OHSU to welcome new medical students at annual White Coat Ceremony
Oregon Health & Science University’s newest medical students will end their first week at the school with a time-honored ceremony in which they symbolically slip on their white coats for the first time.
“On Monday morning, I had the pleasure of welcoming the M.D. Class of 2027 minutes after they began their first day of medical school. They are a truly impressive group,” David Jacoby, M.D., dean of the OHSU School of Medicine. “On Friday, they will formally don their white coats for the first time. This watershed moment signifies the honor and the responsibility inherent in becoming our next generation of physicians, at a time when access to health care and the advancement of medicine and science has been proven paramount to our ability to thrive as a society.”
Reporters must R.S.V.P. by no later than 8 a.m. Friday to attend this ticketed event. More information is below.
Of the 150 medical students who are starting this fall:
- 81% are Oregonians or of Oregon heritage
- 57% identify as female
- 55% come from racial or ethnic backgrounds other than white
- 43% come from a disadvantaged background
- 23% come from a racial or ethnic group underrepresented in medicine
- 18% come from a rural background
- Seven have completed military service
Event info:
WHAT: OHSU School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony
WHEN: 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 11, 2023
WHERE: PSU Viking Pavilion
930 SW Hall St., Portland, OR
DETAILS: Sandra Iragorri, M.D., professor of pediatrics in the OHSU School of Medicine, will deliver the annual J.S. Reinschmidt, M.D., lecture, which provides a special message to students.
Reporters who attend will be able to:
- Interview members of the OHSU M.D. Class of 2027 about their hopes and dreams for the future, and OHSU School of Medicine faculty about what these new students will experience while studying medicine at OHSU.
- Take photos and record video of the White Coat Ceremony and students marking the beginning of their medical education, including ceremoniously putting on white coats and reciting the physician’s oath for the first time.
Reporters must R.S.V.P. by no later than 8 a.m. Friday to attend this ticketed event. To confirm attendance, contact Franny White at whitef@ohsu.edu or 971-413-1992.
Meet the Class of 2027
Anna Rozzi
After a winding journey to medical school, Anna Rozzi was ready and energized when she officially became an OHSU M.D. student this week.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said the 40-year-old Portland woman. “But, like for so many people, the path seemed inaccessible. I’m humbled by and grateful for this opportunity.”
Growing up in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, Rozzi’s family was burdened with poverty, addiction and recurrent tragedy. Due in large part to her parents’ strength and encouragement, she became the first woman in her family to graduate college, earning two bachelor’s degrees — one in English and another in interdisciplinary Nature and Culture — from the University of California Davis in 2005.
Motivated by her principles, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked at a nonprofit to advocate for more inclusive and equitable policies in the 2008 Farm Bill. Even though most of these proposals didn’t become law, she was inspired by the power and impact of advocacy work.
Rozzi left formal policy work and became a teacher at a D.C. middle school. She taught science and coached soccer. As an educator and advocate, she pushed for change while preparing testimonies for government hearings and organizing community meetings. Her personal life was also full: She volunteered at a local shelter, ran marathons and played with a touring indie rock band.
In 2011, she and her partner moved to Portland, where Rozzi taught science at Oregon Episcopal School. She left education in 2019 and managed a successful Oregon State Senate campaign. After, she became involved with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, for which she currently serves as patient advocacy lead. This spring, she testified before the Oregon Legislature to support House Bill 2002, which ultimately passed and will expand access to reproductive health care.
After years of being pulled toward medicine, Rozzi was inspired by the birth of her son in 2021 to finally commit to her dream of becoming a doctor.
“A mentor once advised me to live a life according to my values,” Rozzi said. “I’ve worked to expand compassion, dignity and equity with every role I’ve taken on. Now, it’s time to espouse those values as a medical student.”
Rozzi plans to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology, and would like to combine clinical practice with advocacy for policies that center equity and inclusion.
Miguel Mendez
As the son of indigenous Mexican immigrants, 30-year-old Miguel Mendez of Beaverton sees medicine as a path to help historically marginalized communities like his own.
While growing up in Los Angeles, Mendez’s parents worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. In his youth, between helping his dad wash cars for a living, Mendez eagerly devoured books; from astronomy to physiology, learning how the world works fascinated him. Pulled to help others, young Mendez also volunteered by tutoring children experiencing homelessness and comforting hospice patients.
But it wasn’t until he visited the Mexican state of Oaxaca, his parents’ ancestral home, as a college student that he developed an unexpected interest in medicine. While immersed in a study abroad health internship, he helped facilitate health care access for indigenous communities. After earning a bachelor’s degree in human biology from University of California, Santa Cruz in 2016, he completed a post-baccalaureate, pre-med program at University of California, Davis. In 2017, Mendez and his wife relocated to Oregon with their eyes set on the OHSU School of Medicine.
Shortly after, Mendez worked to assist asylum-seeking children who had entered the U.S. without their parents by guiding them through medical appointments and advocating for their physical and mental well-being. In 2020, Mendez joined Washington County’s COVID-19 efforts, where he led a contact-tracing team that notified people when they were exposed to the virus, and later helped vulnerable community members access vaccination clinics.
“Something I heard said early in the pandemic was ‘It’s when we’re fighting for others that our true strength is revealed,’” Mendez said. “Our community here rose to the occasion to help the most vulnerable, and I realized there was still more to be done.”
He and his wife, who is now in her second year of medical school, aspire to establish a clinic dedicated to the health care of Black, indigenous and other marginalized communities.
Mendez became a father in 2021, and decided to spend quality time with his son, who is now 2 years old, before jumping into the busy life of a medical student. Thanks to family childcare support, he’s more comfortable starting school.