For Immediate Release Contact: Janet M. Caldwell
615.500.0632, jcaldwell@mmc.edu
Meharry Medical College President Will Address First Class of Medical Students at University of Botswana
(Gaborone, Botswana- August 28, 2009) - Meharry Medical College President and CEO, Wayne J. Riley, M.D., MBA, MACP, will deliver the Convocation keynote address on Friday, August 28, 2009 at 4 a.m. (CST) (11:00 UTC) to the inaugural class of medical students attending the University of Botswana (UB).
This class of 36 students will officially embark on their medical education journey as they receive their white coats and recite the Oath of Hippocrates. The historic event will take place at the UB Library Auditorium.
“This is a significant milestone in the long journey toward attaining a doctor of medicine,” said Dr. Riley. “Having the opportunity to represent Meharry Medical College during this momentous occasion is both an honor and a privilege.
“Our missions are aligned as both UB and Meharry strive to meet the healthcare needs of the underserved and underrepresented. I am personally inspired knowing that this class of 36 will achieve great strides in providing healthcare to the citizens of their country.”
The Convocation and White Coat Ceremony is an international practice geared to familiarize the medical students with fundamentals and ethics of the medical profession. This first class is expected to complete their medical degree program and graduate in 2014. Professor Major Bradshaw, Interim Founding Dean of School of Medicine in the University of Botswana, will direct the Oath of Hippocrates. Prior to the Convocation and White Coat Ceremony, the members of the School of Medicine and Faculty of Health Sciences will participate in a workshop on the importance of research in medical education led by Charlene M. Dewey, M.D., Dr. Riley’s wife, first lady of Meharry Medical College and Associate Professor of Medical Education and Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
About University of Botswana
The establishment of the Medical School followed a feasibility study which led to a Presidential Directive in 1998 to commence the phased establishment of a medical school in Botswana as a long term endeavor. The directive also established a High Ranking Committee (HRC) charged with responsibility for the overall planning and costing of the establishment of the medical school.
According to Prof. Bradshaw the mission of the established School of Medicine of the University of Botswana is to prepare skillful, productive, ethical and compassionate physicians who will advance and apply scientific discovery and technological innovation to the health care needs of individual patients, their families and larger societal groups in a humanistic and professional manner.
About Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College is the nation’s largest private, independent, historically black academic health center dedicated solely to educating minority and other health professionals. True to its heritage, it is a United Methodist Church affiliated institution. The College is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; emerging preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services; and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation’s health professions workforce. Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s ranking of institutions annually lists Meharry as a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees, and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences.
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