A new temporary exhibit, “The Tradition of the White Coat,” is now on display at the William A. Neal Museum of the Health Sciences. The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage for students that affirms their commitment to humanism in medicine and marks their progress toward entering a career in the medical field. West Virginia University’s School of Medicine held its first White Coat Ceremony in 1996. Just three years earlier, in 1993 Dr. Arnold P. Gold and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation began the tradition of the White Coat Ceremony at Columbia University. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the White Coat Ceremony through the Gold Foundation. This exhibit highlights the history of the Gold Foundation ceremony and WVU’s own version of this important event.
“The Tradition of the White Coat” is located within the Neal Museum. You can
find it between the “Distinguished Alumni” touchscreen and the end of the WVU
School of Medicine exhibit wall.
The Neal Museum is located by the WVU Health
Sciences Center Pylons Commons. Objects on display were generously donated
by WVU School of Medicine’s Alumni Affairs Office and the Arnold P. Gold
Foundation. This exhibit was made possible in part through generous support
from the Phalunas Family Health Sciences Museum Endowment. The Neal Museum is
part of WVU Libraries.