Wake Forest welcomes Charlotte’s first med school class with special ceremony
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Charlotte celebrates its first four-year medical school with white coat event
- Wake Forest’s new campus anchors a $1.5B health-focused development, The Pearl
- Class of 2029 begins studies using 3D anatomy tools and lifelike patient simulators
Nearly 50 students will participate in a historic milestone this Saturday as Wake Forest University School of Medicine holds its first White Coat Ceremony for its new Charlotte campus.
The ceremony for the inaugural class is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 26 at the Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. Charlotte had been the largest U.S. city without a four-year medical school until now. Only faculty, students and their families can attend the private event.
With the white coat universally known as a symbol for doctors, the ceremony signifies a rite of passage in the medical community. During the event, students will pledge to uphold the core values of the medical profession.
“Everything that the white coat stands for is consistent with our mission at Wake Forest University School of Medicine,” stated Dr. Ebony Boulware, dean of the medical school. “My own white coat still reminds me that I have a calling to help and a responsibility to care for all patients — of all backgrounds and experiences — just the way I’d want my own loved ones to be cared for.”
The first white coat ceremony was initiated in 1993 at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons by Dr. Arnold Gold, a pediatric neurologist.
He believed students should recite the Hippocratic Oath at the start of their medical education, rather than waiting until graduation. Today, this ritual takes place at almost all schools accredited by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
More on Charlotte’s new medical school
The Charlotte campus near uptown at the corner of South McDowell and Baxter streets, is the second location for the medical school, which is based in Winston-Salem. Across both campuses, the Class of 2029 comprises nearly 200 students.
Atrium Health, Wake Forest Baptist Health, and Wake Forest University collaboratively launched the new medical school in Charlotte in 2019.
Anchoring the Howard R. Levine Center for Education, the new medical school in Charlotte serves as a cornerstone of The Pearl, a $1.5 billion mixed-use district envisioned to include shops, apartments, medical offices and med tech companies. The school opened in early June, with students beginning classes on July 14.
The Charlotte campus has modern classrooms and advanced learning tools, such as a digital and virtual anatomy lab with Sectra tables, which use technology to allow students to see 3D models of the human body.
Students will also learn through patient simulators that move, blink, cough and make other sounds. These lifelike simulators come in sizes ranging from a premature 27-week-old baby to adult types, providing comprehensive training.
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Wake Forest welcomes Charlotte’s first med school class with special ceremony."
