Sitting exciting day for all men
will 
thank you   
As  
I want 
to welcome everybody today. This
is a very significant event in 
the lives of all of you plus the
life of our college and the 
ceremony today is a 
little different. As you can do 
you can see but it is being 
conducted in a hybrid of Malibu 
due to our commitment to keeping
all of us 
safe from COVID 19 and it goes 
especially for our students and 
I want to 
not only welcome all of our on 
site participants the students 
yourselves 
and our platform party but we 
welcome 
all family members friends of 
the students and friends of the 
university 
who are participating virtually 
at home. And we welcome all of 
you We are honored today to have
two members of the 
administration to join on the 
platform. And they have been key
to 
the success of the college and 
that it would be Dana 
Hoyt our President and Dr. 
Richard Engle sir our chief 
academic officer and provost 
both will provide 
remarks and assist with coding 
students and I'd like to welcome
Dr. Hoyt to the podium at this 
time to share some of her 
remarks. Dr. Hoyt as   
and so the inaugural class of 
the same Eastern 
State University College of 
osteopathic medicine. No one 
could be more proud than I am to
see you in front of me. 
Your journey started long ago 
while you were in high school 
and as an undergraduate premed 
student. Your tenacity hard work
and intelligence combined to 
bring 
you to this point. Full of 
excitement opportunity and yes 
more 
hard work since you are the 
first class. I wanted to have 
you to have a little bit of 
the history of this moment, 
which has a lengthy trajectory 
not 
unlike all of you in 20 13 the 
universities surveyed the needs 
of the health care community in 
the region. The number one need 
was for primary care physicians 
next. The University reviewed 
the data, which showed that over
60 percent of osteopathic 
physicians practice primary care
therefore, the university 
investigated Osteopathic 
Medicine another 
determining fact, was the large 
number of CEOs that practice in 
rural and underserved areas 
which is an ever increasing 
need not only in the state of 
Texas, but nationally this that 
started 
a process that included several 
state approvals as well as 
accreditation. In August 2018 
the College of Osteopathic 
Medicine received the Texas 
Higher Education coordinating 
approval. Spring 2019 the state 
of Texas legislature and 
governor approved the calm 
August 2019 Coca granted pre 
accreditation status 
with the ability to recruit the 
first class of students. And 
here you are today this success 
started 
in 20 13 and accumulates today. 
Come finishes today with 
the success of looking around 
and seeing amazing faces of 
all of you. So much more than 
the approval. Success to get 
here, you join a bearcat nation 
that for one and forty years of 
operation has focused on the 
workforce needs and the state of
Texas teachers accountants 
business 
leaders law enforcement 
psychologists forensic 
scientists cybersecurity 
personnel theatrical performance
journalists and nurses name just
a few of the professional 
professions where Sam Houston 
State University has excelled in
placing individuals in the 
workforce as 
a you has always been about 
fulfilling workforce needs and 
making connections. This Bearcat
nation has over one and thirty 
thousand living alumni all over 
Texas and the world, which 
provides you connections as well
besides filling a workforce need
the calm fits the same Houston 
State University culture S H S U
is a Carnegie classified 
doctoral resource  research 
university and as well is a 
community engaged university by 
Carnegie a designation that. 
Less than 10 percent of 
universities attain the motto of
Sam Houston State University is 
the measure of a life is its 
service. These words community 
engaged in service to others are
key components of the mission of
the College of Osteopathic 
Medicine and should 
guide you as you progress 
through your education and into 
practice 
as a physician My 
congratulations to the inaugural
class 
of the College of Osteopathic 
Medicine. I know you will 
continue a successful trajectory
and I 
look forward to seeing what you 
accomplish. Again 
congratulations. Applause Hi. 
