your team, your patients’ families, and your community.”

Brashear also reflected on the many diverse paths that lead to medicine and on the growing need to care for the Western New York community. “You’re here because you had a calling. You wanted to heal. You wanted to advocate. You wanted to make a difference. And here in Buffalo, you can have an impact,” she said.

“Forty-one percent of you call Western New York home, and we want more of you to call Western New York home in four years.”

The class was selected from a pool of 6,264 applicants. The average GPA is 3.7 and the average MCAT score is 510.

Fifty-one percent of the class are women and 19 percent are first-generation college students.

Ninety-two percent of the Class of 2029 are from New York State and 41 percent are from Western New York. Twenty-five percent earned their undergraduate degrees from UB.

In all, 14 states are represented. Fifteen students have master’s degrees and one has a doctoral degree. More than 30 percent of the students identify as bilingual.

During his keynote address, Alan J. Lesse, MD, associate dean for medical curriculum and associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, recounted several stories harboring advice for the new medical students. 

He urged the students to be ready for change and to remain open when choosing a specialty. Lesse recalls his former focus on family medicine before unexpectedly switching to infectious diseases later in medical school. “I was always fascinated by the unusual case and the possibility that a common presentation might represent an unusual disease.”

Lesse, who is also vice chair for education in the Department of Medicine, implored the new class to stay curious, recalling his early days hunting for the first diagnosis of a new disease. “That curiosity has kept me interested in medicine and always interested in trying to make a diagnosis.”

But he also cautioned against exhaustion, emphasizing learning to balance time and work early on. “Personal wellness is extraordinarily important and is going to be part of your career,” he said. 

For decades, Lesse cared for a patient who had a heart valve infection, growing close over the years. When his condition worsened and before he passed, this patient told Lesse how much his care had uplifted him, a powerful reminder that patients are always people first.

“The things that you do or say have an amazing impact on patients’ lives. You may not know what it is, what you did, or what you didn’t do, that creates this impression. But you will be a powerful influence on the lives of so many people.” 

During the ceremony, Zachary B. Wikerd, MD, assistant professor of medicine and associate program director of the geriatric fellowship, received the 2025 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award.

Sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the Tow Award recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates outstanding compassion in the delivery of care; respect for patients, their families and health care colleagues; and demonstrated clinical excellence.

“As you take this next step in your journey, it’s my honor to be able to recognize a faculty member who has been a huge part of the journey of our students,” said Samantha Bordonaro, MD, assistant dean for student and academic affairs and assistant professor of emergency medicine, who presented the award. 

“He’s often described as someone who brings humanism to the bedside, takes the time to understand patients’ goals, and leads by example,” Bordonaro said of Wikerd, who’s also the geriatric pathway director for the internal medicine residency. “His unwavering commitment to the well-being of his patients and the team caring for them makes him an exemplar of humanism in medicine.”

The award recipient was chosen by recent Jacobs School medical graduates from the Class of 2025. 

As each student walked across the stage during the cloaking ceremony, Fred D. Archer III, MD, read their name, hometown, undergraduate degree institution, and the name of their Learning Community neighborhood in the new Well Beyond curriculum. Archer is associate dean and director of admissions and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics.

Big smiles and resounding applause greeted each new medical student on stage, and many were cloaked by people close to their hearts. This year, physician parents, stepparents, siblings, godparents, mentors, family friends, and more all participated in this longstanding tradition.

To close the ceremony, Brashear led the Class of 2029 in reciting the Oath of Medicine.