NSU Hosts White Coat Ceremony for First M.D. Class and 38th Entering D.O. Class

On Saturday, July 28, 2018, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) made history as it welcomed approximately 300 incoming medical students in the nation’s first combined White Coat Ceremony celebrating Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) and Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) candidates together.

The Florida-based university is now one of only three in the U.S. with two medical colleges.  NSU’s medical colleges both bear the name of university benefactor, Dr. Kiran C. Patel – the only person in the nation to have two medical schools named in his honor.

The White Coat Ceremony also served as the official welcome for the charter class of 53 M.D. students, who are enrolled in the new Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (NSU MD).  The college received preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education on October 10, 2017, allowing it to begin recruiting students.

NSU is now home to the only D.O. and M.D. programs in Broward County.  The NSU Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine is the largest medical school in Florida.  It offers one of two D.O. programs in the state and one of 34 in the U.S.  NSU MD is home to the eighth M.D. program in Florida and one of 151 in the nation.

The White Coat Ceremony was highlighted by keynote addresses from medical leaders Tyler Cemet, D.O., chief of clinical education, for the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, and Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

“As emphasized by many leading physician organizations, we are facing a physician shortage,” said Dr. Cemet.  “This will have drastic effects on the future of healthcare, our economy, and our collective well-being.  NSU’s focus on educating healthcare professionals on the importance of interprofessional respect and understanding provides its students with an edge in the real world.”

“I’m pleased to join NSU as part of this joyous day as we celebrate the first joint white coat ceremony of M.D. and D.O. students,” said Dr. Kirch.  “This ceremony recognizes the commitment of all physicians to ensure that humanism remains at the core of medicine. As tomorrow’s physicians experience this rite of passage at NSU and across the nation, they pledge to care for patients, themselves, and each other with compassion and empathy.”

“As a new and unencumbered medical school, we have embraced a partnership model with community physicians and organizations that share our commitment to advancing human health,” said Johannes W. Vieweg, M.D., FACS, dean of NSU MD.  “With their input, we have developed a curriculum that will not only prepare our students with knowledge, but more importantly the understanding of how to continually learn more and evolve their approaches to provide the best patient care experience.”

To meet demands in all of its medical, healthcare and life science programs as well as the new M.D. program, NSU is planning to build a 250,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art integrated medical education building to complement its health professions facilities and healthcare centers.  The new complex will be within walking distance to NSU’s existing health education facilities, its Center for Collaborative Research and the future HCA East Florida teaching and research hospital planned adjacent to University Drive.

NSU is also opening a Tampa Bay Regional Campus in Clearwater, Fla.  When construction is complete, the 325,000-square foot complex will replace NSU’s existing Tampa Campus, and will include a second educational site for the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“NSU is making a major investment in health and health education for the betterment of our society,” said NSU President Dr. George Hanbury.  “This will spark major growth and opportunity with NSU’s projected $5 billion economic impact in Florida by 2020 and help bring us one step closer to being a nationally recognized, top-tier university of teaching, research, service, and learning.”