Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine welcomed the class of 2015 during its annual White Coat Ceremony held last month. Sponsored by the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association, this event officially recognized 102 members of the incoming class by donning them in lab coats to be worn during their veterinary education.
The hour-long ceremony was held in the Mahler Auditorium of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel. After the ceremony, Dr. Kevin Chapman, president of the GVMA, led the two-block recessional of coated students to the College of Veterinary Medicine for a class photo and a reception with their families and members of the college’s faculty and staff.
The incoming class includes 78 women and 24 men who have varied interests in their chosen field. The students’ areas of study by percentages include: 35 percent in mixed-animal medicine, 12 percent in zoo animal and wildlife medicine, 17 percent in food animal medicine, 7 percent in public health, 5 percent in equine medicine and 4 percent in research.
“The white coat is the symbol of medical professionalism. This ceremony, in which our first-year students are coated and asked to recite the Veterinarian’s Oath, reminds them that they are beginning their education in one of the most respected medical professions,” said Dr. K. Paige Carmichael, the college’s associate dean for academic affairs.
The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, to conducting research related to animal and human diseases, and to providing veterinary services for animals and their owners. Research efforts are aimed at enhancing the quality of life for animals and people, improving the productivity of poultry and livestock, and preserving a healthy interface between wildlife and people in the environment they share. The college enrolls 102 students each fall out of more than 560 who apply. For more information, see www.vet.uga.edu.
The current UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, built in 1979, serves more than 18,000 patients per year in one of the smallest teaching hospitals in the U.S. The college is currently working to raise $15 million toward building a new Veterinary Medical Learning Center, which will include a new teaching hospital as well as classrooms and laboratories that will allow for the education of more veterinarians. For more information on this fundraising campaign, see http://www.vet.uga.edu/giving/campaign.php.
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Note to editors: A photo of the class of 2015 is available at http://multimedia.uga.edu/media/images/CVM-whitecoat.jpg.
Caption: The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine welcomed the Class of 2015 at the annual White Coat Ceremony, Aug.14.
