On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, PNWU celebrated a defining moment in the journey of our College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) students: the White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2027.
“The significance of this ceremony is not the White Coat – it’s those seated in front of me,” explained Dr. Thomas Scandalis, Dean of PNW-COM, addressing the Class of 2027 and their supporters during the sixteenth annual ceremony. “You have earned the right, honor and privilege to wear these coats.”
Held at Yakima’s historic Capitol Theatre, the ceremony marked the students’ transition from classroom learning to hands-on clinical rotations — a powerful rite of passage in their development as future DOs.
Keynote speaker Dr. Claire Templin (PNWU-COM ’14), PNWU’s Division Chief of OBGYN, returned to her alma mater to offer heartfelt reflections and encouragement, inspiring students to lead with humility, empathy, and excellence.
“Sometimes, the most human thing you can do is to simply stop and be present,” said Dr. Templin, encouraging the packed theatre to take a deep breath amidst the applause-speckled ceremony. “This is not a profession, it’s a privilege. And you, Class of 2027, are ready.”
As our COM Class of 2027 Student Doctors don their white coats, they continue to proudly shoulder our university’s shared mission of service to rural and medically underserved communities across the Northwest.
“Today is a marker of transformation,” said Austin Evanovich, PNWU’s Anatomy Scholar, who is set to graduate with our Class of 2026. “Now you begin the part of your journey that breathes life into everything you’ve learned.”
Congratulations, Class of 2027.