I would like take just a few 
minutes to talk a little bit 
about why we're here today and 
the significance of the white 
coat, 
and white coat ceremony This is 
a symbol of symbol of transition
into a career 
of medicine as an Osteopathic 
physician the white coat 
by itself is something that 
provides an identity as a 
student doctor 
and a member of a very special 
group, a community physicians 
dedicated to acquiring and 
advancing knowledge of medicine 
and compassionate care for our 
patients. This Sarah foot 
ceremony identifies students as 
part of a profession unlike any 
other This is a career that 
demands 
lifelong learning dedication to 
patient care and service 
to your community. You'll be 
surprised when you get into your
clerkships the level of respect 
that 
the white coat gives you with 
your patients and during your 
clinical 
training, you'll also find that 
it's a practical thing as you 
rush to find an elevator with 
your white coat full of phones 
medical books note cards pens 
patient records and 
lab results. It was the goal 
Foundation, who established the 
white coat ceremony in 1993 as 
a way of identifying that 
transition into medicine that 
gives students the sense of 
being part of something bigger 
than themselves. Your white coat
is a reminder of your part of 
the College of Osteopathic 
Medicine and as you Don your 
coat today. Please remember that
you are part of a long line of 
students, residents and 
physicians who have 
been there before you however 
you are the first 
to wear a white coat with the 
Sam Houston State University 
College Osteopathic Medicine 
logo on it as we progress with 
the coding of the students. 
We'll be assisted by President 
Dwight Provost Eagle Sarah and 
McCombs associate Dean. Dr. 
Steven McKernan who 
is our associate dean for 
clinical affairs Dr. Mary Hopper
associate dean 
for biomedical sciences and 
Courtney 
West associate dean for 
educational affairs to begin the
coding part of the 
ceremony I'd like to ask Dr. 
Hart Hart if she would like to 
come forward.    Dr. Hoyt 
you're the 
one person most responsible for 
this moment more than anyone 
else. It was your vision of how 
a medical school can help change
the workforce and eastern Texas 
and your leadership has made a 
difference when needed most and 
along with all of our deans our 
chairs our faculty and staff. I 
want to thank you for the 
wonderful job you've done to 
bring this college to fruition. 
It is now my honor to present 
you with the very 
first Sam Houston State 
University College of 
Osteopathic medicine. White 
coat and this commemorative 
plant   as 
you're fine. You're not going 
to. I also want you to have this
awesome thank you so 
very, very much for all that 
you've done for us. As and now 
tests start 
the roll   
Britney 
ham  
the 
remainder of the green community
will be coded by Dr. Charles 
Henley Travis Hyatt     
3 
young black GMC    
Nakheel 
Madhav  
Yvonne Wynn   
She Van G Pooja Patel   
Ethan 
Pavlovsky  
Amir Rashid   
Daniel Sukkar Chu   
Puja 
Shah  
Simien Siddiqui   
Kyle  
Swanson     
Rishi Dar 
to worry  
Willard  Tyler 
Williams   
coating of the orange learning 
community will be led by Dr. 
Steven McKernan    First up 
is Matthew 
boy no  
Meredith Busby    
Grace 
Chin  
Aubrey Covington   
Olivia 
Dahl  
Noah de 
la  
Cruz   
Jonathan Heath Hinds   
Lindsey, I 
go. Heart  
I'm Jack go to   
Michelle Corker 
Hill   
Morgan McCauley  
Alvin Matthew  
Kenzie 
McKay  
Jonathan fam    
Austin Reynolds   
Sergio Sanchez    
David 
Schram  
Megan Waldron    
Joe Zubin   
Cody Nevada yellow 
orange community learning 
community will 
be led by Dr. Mary Harper  
First up is 
Nathan Boyd     
So GUPTA 
Garcia  
William 
Gatlin   
Christina Haki  
Amber 
Hassan  
Kevin Wynn   
Jeremy 
Colton  
Lauren McManus   
Timothy 
Moke  
Pearl fam    
Alec pinion  
may Ghana Prakash   
swipe the 
warm  
Cody Richards   
Ashley 
rose     
Jacob 
Seba   
Jacob Vinson    
Whitney Woodward   
our last line of community, 
the blue learning community will
be coded by Dr. Courtney was    
First up is Sally 
a CBO   
Mohammed Aziz    
Noah quasar  
Darian Dozier   
Austin Goff    
Kevin Quinn   
Savannah Jenkins    
Thomas 
Ley  
Lorena Mayo Lado   
Michael 
Oh lobby    
Hunter 
peach  
Sam 
yum say   
Jamila 
Raja  
and the coding of our final five
students will be done by Dr. 
Richard 
Engle Sayer Dillon Roberson  
Amy Rouhani  
Matthew   Hale  
Nevin Wang   
Melanie Chappell    
as we also have two students 
that unfortunately could 
not be here in person with us 
today. And they 
are Benjamin Bohm applause 
and McKayla Brzezinski applause 
thank 
you very  much 
turf I have to admit standing 
here looking out at this group 
of student doctors and your 
white coats it's a little bit 
emotional and I haven't seen 
such a good looking 
group in a long time what I'd 
like for us to do now 
is to rise and join me in 
reciting the 
osteopathic oath. And I think 
you have that in your chairs I 
do hereby affirm my loyalty to 
the profession I'm about to 
enter go with me I will be 
mindful 
always of my great 
responsibility to preserve the 
health and the 
life of my patients to retain 
their confidence and respect 
both as a position and a friend.
