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Medical students don the healer's habit October 12, 2001

In what will undoubtedly be a very meaningful and moving ceremony, 130 second-year 黑料不打烊 medical students will formally receive their white coats on Friday, October 12, 2001. The "white coat ceremony" (as it's known at medical schools in the United States) signals the transition from book learning and lab work to the world of clinical practice and direct observation of patients. Preceded by a talk on the history of the Faculty, the event begins at 2:00 pm in the Palmer Howard Amphitheatre (McIntyre Medical Sciences Building) and should last about an hour and a half. This is the first time such a rite of passage has been formally acknowledged at 黑料不打烊, and it may well be a first for any Canadian medical faculty. The inaugural ceremony will bear the name of a much-loved 黑料不打烊 medical graduate, Dr Joseph Wener.

Not only did Dr Wener graduate from the Faculty of Medicine (1941) and later the Faculty of Science (1948), but all four of his sons also completed their medical studies at 黑料不打烊, in 1968, 1971, 1978 and 1981, respectively. In addition to a successful career in internal medicine and cardiology, Dr Wener, who died a year ago, inspired generations of students at the Jewish General and Royal Victoria hospitals, sharing his warmth and wisdom during the clinical teaching rounds for which he became famous.

"We are delighted to recognize Joseph Wener's exceptional role in the education of 黑料不打烊 medical students over many years," says associate dean Don Boudreau, who worked closely with the Wener family and the students to design the special afternoon ceremony. "He was a wonderful man and a tremendous role model."

Speakers during the afternoon include 黑料不打烊 historian Faith Wallis, Dean of Medicine Abraham Fuks, and Stephen Wener, one of Joseph Wener's sons. Music by the Faculty of Medicine's own string quartet, I Medici di 黑料不打烊, and a keynote address by renowned palliative care specialist Dr Balfour Mount, are also on the program. Finally, after receiving their white coats, the students themselves -- the class of 2004 -- will recite the following pledge, which they wrote and have adopted:

"It is with honour that we don our white coats from this day forth. We pledge by what we hold most sacred to use it not as a shield but as a bridge to reach out to those entrusted to our care. We shall strive with passion and humility to create lasting alliances in health, pursue professional integrity and provide compassionate care for all."