The Saint James School of Medicine (SJSM) Anguilla campus, recently held its 6th White Coat ceremony since it was established here in 2010. The event was held at the Cuisinart Spa and Resort on Dec 12th 2012.
A total of 43 students recently completed the MD4 program after 16 months of gruelling training and study at the Medical School. They were ceremonially dressed in white coats,which had their names and the SJSM logo monogrammed on the top right hand side.
One of Anguilla’s future doctors Samir Richardson pictured here, son of Edward and Deborah Richardson of Meads Bay, also received his white coat at Wednesday’s ceremony.
“All the professors here at SJSM were key pieces to my successful completion of basic sciences here in Anguilla. I am thankful to the dean, Dr. Iliou, for assisting me every step of the way since MD1. The knowledge that I attained here at this institution will play a pivotal role in my successful journey to becoming a physician in the future,” Samir said of his time spent at the Medical School. Samir entered the school in 2011 as the beneficiary of scholarship awarded by SJSM to Anguillan Students.
“From its humble beginnings, with a complement of 20 students in 2010 when it was established here, the school has conferred white coatsto 96 future doctors to date. This year there were 12 graduates from Canada, 27 from the USA as well as others from as far as Singapore, Nigeria and the Cameroon” said Dr. Claude Bernard Iliou, the Dean of Basic Sciences who is also responsible for the everyday operations of the school.“The parents and relatives of several students “ he said, “came to Anguilla to witness the ceremony, some on repeated visits. In one case it was the 6th visit for a Canadian family of one student.”
This year’s event was officiated by graduates Randy Bainey, James Mateka ,Mike Haniff. In addition to Dr.Iliou ,Dr. Alexey Podchecko the Dean of Student Affairs and Dr. Page Edgar – Professor represented the faculty.
After presenting the white coats and a comical slide show featuring highlights of the students’tenure at the school, Dr. Iliou led the graduates in reciting the Hippocratic Oath. In it, they said in part“I will remember that there is medicine as well as science and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug”.
The evening ended with an elegant buffet dinner at Italia restaurant where relatives, friends and well wishers celebrated the hard earned success of the graduates.
These future physicians will soon begin to prepare for the USMLE at the Chicago campus . Another 40 students are expected to receive their white coats next year and in the meantime Anguilla will be welcoming new batch of 61 Students in January 2013 , along with additional professors.
According to Dr Iliou,As a part of their curriculum the students will be undertaking research on various health issues in Anguilla , including prevalent lifestyle diseases such as Diabetes and Scoliosis”
“This is a win-win situation” he said “The school continues to unfold community support and health education initiatives through its Health fairs and to forge strong links with local institutions such as the Red Cross, The Health Authority, The Anguilla Community College and the HIV program . Students are also afforded the opportunity to under take medical research,while providing Anguilla with vitaldata and information which can be used for long term planning in the health sector”.
