Valley student participates in "White Coat" ceremony

A Valley man recently participated in the White Coat ceremony at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Nathan Kasukonis is a first-year medical student, and recently participated in the college's White Coat ceremony which formally recognizes the transition students make from lay persons to those assuming the responsibility of physician.

The ceremony took place on Oct. 10 in Portland, Maine. Second-year students presented first-year students with white coats. Other highlights of the ceremony included presentations by a local emergency room physicians, the president of the Student Osteopathic Medicine Association and a reading of the Osteopathic Oath. A reception followed.

The White Coat ceremony was conceived by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. The first such ceremony was held in 1993 at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons. Since then, more than 100 other medical schools around the world have adopted the ceremony.