We will guard their secrets with
scrupulous honor and fidelity to
perform faithfully my 
professional duties and to 
employ 
only those recognized methods of
treatment consistent with 
good judgment and with the skill
and ability. Keeping in mind 
always nature's laws and 
the body's inherent capacity for
recovery I will be ever vigilant
in aiding and general welfare of
the community sustaining its 
laws and institutions and not 
encouraging in 
those practices, which will in 
any way bring shame or discredit
upon myself 
or my profession I will give no 
drugs for deadly purposes to any
person 
though it be asked of me I will 
endeavor to work in accord with 
my colleagues 
in a spirit of progressive 
cooperate and never by word or 
by act cast amputations upon 
them or their rightful practice.
I will look with respect and 
esteem upon 
all those who have taught me my 
art to my college. I will be 
loyal and strive 
always for its best interests 
and for the interest of the 
students who will come after me 
I will be ever alert to further 
the application of basic 
biologic truce to the 
healing arts and to develop the 
principles of psychopathy which 
were 
first enunciated by Andrew 
Taylor still You may be 
seated. Thank you for helping me
out I want to go ahead now and 
take an opportunity to introduce
the commencement speaker for 
today Dr. Tommy Lee Tom and I 
talk a lot 
about coming to this event and 
he really, really wanted to be 
here in person. But as you can 
see, we're having to do things 
remotely these days for safety. 
And Thomas says the airway 
president and his board was not 
allowed not going to 
let him get on an airplane but 
just to let you know who Dr. EoE
is. He is 
an alumni of Sam Houston State 
University graduating in 
1964 with IBS and chemistry is 
also a 
life member of the Sam Houston 
alumni associate Asian and he 
attended medical school at the 
Kansas City universe's medicine 
and sciences and then he did a 
residency in a military and 
family medicine at Fort Belvoir 
Virginia and the military 
district of Washington, 
which involves both Walter Reed 
and Bethesda Naval Medical 
Center. Dr. Healy has a long 
history with the military and 
served as a medevac and dust off
pilot helicopter pilot for two 
deployments during the Vietnam 
War 
and continued to serve in the 
military and the Army Medical 
Corps as 
a physician after his residency 
Dr. Ailey retired from 
active duty as a lieutenant 
colonel and started his practice
in Clarksville, Tennessee where 
he became active in the state 
association. Dr. EoE has been a 
trustee of the American 
Osteopathic Association for 14 
years and is now president of 
the 
airway and in keeping with the 
need for 
code 19 safety we'll have Dr. 
Ellie's remarks will be 
prerecorded for this special 
occasion. So let's go ahead and 
start frivolous Eagles Sayer 
Dean Henley and President 
distinguish Sam Houston 
State University College of 
Osteopathic Medicine 
deans and department chairs. Sam
Houston State University 
College of Arts two passing 
medicine faculty and staff to u 
proud parents and most of all, 
to you students of the 
Sam Houston State University 
College of Osteopathic Medicine 
inaugural class 
of 2000 and 24 It is an 
honor for me to be here with you
today representing 
the American Osteopathic 
Association which will represent
you now and throughout your 
professional career I apologize 
that I could not be with 
you in person today I have truly
been 
looking forward to this moment 
for over a year. And I pledge to
you at some time during this 
year, I will visit you and meet 
you 
and greet you in Texas Now it is
truly 
an honor to be part of this 
very, 
very special moment. The 
celebration of your first 
official steps on 
a lifelong journey of learning 
healing and serving and this is 
truly a most special moment for 
me because I am a bear cat. I 
had 
the privilege and honor to 
attend Sam Houston 
State University graduate 
meeting in 1964 
and those years 56 years ago. 
