April 12, 2006 

Medical Students at NYIT’s New York College of Osteopathic Medicine to Receive White Coats

Old Westbury, N.Y., April 12, 2006: After successfully completing two years of classroom training and pre-clinical studies, 291 medical students attending the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM) at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) are ready to continue their professional education in clinical assignments throughout the New York region.

At a special white coat ceremony on Wednesday, April 26 at 5 p.m., these future osteopathic physicians will proudly walk to the stage at the Tilles Center in Old Westbury, N.Y., in the presence of more than 2,000 family, friends, faculty and NYCOM alumni to be presented with their “white coats.” The ceremony is a tradition at medical schools throughout the country and represents a significant milestone for students.

“The white coat ceremony marks the passage of emerging physicians from classroom training to clinical sites as they progress in the medical education continuum, from text book to practical application,” says Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee, dean of NYCOM and vice president of health, sciences and medical affairs at NYIT. At the ceremony, students will also take an oath affirming their commitment to the highest standards of medical ethics and patient care.

Keynote speaker for the white coat ceremony is war hero and NYCOM graduate Richard Jadick, D.O., who was awarded a Bronze Star in January with a combat V for valor for saving the lives of seven badly injured Marines in Iraq. His amazing and heroic story was the cover story in the March 20, 2006, issue of Newsweek. He has also appeared on several television networks, including CNN, NBC and Fox News, to talk about his experiences. The Newsweek article states that Jadick’s award was the “only combat V awarded to a Navy doctor thus far in the Iraq war.”

“Clinical training is dependent on professional role models,” says Ross-Lee. “Dr. Jadick, a 1997 graduate, provides an example of professionalism that sets the standards for excellence, caring and commitment expected of all of our students in the future.”

Jadick served six years as an officer in the Marines before attending NYCOM on a Navy scholarship. In 2003, he served with another Marine unit in northern Iraq. Currently, he is a urology resident at the Medical College of Georgia and Augusta Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

About NYIT

NYIT is the college of choice for more than 14,000 students currently enrolled in more than 100 courses of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees from eight schools, including engineering, architecture, business, communication arts and medicine. A private, independent college, NYIT embraces an educational philosophy of career-oriented, professional education for all qualified students and supports applications-oriented research to benefit the greater global community. Students attend classes at NYIT’s Manhattan and Long Island campuses, as well as online and in a number of programs throughout the world. To date, more than 66,000 alumni have earned degrees at NYIT. For additional information, visit www.nyit.edu.

# # #

Contact: mediarelations@nyit.edu