Moments after slipping on a white coat for the first time, a UT Southwestern medical student found a note in the front pocket from alumna Fiona Esfandiari, M.D. (Medicine ’13).

"You are embarking on an incredible journey,” Dr. Esfandiari wrote. “Remember to take care of yourself!”

Penned on a postcard, the handwritten message was part of a new tradition for the annual white coat ceremony, held this past October. UT Southwestern alumni were given an opportunity to underwrite the cost of the coats that were presented to the doctors-to-be and include a personal message of encouragement.

Dozens of alumni seized the opportunity to be part of the new tradition, creating lifelong bonds with the Class of 2027. All 239 coats awarded to medical students included a note from a graduate of UT Southwestern’s Medical School.

A national tradition, white coat ceremonies are a rite of passage for doctors in training. Medical students don the garment for the first time as part of a ritual that includes reciting the Hippocratic oath, an oath of ethics traditionally taken by physicians.