Press Release

August 11, 2006
Contact: Jerry Carey
Phone: (856) 566-6171
careyge@umdnj.edu

White Coat Ceremony Launches Students on Medical Career

STARTFORD — More than 100 men and women recently took their first steps toward becoming physicians during a tradition-filled White Coat Ceremony held by the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine, in Stratford.

“The White Coat ceremony marks the beginning of your career in osteopathic medicine and the beginning of your becoming part of our family,” Dr. Thomas A. Cavalieri, interim dean at the medical school said as he officially welcomed the 29th class in the school’s history. “You have chosen a great profession. At the heart of what you do is service…to your patient and to humanity.”

The White Coat ceremony is a highly symbolic event that culminates with each student receiving a new white lab coat that symbolizes entry into the medical profession. During the ceremony, the new students stand together to recite the “Pledge of Commitment” in which they promise to “show compassion and respect” throughout their careers and to “set worthy examples in the application of humanistic principles.”

More than 60 percent of the students of the Class of 2010 at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine are New Jersey residents. A complete list, by county, of those New Jersey students is attached.

UMDNJ is the nation's largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,500 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and its only school of public health, on five campuses. Last year, there were more than two million patient visits to UMDNJ facilities and faculty at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a mental health and addiction services network.

Class of 2010 UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine

ATLANTIC COUNTY
Erica Borman (Margate)
Taryn Townsend (Mays Landing)

BURLINGTON
Bethany Cottingham (Delran)
Christine Strom (Maple Shade)
Erica Fine (Mt. Laurel)
Joshua Chern (Marlton)
Nathan Thomas (Browns Mills)
Sayani Niyogi ( Mt. Laurel)

CAMDEN
Anne Wall (Mt. Ephraim)
Betty Chung (Cherry Hill)
Emily Goldenthal (Cherry Hill)
Jeremy Rier (Lindenwold)
Melissa Suarez (Blackwood)
Natali Gleimer (Cherry Hill)
Tara Pellegrino (Runnemede)

GLOUCESTER
Felicia Johnson (Wenonah)
Matthew LaPorta (Sewell)
Michael Garcia (Woodbury)
Renee Gresh (Turnersville)
Sue Young Yang-Novellino (Swedesboro)
Usman Choudhry (Monroe Twp)
Xitlaichomiha O’Dell (Sewell)

BERGEN
Anna Goldenberg (Ramsey)
Anna Kravtsov (Fairlawn)
Danijela Kero (Cliffside Park)
Heather Schweizer (Bergenfield)
Raffaele Bernardo (Englewood Cliffs)

ESSEX
Aman Gebre-Egziabher (Montclair)
Amy Heinzen (Glen Ridge)
Myriam Milord (Newark)
Vineetha Joseph (Nutley)

HUDSON
Evelyn Escobar (Union City)
Mirza Baig (Jersey City)

HUNTERDON
Edward Gettings (Flemington)

MERCER
Bucky Ferozan (Lawrenceville)
Joan Lee (Ewing)
Naadira McClain (Trenton)

MIDDLESEX
Kirin Syed (Piscataway)
Melissa Pe (Kendall Park)
Ravish Amin (North Brunswick)
Shilin Rasaniya (East Brunswick)
Supriya Sharma (Old Bridge)

MONMOUTH
Brett Elo (Freehold)
Katherine Bohnert (Allenwood)
Nicole Renaldi (Marlboro)
Soumya Bollampally (Wall)
William Bentley (Howell)

MORRIS
Heather Skiff (Whippany)
Hetushma Patel (Parsippany)
Pooja Mundrati (Morristown)

OCEAN
Anne Marie Santilli (Jackson)
Danielle Mercurio (Little Egg Harbor)
Eric Wydra (Jackson)
Jessica Reardon (Toms River)
Rebecca Wadsworth (Little Egg Harbor)

PASSAIC
Alexis Davison (West Milford)

SOMERSET
Clinton Schlenker (Warren)

SUSSEX
Garrett Tomasino (Branchville)
Melanie Howell (Lafayette)

UNION
Hetal Patel (Cranford)
Mark Camiolo (Berkeley Heights)

WARREN
Jennifer Juice (Stewartsville)