Medical Education
Dear Class of 2025,

We are all looking forward to welcoming you into the profession and the UCSF community at the White Coat Ceremony! I write with important information about the upcoming White Coat Ceremony.

The SF Bay Area is currently experiencing a significant increase in COVID infections and hospitalizations due primarily to the Delta strain of COVID. We need to make sure that everyone is doing their part to stop this surge—that includes all of you, the newest members of the UCSF School of Medicine community, and your loved ones.

Please realize that unvaccinated people remain at high risk for serious COVID infections and hospitalizations. Vaccinated individuals can still contract and transmit COVID to others, even though they themselves may experience only minor symptoms.  

For these reasons, it is imperative that everyone take personal responsibility to get vaccinated, use masks when indoors and stay home and get tested when you have even mild cold symptoms. 

White Coat Ceremony Update

  • Livestream Available: Through the tenacious efforts of the Student Experience Team, we are going to be able to live stream the White Coat Ceremony for viewing by friends and family. Many thanks to DoQuyen Tran-Taylor and Associate Dean John Davis for their efforts.

  • Guests Must be Vaccinated: Rising numbers of COVID infections and hospitalizations are causing concern in the Bay Area about large gatherings. At this time, we are moving forward with the planned 2 guests per student limit. Given the spread of the Delta variant in our community and our need to protect our front line clinicians, our patients, and everyone in attendance, only VACCINATED guests should attend the event in person; those who are not vaccinated should participate through the live stream. 

  • Masking Required: All on-site participants at the White Coat Ceremony, regardless of vaccine status, will be required to wear masks for the entire time they are inside at the venue—there are no exceptions. Please make sure your guests know this so that they can be prepared.

  • Students should get vaccinated now: Students who have not yet been vaccinated are urged to get vaccinated now before they come to campus so that they can fully participate in our educational activities in person and can keep any housemates safe. Even one dose of the vaccine is better than no vaccine. Please contact the Student Experience Team if you cannot be vaccinated before coming to campus so that we may assist you with information and resources to enable you to be compliant with the UC-wide COVID vaccine policy.

  • Anyone with upper or lower respiratory tract symptoms must stay home: Anyone with any combination of cough, cold, sneezing, runny nose, fever, aches and pains) must stay home, avoid gatherings where you may infect others and seek a COVID test. For students with these conditions, we will make sure to have an alternate way to celebrate your personal White Coat Ceremony—please don’t take chances with this virus.

We look forward to celebrating safely with you on August 8.

Thank you,


Catherine R. Lucey, MD
Vice Dean for Medical Education
Executive Vice Dean for the School of Medicine



Medical Education Deans
UCSF School of Medicine

Catherine R. Lucey, MD
Vice Dean for Medical Education
Executive Vice Dean for the School of Medicine

Michelle A. Albert, MD, MPH
Associate Dean for Admissions

Peter Chin-Hong, MD
Associate Dean for Regional Campuses

John Davis, MD, PhD
Associate Dean for Curriculum and Interim Associate Dean for Students

Karen Hauer, MD, PhD
Associate Dean for Competency Assessment and Professional Standards

Kevin H. Souza, MS
Associate Dean for Medical Education