KU News Release

KU School of Medicine announces 175 first-year medical students in Class of 2012

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The University of Kansas School of Medicine officially welcomed 175 first-year medical students to the Class of 2012 during its 11th annual White Coat Ceremony, held Aug. 1 in Battenfeld Auditorium on the medical center’s main campus.

During the ceremony, faculty and staff gave each incoming student a white coat that represents their inauguration into the medical profession. Their student coats are shorter than those worn by physicians. Students and faculty concluded the ceremony by reciting an oath of commitment to their profession written by a KU faculty member.

“The Class of 2012 is one of the highest-performing classes in the School of Medicine’s history,” said Dr. Barbara Atkinson, executive vice chancellor of KU Medical Center and executive dean of the School of Medicine. “We’re honored to have the responsibility of training these promising students to be Kansas’ future doctors."

The ceremony is one of a series of student-focused initiatives developed by School of Medicine as part of its “Project Professionalism.” This school-wide plan was implemented to foster a culture among students and faculty that honors the ideals of medical professionalism: maintenance of patient interest above physician self-interest, altruism, accountability, excellence, duty, service, honor, integrity and respect for others.

Members of the school’s 104th class include 90 men and 85 women chosen from a competitive pool of 2,047 applicants. As is typical, most are Kansans. For the first time in the school’s history, in last year’s class women outnumbered men students 93 to 83.

Since 1905, the KU School of Medicine has trained nearly 10,000 physicians. Many continue to practice in rural and urban Kansas communities as well as neighboring states. Some are the first in their families to attend medical school; others are are following previous generations of physicians in their families.

Atkinson and Robert Klein, associate dean for professional development and faculty affairs, undertook the professionalism initiative to raise awareness of the KU medical community as a whole, from the first day of training and throughout one’s career in the health sciences. The White Coat Ceremony was begun by Dr. Deborah Powell, executive dean of the School of Medicine and vice chancellor for clinical affairs from 1997 to 2002.

For more information, visit the KU School of Medicine's professionalism initiative Web site.

Members of the Class of 2012 are listed below by home county, state or country, level in medical school, gender and, when available, parents’ names and high schools.

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