Medical White Coat Ceremony

TTUHSC El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine Holds 15th Annual White Coat Ceremony Honoring the Class of 2027

124 new medical students received white coats as part of TTUHSC El Paso’s 10th anniversary celebration

It was fashion week at the Foster School of Medicine, where white is always acceptable – even after Labor Day.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso celebrated 10 years of service to our Borderplex region by holding its 15th annual Foster School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 5, 2023, at the Starlight Event Center.

The ceremony paid tribute to one of the largest classes in the school’s history. Each of the 124 first-year medical students received a white coat bearing the school's seal. The coats represent a symbol of compassion, serving as a constant reminder of the pivotal role humility plays in health care throughout their medical careers. Their stethoscopes, which they received earlier, represent the scientific underpinning of their discipline.

“It fills me with immense pride to witness the remarkable diversity of this year's incoming class,” said Charmaine Martin, M.D., associate dean for student affairs and associate professor with the Foster School of Medicine. “The rich tapestry of backgrounds and perspectives they bring strengthens the very fabric of our institution. They ensure that our future in medicine is not only promising but also inclusive, compassionate and reflective of the many diverse communities here and beyond we are privileged to serve.”

Broad community support for the event emphasizes a shared understanding of the significance of nurturing local talent by investing in their futures. For the sixth consecutive year, Dionicio Alvarez, M.D., and his wife, Alice Alvarez, sponsored white coats for half of the incoming medical students. Their generosity extends beyond this act, as evidenced by their establishment of the Dionicio and Alice Alvarez Medical Scholarship Endowment in 2020. Joining them as sponsors were many generous individuals and businesses, several without direct ties to the university, who recognize the vital importance of cultivating future health care leaders.

In addition to welcoming the class of 2027, the ceremony also marked an important milestone for the university, by saluting the Foster School of Medicine’s 15-year contribution toward addressing our region’s provider shortage and making bilingual health care education accessible to residents of our Borderplex region, Texas and beyond.

One such medical student, Brenda Baca, carries a deep, personal connection to her chosen path of study, etched by her unique experiences of growing up in a border community.

“When I was attending high school, I lived in Ciudad Juárez in Mexico. Every day I had to walk the international bridge to attend high school in the U.S.,” she recalled. “On the bridge, I’d encounter people asking for money to treat their medical conditions. Their desperation sparked my interest in medicine.”

Each time she dons her white coat, Baca believes it will evoke potent memories of the bridge encounters that inspired her medical journey. She sees her white coat as a badge of responsibility and trust, which she learned while volunteering at RotaCare El Paso, a free medical clinic located in the Ysleta community.

“I was paired with a family medicine resident physician who was wearing a white coat that day,” she shared. “I noticed how swiftly patients extended their trust to the doctor upon seeing her white coat. It was a powerful reminder of the coat's symbolic significance and the responsibilities it embodies.”

As a first-generation American, she is astonished by how far she’s come.

“The idea of becoming a physician in the U.S. seemed almost impossible,” said Baca. “No one in my family had taken this path, so visualizing myself as a doctor was challenging.”

Yet, standing in her white coat at the ceremony, Baca was confident that her presence will inspire others with similar backgrounds to believe in their potential to become border doctors too.

According to recent statistics, the U.S. is grappling with a Hispanic physician shortage. Despite Hispanics representing 19.1% of the population, they constitute only about 5.8% of all providers in the U.S. This shortage is even more acute in El Paso, which is 83% Hispanic.

The class of 2027 includes 38 students who call our Borderplex region home. With the Foster School of Medicine’s guidance, they’ll become physicians who understand the health disparities within our historically underserved communities.

First-year medical student Jennafer Miller’s drive to pursue medicine stems from first-hand experiences.

"Growing up in a low-income area, I witnessed people battling illnesses without health care simply because they couldn't afford it," she recalled. “The white coat symbolizes my decision to assist underrepresented communities and help those who need it the most.”

Miller envisions her role as a physician extending beyond the traditional scope of the profession. She vividly recalls the impact of a physician she worked with, who was a prime example of the values she aims to uphold.

“He would take the time to engage deeply with all his patients, discussing topics beyond their immediate health concerns,” she said. “To him, the holistic well-being of his patients was paramount, and he was willing to sacrifice his time to ensure it.”

In Miller's eyes, the white coat is more than just a mark of a physician; it symbolizes her desire to be a part of the solution to the health care disparities she witnessed growing up and to one day provide holistic care to her patients.

“This, to me, encapsulates the true meaning of the white coat. It's not merely a title; it's a tangible symbol of your responsibility toward the comprehensive care of your patients,” she said.

The ceremonial donning of white coats signifies more than the start of a medical career. It is a tangible symbol of the union of community support and individual ambition. Many sponsors have come forward to invest in the future of health care, recognizing the essential role these students will play. It is an affirmation of the importance of compassion, science and community in the noble pursuit of healing, embodying a promise that resonates far beyond the university’s classrooms, laboratories and clinics.

About the White Coat Ceremony

The white coat ceremony is a rite of passage welcoming new medical students into the profession, and it’s often held at the beginning of their first year of medical school. During the ceremony, a white coat is placed on each student's shoulders, and the Hippocratic oath is recited. The Hippocratic oath is a pledge to uphold the highest ethical standards in medicine.

The inaugural Foster School of Medicine white coat ceremony took place on Aug. 1, 2009, shortly after the school admitted its first cohort as a four-year medical school. Four years later, on May 18, 2013, the school became part of the newly established Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso.

About Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso

TTUHSC El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It’s a designated Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation students.

Established as an independent university in the Texas Tech University System in 2013, TTUHSC El Paso is celebrating 10 years as a proudly diverse and uniquely innovative destination for education and research. According to a 2022 analysis, TTUHSC El Paso contributes $634.4 million annually to our Borderplex region’s economy.

With a mission of eliminating health care barriers and creating life-changing educational opportunities for Borderplex residents, TTUHSC El Paso has graduated over 2,000 doctors, nurses and researchers over the past decade, and will add dentists to its alumni beginning in 2025. For more information, visit www.ttuhscepimpact.org.

If you wish to support a future health care professional by sponsoring a white coat, contact Craig Holden at craig.holden@ttuhsc.edu.