White Coat Ceremony held at the School of Medicine

On April 1, (Sat.) a White Coat Ceremony was held at the Kitasato Hall on the Shinanomachi Campus for new 5th year students at the School of Medicine who are due to commence clinical training (hospital training) in April. The event is intended to increase students’ professional awareness as doctors, reaffirm medical ethics and the importance of compassionate care for the patient, and reinforce each student’s commitment as a doctor-in-training. The ceremony was attended by Dr. Arnold P. Gold, a professor at Columbia University, and Dr. Sandra O. Gold, co-founders of both the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and the White Coat Ceremony. Keio University is the first institution in Asia to receive a grant from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

Dean Yasuo Ikeda of the School of Medicine, guests and faculty members cloaked the students in their white coats. This was followed by an introduction of the Hippocratic Oath (created by the “father of medicine”, Hippocrates), a poem written for doctors by Yukichi Fukuzawa, and an explanation of the principles of the Keio University Hospital. The students wore their brand new white coats for the first time, marking their first step towards their development as compassionate doctors who are sensitive to patients’ needs.