White coat ceremony welcomes new dental students to KCU

Members of the Kansas City University College of Dental Medicine (KCU-CDM) Class of 2028 officially began their educational journey toward becoming dentists with a white coat ceremony on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at Joplin High School Performing Arts Center.

Speaking on behalf of the KCU-CDM Student Government Association (SGA) Student Doctor Kelsey Tran, SGA president, encouraged the new dental students to remain resilient during times of adversity and to seek support from classmates when needed. “Believe in yourself. It is so easy to lose yourself, and your patients deserve the authentic you. We all believe in you but that means nothing if you don’t believe in yourself,” said Tran. “Your legacy begins now. You choose what kind of doctor and person you will become once you put on this coat.”

Linda Niessen, DMD, founding dean of the KCU-CDM and vice provost of oral health affairs, delivered the keynote message during the ceremony. “As you don your white coat, you become a member of the KCU team, a community of dentists committed to improving the oral health of the public. You will develop a new code of professional conduct: integrity, professionalism, ethics and compassion. Remember to keep these qualities with you at all times, with or without your white coat on,” she remarked. “Your clinical skills will be critically important to your future success, but your caring and compassion will be why your patient returns to see you. Patients don’t always remember what you say, but they do remember how you made them feel,” Niessen continued.

Among the 81 students in the Class of 2028, 49 percent come from Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Nearly 20 percent are historically underrepresented minorities. Another 20 percent are first-generation college graduates.

KCU launched the CDM in 2023 to address a critical shortage of dentists. The Joplin region, like many rural areas in the United States, grapples with a dearth of oral health care providers. Nearly all counties within a 100-mile radius of Joplin qualify as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. It is estimated that Missouri alone has a shortage of more than 700 dentists. KCU is committed to meeting the health care needs of the region. The CDM further supports the university’s mission of improving the well-being of the communities we serve.

Congratulations and welcome aboard to the CDM class of 2028!