The White Coat Ceremony for incoming medical students is a profound and symbolic event, marking the official start of their journey into the medical profession. Since 1996, the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) has welcomed a new class of first-year medical students with the White Coat Ceremony. This year, on August 10, 2024, UNR Med welcomed 71 students to the M.D. Class of 2028 at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Reno.
The ceremony signifies the students’ commitment to the values of compassion, integrity and excellence in patient care. As they donned their white coats for the first time, these aspiring physicians embarked on a path of lifelong learning and dedication to improving the health and well-being of others.
“This is a special day because it signifies the first tangible step in a long and complex path to becoming a physician,” UNR Med Dean Paul J. Hauptman, M.D., said. “So, while this path of education is difficult and you will sacrifice time with friends and family, you are making a commitment today to a noble profession, one that the public implicitly understands is a profession of sacrifice.”
Nevada Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva, keynote speaker at this year’s ceremony, delivered a powerful message to the Class of 2028. Drawing from his journey as an immigrant, marine, educator and patient, he highlighted the importance of compassionate, patient-centered care.
D’Silva emphasized, “Compassion is the bridge that connects science to humanity. It is what turns a good doctor into a healer, and what allows for the building of trust and strong relationships that are essential for positive health care outcomes. Always remember, patients may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel and how much you cared for them.”
During the ceremony, students recited the Honor Pledge, highlighting the significance of humanism in all care of patients.
Each student’s path to the White Coat Ceremony is unique, marked by personal achievements and steadfast determination. Donning the white coat represents the beginning of a new chapter for these future physicians, blending personal passion with professional dedication. The ceremony concluded with the Honor Pledge, underscoring their commitment to the path ahead.
The Class of 2028 is a diverse group of future physicians, ranging in age from 21 to 40. With 33 students who completed their undergraduate studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, and 32 hailing from Nevada, the class reflects a strong connection to the state. They have demonstrated strong academics across a wide range of majors, including biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, global politics, business administration, mechanical engineering, anthropology, biomedical engineering and public health.
Class Highlights:
Explore more of the magic from this year’s White Coat Ceremony
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
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Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada’s jobless rate is holding steady, but the state is still adding jobs.
A new report from DETR shows February’s unemployment rate unchanged at 5.3 percent, with the labor force growing by nearly 3,800 people.
MORE ON FOX5: Nevada unemployment rate rises to 5.3% in January
Nevada now has about 1.6 million nonfarm jobs, up 2.2 percent over the past year and 1,500 more jobs than in January.
“This month’s report shows a strengthening labor market,” said David Schmidt, Chief Economist. ”Compared to the report for January, the pace of job gains in the past year increased from 1.9% to 2.2%, building on what was already the fastest pace of job growth in the country. While the unemployment rate remained stable, the labor force participation rate rose to 63.7%, 1.7 percentage points higher than the national level.”
In Las Vegas, employment ticked up by 1,100 jobs in February, about 0.1 percent, and is up more than 25,000 jobs compared to last year.
Reno added 1,000 jobs on the month, while Carson City shed about 200 but is still slightly above where it was a year ago.
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