The College of Medicine at the University of Sharjah (UoS) celebrated 231 first-year medical students who successfully completed the foundation year during the current academic year, marking their official entry into the profession with the annual White Coat Ceremony at the Medical Complex. The event, filled with pride and a sense of purpose, signaled the beginning of the students’ academic and humanitarian journey.

The ceremony was attended by H.E. Prof. Esameldin Agamy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah Mr. Shihab Alhammadi, Vice Chancellor for Financial and Administrative Affairs; Prof. Mohamed Moursi Elshobari, Acting Dean of the College of Medicine; a large number of faculty and administrative staff; and many parents and guardians of the students.

The program opened with a performance of the United Arab Emirates national anthem, followed by recitations from the Quran. In his keynote address, Prof. Agamy welcomed the students and their families and congratulated the cohort on excelling in the foundation year and advancing to the first year of medical school. He emphasized that this stage marks the start of an academic and professional path that will demand greater effort, diligence and commitment. He also noted that rapid developments in the age of AI have raised expectations for medical students. He said the abundance of knowledge and ease of access to information place a greater responsibility on students to understand, analyze and verify what they learn and to strive for the highest levels of accuracy. That, he added, requires sustained hard work to keep pace with the demands of this new phase.

Prof. Agamy reaffirmed the University’s commitment to providing an advanced learning environment, a distinguished academic faculty, and modern training facilities and equipment to support students and prepare them according to the highest scientific and professional standards. He said the University aims to graduate physicians who possess knowledge, competence and human skills, and who are capable of serving the community and contributing to the development of the health sector in the UAE and the wider region.

Prof. Elshobari said today’s students are tomorrow’s physicians and pledged that the college would equip them with advanced knowledge and clinical skills to become innovative and, above all, compassionate doctors. He urged students to devote themselves fully to their studies, attend lectures and practical training consistently, and make the most of the academic advising system. He also stressed the importance of active participation in extracurricular activities, noting their significant role in shaping character and building teamwork skills.

“We are not celebrating simply the wearing of a white coat today; we are celebrating the beginning of a new stage,” Prof. Elshobari said. “From this moment on, this coat will be a symbol of knowledge, integrity, compassion and responsibility. No matter how advanced technology and artificial intelligence become, there will always remain an irreplaceable core: the physician’s compassion, conscience, and ability to listen to patients and respect their dignity.”

Student representative, Jamila Abdullah said her classmates were proud of this academic milestone and eager to contribute to strengthening the country’s health system. “The white coat we wear today is a reminder that our journey in serving humanity has just begun,” she said. “It is also a covenant and a commitment to pursue this medical and professional path with humility, integrity and a constant curiosity for knowledge. We are proud to receive our education in a nation that values knowledge and invests in the ambitions of its youth, and we pledge to our professors and families to wear this coat with pride and responsibility, aware of the great trust that will be placed in our hands tomorrow.”

The ceremony concluded with faculty members helping students don their white coats, a symbolic tradition marking their formal entry into the practice of medicine. The students then recited the medical oath, pledging to carry out their mission with the highest degrees of integrity and ethical responsibility. The event also featured interactive sessions designed to familiarize students with university guidelines and strengthen community bonds among them.