Adam Elder was only 10 years old when he witnessed the life of a physician on call.
Elder, now a member of the Wayne State University School of Medicine Warrior M.D. Class of 2025, was with his siblings, being treated to a shopping excursion at Toys ‘R’ Us by his uncle, Mahir Elder, M.D., Res. ’02, Fel. ’05, ’06, when the latter’s pager went off.
Dr. Elder, a Detroit cardiologist on call, realized he didn’t have time to take anyone home before heading to the hospital to care for a patient suffering a heart attack. The rest of the day was certainly memorable for the young Elder.
“He is the best mentor. We always thought ‘medicine’ because of him. We all wanted to be like him. He definitely influenced my life,” Adam Elder said.
He was among the 270 third-year medical students who convened at the WSU School of Medicine’s Clinicians and White Coat Ceremony on March 24 at the Sound Board Auditorium at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit.
The Class of 2025 are now physicians-in-training, having completed the first two years of medical school and taken the United States Medical Licensing Examination STEP 1.
“I have lots of different emotions,” said Kia Sweeney, sitting with her white coat draped across her legs as she reminisced about life before medical school, when the former social worker worked as an associate director at an Ann Arbor nonprofit.
Sweeney’s parents, step-parents and aunt were among the 1,400 people who filled the auditorium’s balcony. Missing from the audience was her grandmother, who helped raise her and saw her accepted into medical school. She died one year ago.
“I’m honoring her by being here today. I’ll be the first one in my family to be a physician, so this is very significant,” she said. “Medicine was something I always wanted to do. It is so rewarding. School is so fast-paced, but it’s exciting.”
The ceremony celebrated students from the Class of 2025 before they embark on a pivotal segment of their medical education journey: the beginning of core clinical clerkships in hospitals and clinics. In 2022, the School of Medicine administration wanted to give the group a chance to be together for the first time since orientation nearly two years ago, while also marking the transition to the clinical years of medical school. The solution will likely continue as a milestone tradition, said Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Eva Waineo, M.D., who served as the event’s emcee and read the names of each student who participated.
Third-year medical student Bria Elrod attended the ceremony with her mother, WSU College of Nursing graduate Leslie Elrod, R.N., and her father, Emergency Medicine physician Roy Elrod, M.D., who graduated from the School of Medicine in 1987.
“I’m looking forward to the next two years, trying to implement everything I learned the last two years. And I think Wayne State did a great job of preparing me for my clinical years,” Bria Elrod said.
During clerkships, students engage in direct patient care alongside doctors, residents and other members of the health care team to learn and gain experience in primary care and medical specialties.
The ceremony was coordinated with the school’s Gold Humanism Honors Society chapter, underscoring the challenges and imperatives in providing compassionate, collaborative and excellent care to all patients.
“This is what you’ve been waiting for,” said Piero Simone, M.D. ’95, who spoke on behalf of the Medical School Alumni Association.
Like so many in her class, third-year medical student Rebecca Bilich is excited to apply the first half of her education to helping real patients.
“That’s what I’m most excited for,” she said. “It’s definitely why I went into medicine. Wayne has only strengthened my passion for that.”
Clerkship directors presented their incoming students with a symbolic gift of a WSU School of Medicine-branded stethoscope, reinforcing the sacredness of the doctor-patient relationship through physician connectedness to the heartbeat of the patient. They also received pins to wear on their white coats as a reminder of their duty to patients and their profession. The pins were handed to the students by various members of Wayne State leadership, including School of Medicine Dean Wael Sakr, M.D.
“Physicians in training, congratulations. The faculty and I share your pride and excitement as you embark on this stage of your career,” Dean Sakr said.
Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences Scott Yaekle, M.D. ’92, delivered the day’s keynote address, offering a heartfelt and emotional love letter to being a physician. Among his shared memories while still a medical student was staying after his shift to sit with a woman who was in labor alone.
“We stay with them. We listen. We care. We do all that we can do to make them feel better,” he said. “Remember, always focus on your patient.”
The ceremony concluded with Associate Dean of Clinical Education Christopher Steffes, M.D., leading the class in the Pledge of Ethics and Professionalism.