​LKCMedicine welcomes its sixth cohort with traditional White Coat Ceremony

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Today, LKCMedicine inducted its sixth cohort of 138 students – the Class of 2023 – as medical students, at a momentous point in the School’s history as the first cohort – the Class of 2018 – has just graduated three weeks ago. The excitement in the Nanyang Auditorium this morning was palpable as students and their proud families celebrate once again the achievement of being accepted into LKCMedicine.

In his welcome address, LKCMedicine Dean Professor James Best congratulated parents and students, “Today is the start of an exciting journey. You are entering a world in which you will learn to combine knowledges and skill with compassion and empathy to practise medicine for the good of humanity. I promise you that the medical course you are entering will be a wonderful journey of discovery and that you will learn to use your heart and your head to become fine doctors.”

A keynote address by the Guest-of-Honour, NTU President and Distinguished University Professor Subra Suresh followed. He started his speech saying, “Nothing is more exciting for people working in universities to see bright young minds full of optimism, full of hope, and equally full of idealism to take on a noble profession that benefits fellow human beings. The passion with which you approach this journey will have such a profound impact, not just on one or two individuals that you encounter, not just on Singapore, but equally on the world.”

Hailing the unprecedented convergence of physical, digital and biological worlds, Prof Suresh said, “Digital technologies which will in reality personalise precision medicine, gene editing, immunotherapy, artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning, virtual surgery; these will have enormous roles to play. You are entering the medical profession at a point in time, at a point in human history to cure diseases which are deemed incurable.”

The time to confer white coats on the new cohort then arrived. Prof Best, together with LKCMedicine House Tutors and Assistant Deans, proudly put this symbol of medical professionalism on every new medical student’s shoulders. At the same time they were also inducted into their respective LKCMedicine’s Houses. Wearing their white coats, the students then faced their families and recited the Declaration of a New Medical Student led by Vice-Dean for Education Professor Naomi Low-Beer.

At the end of the conferment, Year 2 students Kenneth Woo and Gwyneth Joy Lim recited a poem written by their senior, Year 3 student Andrew Yap, entitled “Alone Together”. The poem presented the perspectives of both a patient in an isolation ward and the doctor who’s caring for him and the communication divide that separates them.  

An address by Senior Family Physician Dr Lee Suan Yew brought the ceremony to a close, impressing upon the Class of 2023 the three basic principles they must uphold, “Be excellent, not mediocre. Treat all your patients to the best of your ability with humility, regardless of race, economic status or religion. When you graduate, share your skills, knowledge and expertise, and inspire others to do better than yourself.”

With that, a group photo of the full cohort with School leadership, House Tutors and the Guest-of-Honour concluded the morning’s programme and the Class of 2023 proceeded to celebrate receiving their white coat with many selfies and wefies, before partaking of a light lunch with their families in the foyer of the Auditorium.

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