WesternU COMP-Northwest holds annual Convocation and White Coat Ceremony

Ninth class of medical students to begin coursework in August

Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest will welcome its ninth class of osteopathic medical students during the University’s annual Convocation and White Coat Ceremony Friday, August 2, 2019.

Convocation opens WesternU’s 2019 academic year, and the White Coat Ceremony symbolizes a rite of passage for new osteopathic medical students. During the ceremony, incoming medical students are cloaked with their first white coat. This event, held in the presence of administration, faculty, staff and the students’ families, instills in students an awareness of their responsibilities as healers from the first day of their training.

A total of 72 students from the Class of 2023 call the Pacific Northwest home. Of those 72 students, 47 are from Oregon spanning from metropolitan areas like Portland and Salem to small towns including Powers, Estacada, and Glide.

This year’s Convocation keynote speaker is Michael G. Cowgill, JD. Cowgill is the chair of the WesternU COMP-Northwest Dean’s Advisory Board, and is president of the Albany law firm Weatherford Thompson. Weatherford Thompson is the oldest law firm in Oregon with continuous family ownership.

During the White Coat Ceremony, medical students will also receive their black doctor bag through the Tools of the Trade program. Through this program, community members purchase bags for incoming students as a welcome to the Lebanon area. For more information on this program, please contact Andrew McNall, PhD, at (541) 259-0273.

Doors will open to the Convocation and White Coat Ceremony at 9 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2 with the ceremonies beginning at 10. The celebration is held at Lebanon First Assembly of God Church, 726 W. Oak St. and is open to the public. More information on the ceremonies may be found at http://commencement.westernu.edu/lebanon.