print | close window | Campus Buzz Ceremony Bestows Physician’s Symbol For Wanda Espinoza, it was a dream come true. After successfully completing two years of pre-clinical studies at NYIT’s New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM), she earned the mantle of her future profession – the physician’s “white coat.” Espinoza, the mother of four children, was joined by more than 300 of her classmates at NYCOM’s White Coat Ceremony in April, which was attended by more than 1,000 family, friends, faculty and alumni. “Growing up, all I ever wanted was to become a doctor,” Espinoza says. “I was eager to don this very public symbol of my lifelong goal.” White coat ceremonies are a tradition at medical schools throughout the country. “They mark the end of student training in the classroom and the beginning of their clinical rotations,” says Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee, NYCOM dean and vice president of health, sciences and medical affairs at NYIT. “Reaching this point in their studies is a seminal event and a symbol of their entrance into the medical profession.” Keynote speaker for NYCOM’s white coat ceremony was Dr. Christopher T. Meyer, nationally recognized speaker and author on clinical topics and medical education. He addressed the NYCOM class of 2007, which includes 167 women and 134 men, ranging in ages from 22 to 45. Members of this class originate from 24 states and 200 different undergraduate colleges and universities worldwide.   Send feedback and story ideas to alumni@nyit.edu.   top | print | close window | ©2006 New York Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.