On August 14, 2026, the UVA School of Medicine welcomed the Class of 2030 medical students at our annual White Coat Ceremony, an exciting day that commemorates the beginning of their medical education to become doctors.
“White Coat Ceremonies are held annually at medical schools nationwide to welcome students embarking on their medical careers by giving them a white coat as a symbol of compassion and honor,” stated Barry J. Collins, executive director of the UVA Medical Alumni Association during his welcome. The UVA School of Medicine Class of 1965 generously endows this ceremony each year.
During the ceremony held in Old Cabell Hall with family and friends in attendance, 155 new MD students received white coats embroidered with their names and a medical tool kit—complete with stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, tuning fork, and reflex hammer (shown in picture at left). The students also recited a covenant for the entering class and their teachers.
Interim Dean Colin Derdeyn, MD
The incoming class of 155 students were selected from a pool of 7,248 applicants. Their mean GPA is 3.91, and mean MCAT score 520 (97th percentile). They represent 27 states plus the District of Columbia and 66 undergraduate institutions. Students from the state of Virginia make up 54% of the entering class.
In his remarks to the students, School of Medicine Interim Dean Colin Derdeyn, MD, said, “I am excited for what each of you will bring to our profession as you follow your own interests and passions while keeping, as Hippocrates specified, a focus on ethical and patient-centered care.”
Additional speakers at ceremony include Keith Warren, MD’88, president of the UVA Medical Alumni Association; Meg Keeley, MD’92, senior associate dean for education; and Taylor Washington, SMD’27, president of the student-led Mulholland Society.
Best wishes to the Class of 2030 MD students as they start their journey to become compassionate, skilled physicians. For more photos and the recorded livestream, visit UVA Medical Alumni Association newsroom.
