OSU Medicine Class of 2029 receives white coats, pledges to make an impact

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- There’s a primary care physician shortage in Ohio, but on Friday, August 8, more than 200 students at The Ohio State University took a step to address it.

Today, the OSU College of Medicine class of 2029 put on their white coats, signifying the start of their journey in medical school.

The OSU College of Medicine class of 2029 is made up of 224 students. For many, the reason they are going into medicine is very personal, but what they share is that they are all hoping to make a difference.

"The white coat, I'm wearing mine, and it means that we are really set apart to provide care. Empathetic, compassionate, high-quality, safe care for patients, families, and communities," OSU College of Medicine Dean Dr. Carol Bradford said. 

Dr. Bradford addressed the room of students and families, which included two future physicians that NBC4 spoke with. 

"My auntie passed away from ovarian cancer," OSU College of Medicine student Leslie Agwanihu said. "I didn’t quite know how to navigate that on my own, being so young. And I think that was the moment where I was like, I want to be able to be this person for someone else and to be able to help them in their families through vulnerable and trying times."

"My father contracted the infectious disease that ultimately took his life," OSU College of Medicine student Brianna Mendelson said. "This is not one case, this is not one patient. This can happen often, and I want to make sure that I'm that physician that can address these issues."

Both of these medical students, along with more than two hundred others, received their white coats.

"This is when they start their journey, and three or four more years are going to have passed this stage one more time, and then they'll be called doctor," Dr. Bradford said. 

These students were selected from 8,700 applications, which OSU College of Medicine says is a record.

"I'm a first-generation college student, and I just want to put that out there as well, that if you can dream it and believe it and it can be yours. So keep pushing forward," Mendelson said. 

This incoming class comes from twenty-nine different states, speaking more than thirty-three languages. 58% of the class is from Ohio.