HPU’s Workman School of Dental Medicine Holds Its First White Coat Ceremony
Above: High Point University’s Workman School of Dental Medicine held its first white coat ceremony for its inaugural class of 60 students today inside the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 13, 2024 – High Point University’s Workman School of Dental Medicine officially welcomed its inaugural class to campus and the dental profession today with its first white coat ceremony inside the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center.
After crossing the stage, the 60 Doctor of Dental Medicine students who make up the inaugural class had a spouse, mentor or family member of their choosing help them put on their white coat during the CARE Pledge Ceremony. Students closed the ceremony by reciting a professional oath to provide ethical and high-quality care to their future patients.
The white coat ceremony is a rite of passage for dental students and represents the trust placed in practitioners by their patients and the community. It was also a historic moment for the Workman School of Dental Medicine, the state’s only private dental school that opened its doors to students this fall.
“It’s an extraordinary time at High Point University. It’s a time where we are so blessed to welcome outstanding students who enter a new program at the Workman School of Dental Medicine,” said HPU President Nido Qubein. “It’s a time to shout from the mountaintop that High Point University has arrived at a new plateau of success and significance and that we have programs in the health sciences and medicine.”
Dr. Ali Shazib, dean and chief clinical officer for the Workman School of Dental Medicine, said the school’s first class of students was carefully selected from approximately 1,500 applicants.
Shazib said students typically don’t celebrate their white coat ceremony until their second or third year in dental school, but HPU decided to recognize them less than two months after they started classes. During that time, the new dental students were exposed to real-life problems in health care and completed their training in a wide range of areas that they will need to know as dentists.
“It’s a very emotional day for us,” Shazib said. “It’s been a journey of three years of hard work and dedication by High Point University’s leadership, our faculty, our staff, our community and our supporters to get us to a point where we can welcome our inaugural Doctor of Dental Medicine class to witness their ambitions, to enable them to pursue their ethical and professional oath and to witness an inaugural white coat ceremony as early as the seventh week of the first year.”
Dr. Rick Workman, executive chairman and founder of Heartland Dental and HPU’s Dental Innovator in Residence, congratulated the first class of students who started in the dental school that bears his name. He also offered them words of encouragement during his speech.
“I’m obviously very excited and very honored. It was spectacular getting a chance to see the students and meet the students a little bit yesterday,” Workman said. “They have a very difficult and rigorous education in front of them, but there’s never been a better time to be a dentist. I’m just so excited by what I think they’re going to be able to do in the future with their skills and talents. It’s going to make a difference in the communities they serve.”
As an active member in the U.S. Air Force, dental student Quillie Brabham said he was interested in going to dental school at HPU because of the university’s emphasis on God, family and country. He said it was a “no-brainer” to attend the Workman School of Dental Medicine as soon it opened.
“Words cannot explain how good it feels to begin in dental school,” said Brabham, a native of Memphis, Tennessee. “This is a lifelong dream I’ve wanted to do, and the people here at High Point University have made that dream come true. So it feels absolutely amazing, ecstatic and energetic.”
Construction has progressed on a new three-story, 77,500-square-foot building that will be home to the Workman School of Dental Medicine when it opens next summer. The building will feature a fully functional dental practice of the future, state-of-the-art simulation labs, digital design and 3D and CAD/CAM labs, student lounge and numerous innovative learning spaces and classrooms.
This year’s class of dental students is operating out of the dental school’s temporary location on North Main Street in High Point. In addition, one of the hallmarks of HPU’s approach to dental education is HPU Health LLC, a network of dental practices owned and operated by the university with locations across the state, including Chapel Hill, Greensboro and High Point. These practices are already staffed, fully operational and treating patients, with additional practices to open in the future.