Walking on this campus attending
classes making lifelong 
friendships are 
as indelible in my mind today as
if I were doing it today. And 
you have this most special 
distinction you are 
the initial first class at Sam 
Houston's New College of 
Osteopathic Medicine no one may 
ever take that distinction away 
from you and you will not forget
it. Now this is an 
exciting and memorable moment 
for you And while 
it's exciting. I know that as 
you look 
down the road ahead of you. You 
might be a bit apprehend answer 
about all that is in front of 
you But let me reassure you you 
have made an excellent and 
important choice. And I can tell
you it is a great time to 
be an Osteopathic physician you 
are 
joining a growing profession 
today one in four medical 
students in the United States 
are attending Colleges of 
Osteopathic Medicine and by the 
year 2030 osteopathic physicians
are projected to constitute 20 
percent of the physician 
workforce in this country. And 
you have unlimited horizons. 
Today's diesel's practice 
osteopathic likely in any 
specialty and setting and we're 
working on 
opening opportunities for you to
possibly practice and do 
research abroad. And you will be
needed over 56 percent of 
osteopathic physicians practice 
in primary care fields. 22 
percent practice 
in underserved communities and 7
percent practice in truly rural 
areas. These are the true 
frontlines of health care where 
physicians are needed. The most.
You will be 
in demand today, more and more 
people 
understand the D O difference 
and are seeking osteopathic care
and overall Well, the future 
of medicine is moving on a 
greater focus of prevention and 
the relationship between 
lifestyle and disease. You will 
be trained to understand and the
interrelationship of 
structure and function and how 
to use the body's 
capacity for self healing. So 
that you will be well positioned
for that Research is proving 
that osteopath think physicians 
empathetic approach and focus on
body unity self-regulation and 
the interrelationship of 
structure and function leads 
to effective treatment. Lower 
cost and 
higher patient satisfaction 
recognition of 
osteopathic training within 
graduate medical programs and 
throughout the profession is 
another indicator that Dios will
add and 
do add value for their patients 
and the 
providers now the work 
of becoming a physician goes 
beyond mastering a body of 
knowledge and some new skills. 
You are also taking on the 
sacred responsibility of the 
physician patient relationship 
the white coat you received 
today is a marker 
of that responsibility and the 
professionalism that must be 
paired with the art and science 
of medicine as you practice 
and all of that can be a bit 
nerve wracking at the start. but
never forget you are joining a 
vibrant and growing osteopathic 
family who share your values 
and philosophy. Stay connected 
the faculty here 
will support and mentor you and 
the peers 
around you will become your 
friends and a support system. 
You didn't get here 
alone. Your family and friends 
and teachers and mentors helped 
you along the way. Be grateful 
for that support and remember 
that it's always there. Thank 
them. Today for getting you to 
where you are today and I 
implore you always always 
remember, please take care of 
yourself. As you face inevitable
stresses and challenges that 
will arise in this profession 
and remember 
that your fellow osteopathic 
physicians and the 
American Osteopathic Association
are here to support you at every
stage of your career. I will now
conclude and let you get back to
the business 
of simply acquiring your medical
education. But let me just 
emphasize these parting thoughts
be confident you will master the
healing skills and you will have
plenty of support along the way.
Stay 
connected to yourselves and your
profession. And remember that 
your pot osteopathic family and 
your osteopathic associate 
nation and your College of 
Osteopathic Medicine is here to 
support you 
because you are truly the future
of our profession. So thank you 
And the best of luck to you on 
your professional journey. And 
I will see you some time 
later this year. Thank you  
as Well, like everyone else, I'm
excited to celebrate 
the start of 
your medical education. Over 
twenty 
one students applied over six 
interview interview you are the 
seventy five. We thought this to
succeed you remember the first 
day you stepped onto your high 
school campus remembered some 
of the fears and uncertainties 
you had. Many were nervous. So 
my question is rather whether 
or not you could succeed. Today,
you are about to enter some of 
the most rigorous and 
challenging years of school. 
There's an old adage 
never let success go to your 
head. Never let failure go to 
your heart we have confidence 
that you will be successful we 
would not have selected 
you if we didn't believe so. As 
the inaugural class Sam Houston 
State University, we expect 
and anticipate great things from
you Our mission is to enhance 
medical opportunities in the 
state, especially in our 
underserved counties Your future
is bright and exciting. Hold 
on to your passion and give us 
your best as we promise to give 
you our best. I'm 
reminded of a quote by Lou Holt 
ability is what you 
are capable of doing. Motivation
determines what you do 
attitude determines how well you
do it. Again congratulations on 
being accepted. We are all ready
and excited to begin the 
adventure. Thank you     
Tess. Okay. OK students as 
we try to maintain social 
distancing. You will be released
as a learning communities 
starting with the Blue Community
