The White Coat ceremony is a rite held at medical schools across the nation, marking the beginning of the students’ medical education journey.

Of the 71 students comprising the SSOM Class of 2030, 47% of the class is female; 53% is male, with a collective average age of 24 years. The group represents 19 universities and 28 South Dakota high schools. Nearly half (46%) come from rural backgrounds, and 62% hail from communities with populations under 30,000.

The ceremony featured keynote speaker Dr. Laurie Landeen, professor and clerkship director in the USD Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She reflected on how medicine continues to evolve, but that the core of patient care will always remain the same.

“Technology has changed so much throughout the time of my career,” Landeen said, “but what has not changed is the relationships that I’ve developed. The biggest mentor you will have is not going to be a physician; it’s going to be your patient. You can study textbooks and complete online cases, but you have to really engage yourself with your patients, because they are the best teachers of all. Please know that you will make a difference, and it is all worth it.”

Deans from the three SSOM campuses, Dr. Carolyn Gilbertson (Sioux Falls), Dr. April Willman (Yankton) and Dr. Jennifer Hasvold (Rapid City), as well as Associate Dean of Rural Medicine Dr. Jason Wickersham, coated the new students.

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