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Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) celebrated a symbolic milestone for the Class of 2027 during its Physician Assistant (PA) Short White Coat Ceremony, held on campus August 15, 2025.

The event honored the newest cohort of 27 students entering the PA program and marked the beginning of their journey toward becoming compassionate, skilled clinicians committed to serving medically underserved communities.

In welcoming remarks, PA Program Director Lucy Kibe, DrPH, MS, MHS, PA-C, reflected on her own journey and the shared experiences she sees in the incoming class.

“Like me, many of you are first in your families to go to college. Like me, many of you or your families are immigrants. Some of you, like me, speak English as a second language,” she said. “So, for me, training you to become successful PAs is not just a job—it is a personal passion.”

That passion, Kibe noted, is shared by CDU’s faculty and staff, who prepare students to provide excellent medical care with compassion, address health disparities, and advocate for social justice. The Class of 2027 reflects CDU’s mission in action: 75% hail from communities across California and the nation that are underrepresented in medicine, more than 66% are first-generation college students, and many are first- or second-generation immigrants.

The ceremony also recognized the vital role of family and community support. Friends and loved ones were invited to participate in the momentous occasion by placing the short white coat on their student, a gesture that added a deeply personal dimension to the celebration.

After being coated, students shared what the white coat meant to them. One student, Kayla Dinh-Vella, shared, “This white coat represents all the sacrifices my parents endured to allow my sister and I to dream beyond survival, so it not only symbolizes my commitment to healing but it serves as a promise to honor their journey by serving others with compassion, humility, and purpose.”

David Martins, MD, Associate Professor and PA Program Medical Director, offered words of encouragement and challenge to the incoming class.

“One thing we will not do is carry you because you need to be on your feet to offer people your shoulders,” he said. “Those people out there need a lot of shoulders, and you’re going to be one of those shoulders. It’s going to be rough, it’s going to be tough—especially in the first year—but I guarantee you, when you look back, you’ll be proud you came to Drew because you’re not going to be just health care providers in the country; you’re being trained to be world-class clinicians.”

The PA profession was created in the mid-1960s to address a nationwide shortage of primary care physicians, with the first program at Duke University training former Navy Hospital Corpsmen in an accelerated curriculum modeled after World War II medical training. CDU’s PA program, established in 1971, holds the distinction of being the first in California and among the earliest in the nation. For more than five decades, CDU has prepared PAs to deliver high-quality, culturally responsive care to underserved communities—a mission the Class of 2027 is poised to carry forward.