School of Medicine Class of 2030 take first steps towards MD

University of Missouri School of Medicine Class of 2030 medical students recently took their first steps as future physicians by partaking in two honored traditions.

On July 29, new M1 medical students attended the annual Stethoscope Breakfast and received a stethoscope, their first medical tool. On July 31, students gathered in Jesse Auditorium for the annual White Coat Ceremony and received a Mizzou-branded white coat.

This year’s class of 136 first-year medical students were selected from more than 2,600 applicants. Of the students in the Class of 2030, 88% are from Missouri and 15% are from rural areas. 15 students in the entering class are part of the Lester Bryant Scholars Pre-Admissions Program, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025.

At the White Coat Ceremony, Mizzou School of Medicine leadership presented the new medical students with their white coats and administered the Declaration of Geneva, a modern version of the Hippocratic Oath.

The event was opened by Richard J. Barohn, MD, executive vice chancellor for health affairs and Hugh E. Sarah D. Stephenson dean of the School of Medicine. Barohn emphasized to the M1s that the white coat represents the compassion and respect that a physician must possess for every patient.

“The white coat signifies a compact, a contract, a commitment – to knowledge, mutual respect and shared humanity,” said Barohn. “It symbolizes the humanity and empathy that you must have in your approach to your role as a physician.”

Jane Knapp, MD, presented the keynote address at this year’s White Coat Ceremony. A 1978 graduate of the Mizzou School of Medicine, she was one of the first two physicians to complete a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine in the United States. Knapp is a retired professor of Pediatrics at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri, and served as associate dean and chair of the Department of Graduate Medical Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The Class of 2030 also heard similar guidance at this year’s Stethoscope Breakfast at the Patient-Centered Care Learning Center. Steven Daniels, MD, co-presented alongside Barohn at the event. A 1987 graduate of the Mizzou School of Medicine, Daniels is an anesthesiology specialist with Sanford Health in Fargo, North Dakota, and member of Mizzou’s Dean’s Alumni Advisory Committee.

See Photos from Our Stethoscope Breakfast 

At the event, Barohn emphasized that the stethoscope symbolizes the technical expertise physicians gain in medical school. It’s the first tool medical students will master in their journey to become physicians, but it will not be their last. Barohn closed his remarks by encouraging the M1s to hold compassion and respect for their patients at the core of their medical education.

Brooke Wagner, one of the first-year medical students in attendance at the traditional Mizzou School of Medicine events, is grateful for the experiences she’s already accumulated and excited for what the future entails.  

“As a Bryant Scholar, I’ve had the opportunity to shadow physicians in rural communities, connect with peers and learn more about Mizzou’s commitment to rural healthcare,” said Wagner. “As a first-generation medical student, receiving my white coat means the world to me. It represents not only the beginning of my journey as a physician at Mizzou but also serves as a milestone that my family and I have worked hard to reach.”

Generous alumni and friends provided stethoscopes and white coats for students. This is the 14th year of the donation program, which has raised more than $350,000. In the past year, more than $40,000 has been raised with donations coming from alumni across 27 states and ranging from School of Medicine classes of 1961 to 2021.

The first White Coat Ceremony was conducted in 1993 at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The ceremony was created by Arnold Gold, MD, a pediatric neurologist, who called the white coat his profession’s “cloak of compassion.” The Arnold P. Gold Foundation estimates that a White Coat Ceremony or similar rite of passage is now held at more than 90% of schools of medicine and osteopathy in the United States. The first White Coat Ceremony at Mizzou occurred in 1997.