White Coat Ceremony held with great excitement at the Faculty of Dentistry

First-year students of the Üsküdar University Faculty of Dentistry experienced great excitement as they wore their white coats in a ceremony that symbolizes the first step of their professional journey. Families also witnessed this proud moment of the students.

Speaking at the ceremony, Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör said, “Your qualified education will contribute not only to the world of dentistry but also to humanity. The world of dentistry needs very good professionals, but for a more beautiful world, it needs good people who have strong moral values and who have internalized human values.”

Dean of the Üsküdar University Faculty of Dentistry Prof. Ergün Yücel stated, “The white coat is not a rank, it is a flag. Carry it with pride. While delivering health to every person you serve, above all, protect the dignity of your profession. May every thread of your white coat represent a clean beginning, a bright future, and a great responsibility.”

The white coat ceremony was held at the Ibn Sina Auditorium of the Üsküdar University Health Campus.

The ceremony was attended by Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör, Vice Rector Prof. Hikmet Koçak, Rector’s Advisor Prof. Mehmet Zelka, Rector’s Advisor Prof. Şefik Dursun, Dean of the Üsküdar University Faculty of Dentistry Prof. Ergün Yücel, Dean of the Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin, Dean of the Üsküdar University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Prof. Osman Çerezci, Director of the Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services Asst. Prof. Ömer Faruk Karasakal, Head of the Department of Medical Pathology at the Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine Prof. İbrahim Öztek, faculty members, students, and parents.

Prof. Nazife Güngör: “Your qualified education will contribute not only to dentistry but also to humanity”

Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör delivered the opening speech at the white coat ceremony. Prof. Güngör said: “Our Üsküdar University Faculty of Dentistry began its academic journey with a very strong founding staff. The establishment of our faculty was realized with Türkiye’s leading dentists, dentist academics, and many distinguished local scholars. You are receiving your education in clinics equipped with the latest technology. Recently, we hosted the Council of Higher Education Quality Evaluation team. They evaluated all units of our university and examined every department. They may have even met with some of our students here. They left very pleased. We are very proud because we know that your qualified education will contribute not only to the world of dentistry but also to humanity.

Of course, first and foremost, you must grow into good and competent professionals. However, our main priority, in addition to that, is for you to become good human beings. We attach great importance to this because the world of dentistry needs highly qualified professionals, but for a more beautiful world, it needs good people with strong moral values who have internalized human values. Therefore, you have two different goals here. You will be trained as good professionals, and you will also grow into good people. Becoming good professionals will make all of us very proud, but becoming good people will make not only your families but all of humanity proud. Because you are the future. The future of humanity is you. Every new generation raised will carry humanity a little further forward. Therefore, this is the responsibility of all of us, and we attach great importance to it.”

Prof. Hikmet Koçak: “Good empathy is very important in the patient-physician relationship”

Drawing attention to the sense of trust between the patient and the physician, Vice Rector Prof. Hikmet Koçak said, “You have chosen a profession that serves humanity, and from the very first day you will always be in close contact with people. You must practice empathy. Good empathy is very important in the patient-physician relationship. The patient entrusts everything to you and expects hope from you. That is why a sense of trust begins between the patient and the physician. If there is no trust, the patient does not heal, and the doctor remains only at the level of honesty and scientific practice. The profession you have chosen is an art profession. Knowledge, skill, and art. You are in a field where all three come together. You must be knowledgeable, your manual skills must be strong, and you must put them into practice. At the same time, since there is also an artistic dimension, you will perform your art as well. You will practice your profession by taking examples from your professors’ knowledge, skills, artistic approaches, and attitudes. From today onward, prepare yourselves for the profession and be ready both physically and spiritually to approach patients with a different perspective as a physician.”

Prof. Ergün Yücel: “The white coat is not a rank, it is a flag”

Emphasizing that science is the fundamental guide in professional life, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry Prof. Ergün Yücel said, “As young physician candidates, never depart from the path you have embarked on under the light of science. The white coat you will wear today is the silent uniform of the Hippocratic Oath. It is a symbol of honesty, conscience, and above all, unwavering respect for human health. In short, the practice of medicine means protecting people’s health, freeing them from existing problems, and improving their quality of life. For this reason, I ask you to possess two essential qualities. The first is ethics and empathy. The person in front of you is not a case but a human being with hopes, fears, and a story. The best treatment is achieved with the patients to whom you show the greatest empathy. Confronting fear is also our responsibility. The second is lifelong education and learning. What you will learn starting today is only the beginning. Follow scientific developments throughout your life, be skeptical, think critically, and continuously educate yourselves to reach reliable knowledge. Education is a demanding profession and also an art. Dear young colleagues, the white coat is not a rank, it is a flag. Carry it with pride. While delivering health to every person you serve, above all, protect the dignity of your profession. May every thread and every stitch of your white coat represent a clean beginning, a bright future, and a great responsibility.”

“Our vision is not to reach knowledge, but wisdom”

First-year students of the Üsküdar University Faculty of Dentistry, Defnenaz Bostanci and Tuana Gormus, said: “We do not see examining patients in a white coat merely as a job, but as a part of the art we will practice, and we respect it accordingly. We know that the white coats we will wear here today will remain a concrete symbol of the respect we feel for our profession throughout our medical lives, and this brings us great happiness. Since 1908, when dentistry separated from medical sciences and became a field on its own, all of our professors have emphasized one common truth: Health begins in the mouth. At these early stages of our medical journey, we have set out fully aware of how important the work we do and will do is, despite all the challenges we accept. As we started this journey, we knew one thing for certain: A good physician is not only the one who fulfills the technical and scientific requirements of the profession, but also the one who values the sacred ethical principles of this profession, knows how to approach patients with these values, and practices the profession with a scientific and contemporary sense of responsibility. Today, we can access knowledge very easily, but as Üsküdar University, our vision is not to reach knowledge, but wisdom. In parallel with this, despite all the challenges we will face in our professional lives, we firmly believe that each of us will never hesitate for a moment to do more than our best to fulfill our profession properly, will approach all patients with the same patience, understanding, and compassion, and above all, will always prioritize patient health with a free mind and conscience and with mercy.”

They wore their white coats with great enthusiasm

Following the opening speeches, first-year students of the Faculty of Dentistry enthusiastically put on their white coats.

The white coats were placed on the dentistry students by Prof. Nazife Güngör, Prof. Hikmet Koçak, Prof. Ergün Yücel, and faculty members.

They took their professional oath

After wearing their white coats, the students collectively took the professional oath under the leadership of Vice Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry Asst. Prof. Zeynep Mutlu.

Emotional moments for the families

The happiness and emotional moments of the families who witnessed this meaningful milestone in their children’s lives were truly unforgettable.

The ceremony ended after the group photo session.