On Aug. 27, at USC’s Health Sciences Campus, 314 Trojan occupational therapy graduate students from both the Master’s class of 2022 and the class of 2023 donned their white coats during the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy’s 2021 White Coat Ceremony.

“Students — today we commemorate your commitment, as current and future occupational therapists, to the responsibilities of professionalism and of lifelong learning,” said Associate Dean and Chair Grace Baranek, PhD, OTR/L.  “The white coat, like any symbol, is a signifier that represents different things to different people.  To me, the white coat is a symbol of your entrance into professional life, of the sacred contracts you will hold with your clients, and of the duties for ethical practice.”

The keynote address was delivered by Larry Yin, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of pediatrics for the Keck School of Medicine of USC with a joint appointment with the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and Clinical Services Director and Medical Director for Boone Fetter Autism Clinic and the CA-LEND Rett Clinic at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

After faculty members coated the students, all faculty and students took a solemn oath to conduct themselves with professionalism and ethics and made a commitment to building a community of justice, respect, and mutual concern.

— Kimberly Kho

Larry Yin delivers the keynote address at the 2021 White Coat Ceremony for the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. (Photo/GradImages)