MCG White Coat Ceremony scheduled for Oct. 10

The first-year class of the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University will mark the beginning of their medical careers at the annual White Coat Ceremony at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Bell Auditorium, 712 Telfair St.

Two hundred thirty students will take part in the ceremony, which is a tradition among many of the nation’s medical schools and symbolizes students’ transitions toward the practice of medicine.

Dr. Charles Linder, an MCG alum and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, will give the keynote address. Linder is the Ellington Charles Hawes Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. Linder has more than 35 years of pediatric experience at the Medical College of Georgia and was instrumental in the establishment of the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, the Ronald McDonald House and many other child health programs.

He has received numerous awards, including MCG’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, has served on the Governor of Georgia’s Commission on Children and Youth, and held multiple offices in the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, including a four-year term as president. The Charles W. Linder, M.D. Endowed Chair in Pediatrics was established in 2010 in his honor.

Prior to the ceremony, a parents and partners program will be held at the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons, aimed at giving family and friends of MCG students a glimpse at student life with tours and panel discussions.

For more information, call the MCG Office of Student and Multicultural Affairs at 706-721-5115.