Renaissance School of Medicine Welcomes 136 First-year Medical Students in Annual White Coat Ceremony

September 8, 2026
3 min read
The Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University celebrated 136 students at its annual White Coat ceremony
The Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University celebrated 136 students at its annual White Coat ceremony at the Staller Center for the Arts on August 28. Stony Brook Medicine photos.

The Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University welcomed 136 first-year medical students into the profession during its annual White Coat Ceremony on August 28 at the Staller Center for the Arts.

The ceremony marked an important milestone for the incoming Class of 2030, as students received and donned their white coats for the first time — a symbol of professionalism, responsibility, scientific excellence and compassionate patient care. The students also recited the Physician’s Oath, formally beginning their journey toward becoming physicians.

“The White Coat Ceremony marks the first step in the formation of your professional identity as a doctor,” said Peter Igarashi, MD, Knapp Endowed Dean of the RSOM. “To me, the White Coat symbolizes both the science and the art of medicine, and the importance of the doctor-patient relationship. After you don your White Coat, you will not be the same person as you were earlier today. You become a physician-in-training.”

Peter Igarashi, MD, Knapp Endowed Dean of the RSOM
Peter Igarashi, MD, Knapp Endowed Dean of the RSOM

The incoming class represents a highly accomplished and diverse group of future physicians. Only 6.8 percent of applicants were accepted into the RSOM program for the 2026-27 academic year. Among the class:

  • 81 percent are from New York State, with more than 40 percent from Long Island.
  • Students come from 10 other states and 4 countries.
  • Collectively, students earned their undergraduate degrees from 65 different colleges and universities nationwide.
  • The class has a median undergraduate GPA of 3.92.

The RSOM has held its White Coat Ceremony since 1998, joining medical schools nationwide in recognizing the transition into the medical profession and the commitment to combining scientific knowledge with ethical, compassionate care.

White coat ceremony 2026

“Nothing can replace the reassurance and trust built through a meaningful human connection,” added  Igarashi. “Artificial intelligence (AI) can store and process vast amounts of medical data and support clinical decisions, but it cannot provide comfort. AI can hear, but it cannot listen like you can. AI cannot hold a hand when all hope is lost. These human qualities — empathy, clarity and compassion — lie at the heart of healing. This is what we mean when we speak about the art of medicine.”

The new RSOM students enter the field of medicine during a changing, challenging and exhilarating time in which scientific breakthroughs and new technologies are transforming medicine. They will practice in an era of telemedicine, growing specialty practices, the emergence of artificial intelligence, and new and better treatments for diseases that were previously deadly or difficult to treat.

Established in 1971, the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University is a public medical school in Stony Brook, New York. Part of Stony Brook University, a flagship campus of the State University of New York and a member of the Association of American Universities, it is ranked No. 1 in NIH funding among New York’s public medical schools. The school comprises eight basic science and 17 clinical departments that provide preclinical and clinical education for medical students, while training physicians through residency and fellowship programs and biomedical scientists through its PhD programs.