Dear Colleagues,
There’s nothing quite like the energy and excitement of welcoming a new class of medical students to campus, and this year’s incoming class is already making a strong first impression.
The Mizzou School of Medicine Class of 2029 officially arrived last week, bringing with them a shared passion for medicine and a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. This impressive group includes 136 students from 44 undergraduate institutions who pursued 40 different majors, earned an average GPA of 3.84, and scored an average 511 on the MCAT.
They’re an inspiring group of 73 women and 63 men, ranging in age from 21 to 46. More than 85% are from Missouri, and 11% come from rural communities, underscoring our continued commitment to serving and training physicians for all corners of our state.
I want to point out that this is the largest class of medical students we have admitted to the medical school. The class size grew from 96 to 128 students a year in 2016 when we opened the Springfield Clinical Campus. This year we increased the class size to 136, and we continue to look at ways to provide more doctors for Missouri by further increasing the class size in the future.
These 136 medical students, the class of 2029, officially began their last week at two cornerstone events. On Wednesday, July 31, students attended the annual Stethoscope Breakfast, where they received their very first medical tool—a stethoscope—thanks to the generosity of our School of Medicine alumni.
Dr. Steve Daniels ‘87, representing the alumni, and I handed each student their new stethoscope. In my comments to the students, I explained to them the symbolism of the stethoscope ceremony, which in my mind is a reflection of the technical skills they will learn to become a physician.
Then on Friday, Aug. 1, they took the stage at the Missouri Theatre for the White Coat Ceremony, where they received their first white coat and recited the Declaration of Geneva, a modern reflection of the Hippocratic Oath.
It was a meaningful moment for these students and their families and a proud one for all of us. Dr. Kevin Kane, Dr. Nathan Hesemann, M4 Destri Eichman and I had the honor of speaking at the ceremony. I had the opportunity to talk to the medical students about the meaning of the white coat, which I believe symbolizes the importance of compassion in their role as a physician. Therefore, it is a ocmbination of the stethoscope representing technical skills and the white coat representing compassion that will make them a complete physician.
The White Coat Ceremony has become a powerful tradition across medical schools nationwide. We’re proud to carry on that tradition here at Mizzou, as we welcome and support the next generation of physicians.
Please join me in extending a warm welcome to the Class of 2029. We’re excited to support them every step of the way. I look forward to four years from now in May 2029 when these students walk across the stage in Jesse Auditorium, graduate and become physicians.
Sincerely,
Rick Barohn, MD
Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson Dean, School of Medicine
rbarohn@health.missouri.edu
