A Rite of Passage

Thirty-five second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students at LSU Health New Orleans School of Allied Health Professions received the mantle of professional practice during a White Coat Ceremony at the Human Development Center Building.

According to the Gold Foundation, which established the White Coat Ceremony, it serves to welcome students to healthcare practice and elevate the value of humanism as the core of healthcare.

Welcoming remarks from Dr. Jane Eason, Physical Therapy Department Head, were followed by opening remarks from Blake Cookmeyer, BS, SPT, DPTII Class President, and a keynote address by Dr. J. M. Cairo, Dean of the LSU Health New Orleans School of Allied Health Professions. Then members of the Class of 2020 were “coated” by Physical Therapy faculty Jane Eason, PhD, PT; Noelle Moreau, PhD, PT; Mattie Pontiff, PT, DPT, OCS; Rachel Wellons, PT, DPT, NCS; Luther Gill, PhD, PT; and Ha Hoang, MHS, DCE. The ceremony concluded with the students reciting the American Physical Therapy Association Code of Ethics in unison as their proud loved ones look on.

The Department of Physical Therapy at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Allied Health Professions offers an entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The mission of the program is to develop graduates with outstanding clinical skills in Physical Therapy, including diagnosis, clinical reasoning, program planning, and therapeutic intervention. The program offers highly qualified faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and the benefit of interaction with other members of the health care team as part of a comprehensive academic health sciences center.