The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of white lab coats to the students. A symbol of academic rigor and scientific excellence, the lab coat also reflects a commitment to benefiting society through research and discovery. 

A week of Code Academy focused on solving problems in nursing got tackled with lots of giggles, games, coding — and savvy questions about what it's like to be a nurse.

The next day, the students, interns in the 16th summer research session of the Aspirnaut STEM pipeline program for diversity, were bound for the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

He is the first from VUMC to receive the award, which recognizes “champions” of health professions education who have advanced the VA’s health care education mission.

The members of the incoming class include 88 MD, 15 Medical Scientist Training Program and one oral and maxillofacial surgery student. They were selected from a pool of more than 6,800 applicants and came to VUSM from 29 states, six foreign countries and 63 undergraduate schools with 57 majors.

The program will help Externs acquire valuable skills, gain self-confidence, and increase clinical competency under the supervision of experienced nurse preceptors.

The conference, which took place June 18-20 in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together non-physician anesthesia providers from 18 different countries in Africa for continued education and networking. The purpose was to reduce maternal mortality by improving safe access to anesthesia for pregnant women across Africa.