UofL’s Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Dentistry each host a White Coat Ceremony encouraging students to enter into an inner, personal contract, accepting the obligations specific to their practice, as they are cloaked with a white coat.

University of Louisville President Neeli Bendapudi, PhD, gave the keynote address to more than 160 medical students during the School of Medicine Class of 2023 White Coat Ceremony on July 28.

“The ceremony is designed to clarify for students that a physician’s responsibility is to take care of patients, care for the patients and practice humanism in medicine,” said Toni Ganzel, MD, MBA, FACS, dean of the School of Medicine.

Nearly 50 doctorate of nursing practice students will receive a white coat on Aug. 15 during a ceremony on the UofL Health Sciences Center campus. Presiding will be Sonya Hardin, PhD, MBA, MHA, CCRN, NP-C, FAAN, dean of the UofL School of Nursing.

Finally, 120 dental and 30 dental hygiene students will participate in a White Coat Ceremony Aug. 24 at The Palace Theatre for the UofL School of Dentistry’s event.

David C. Johnsen, DDS, MS, dean of the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, will give the keynote, with UofL School of Dentistry Dean T. Gerard Bradley, BDS, MS, DrMedDent, presiding. Johnsen, a pediatric dentist, will speak on critical thinking in learning and professional environments.

“The UofL School of Dentistry is punching above its weight in securing National Institutes of Health research grants. This is an amazing achievement and a reflection of the tireless efforts of the talented research faculty,” said Dean T. Gerard Bradley, BDS, MS, DrMedDent.

Bradley says despite increased competition and tighter budgets, the school’s NIDCR research income exceeds $4 million. The ranking puts UofL’s School of Dentistry higher than a number of larger institutions such as The Ohio State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Washington and State University of New York at Buffalo.

The success, he says, is a tangible outcome of a long-term strategic plan to increase the national and international stature of dental research, and basic science is integrated throughout the teaching and clinical missions of school. The research intensive Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Disease, created by former dental dean John J. Sauk, DDS, MS, in 2015 drives extramurally-funded endeavors. 

“We have built a thematic research program that allows individual projects to be supported by several faculty with complementary expertise,” said Richard J. Lamont, PhD, chair of the Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases and Delta Dental Endowed Professor.

“Researchers are only successful when supported by the clinicians and administration,” said Donald R. Demuth, PhD, associate dean for research and a multi-funded basic and translational investigator. “It is evident that the overall culture of a school makes a significant contribution to research progress.”

Bradley says many challenges lie ahead in the harsh funding climate, but the school has positioned itself to remain competitive.

“Through the recent recruitment of two outstanding assistant professors, Huizhi Wang, PhD, and Juhi Bagaitkar, PhD, and the addition of Lisa Sandell, PhD, to the Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Disease, we maintain optimism about future growth” he said. 

The School of Dentistry’s research advancement is consistent with increased national and international recognition, as faculty publish papers in high impact journals, serve on editorial boards and grant review panels, and receive invitations to speak at international conferences.