White Coat Transforms Students into Doctors-in-Training

The event was attended by Dominica dignitaries including His Excellency the President, Charles Savarin and Mrs. Savarin as well as the Prime Minister the Honorable Roosevelt Skerrit.  As the Hon. Ian Douglas, Minister of Trade, Energy & Employment, and Parliamentary Representative for the Portsmouth Constituency said to the class of 2021, “You have chosen perhaps the best place on earth to begin your medical education.”                              

Also on the program was Her Excellency Ambassador Linda Taglialatela US Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, who said, “I send warmest regards from the President and the Department of State and wish you well as you begin your medical careers. I know that all of us at the ceremony, and surely everyone around the world watching it on livestream, were impressed with the high-level attention and encouragement given to the students who are embarking on the quest to become physicians.” 

In his keynote address Ray King, MD, PhD, (RUSM ’10) hit a home run, as an engaging speaker, a successful practicing physician, and a role model for work/life balance. Dr. King is a board certified surgeon and is currently in private practice with the Colon & Rectal Surgery Associates in Georgia. He was accompanied by his wife, RUSM alumna Jessica Van Beek-King, MD (RUSM ’10) and their two daughters.