The University of Nebraska Medical Center held White Coat ceremonies in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney and Scottsbluff this month to recognize new students in pharmacy, nursing, medicine, and dentistry. In a symbolic ceremony, students donned white coats signifying the beginning of their health career and took an oath of professionalism.
The UNMC College of Pharmacy held its White Coat ceremony for 65 students in Omaha on Aug. 19.
Ceremonies were held on Aug. 21 for the following colleges.
The UNMC College of Medicine held its White Coat ceremony for 131 students in Omaha.
The UNMC College of Nursing held its Nightingale White Coat ceremony for 116 students at its locations in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney and Scottsbluff.
The UNMC College of Dentistry held its ceremony Aug. 21 in Lincoln, for 70 new dental and dental hygiene students.
The School of Allied Health Professions will hold ceremonies in the fall and winter.
The white coats were paid for in part with donations from UNMC alumni and faculty, the University of Nebraska Foundation and the UNMC College of Dentistry Development Fund.
Below are the colleges, hometowns and names of the students.
UNMC College of Nursing (Omaha)
Bellevue — Kelsey Severin
Chambers — Megan Gottsch
Elkhorn – Felicia Brooks
Hastings — Jaclyn Kirschner
Hooper — Kayla Marfisi
Omaha – Katherine Adams, Lisa Bowyer, Bradley Eaton, Grace Evans, Kara Havick, Mark Huber, Stephanie Lee, Bobbie Mansur, Gina Murante, Betsy Perry, Alexis Scott, Ashley Senn, Cari Stinn, Elizabeth Tuttle, Megan Uhlarik, Galina Warren, Kimberly Woodward, Meredith Wright, Andrea Yager
Papillion — Patricia Harnisch
Pierce — Brittany Test
West Point — Sarah Garber
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. — Samantha Lowther
Moline, Ill. — Christine Raymond Veitzer
Canton, Ohio — Denise Whitehouse
Cleveland, Ohio — Abby Fitch
Jacksboro, Texas — Hope Erwin
UNMC College of Nursing Lincoln Division
Bayard – Madilan Coon
Columbus – Kelsey Beiermann
Dannebrog – Tiffany Gorecki
David City – Katie Meister, Seara Petska
Falls City — Jill Carpenter
Fremont – Breanna Bloom
Gibbon – Danielle Shackleton
Hastings – Ashley Paustian
Lincoln – Anna Cooper, Mikaela Kleeb, Kelsey Lambley, Lindsay Ottersberg, Christi Barton, Paige Vanicek, Kathryn Vestecka, Megan Bonner, Gina Olson, Kaylin Thomas
North Bend – Betsy Minarick
North Platte – Elizabeth Waltman, Krista Dotson
Oakland – Tracey Bixler
Omaha — Kori Brisby, Anne Lavelle, Kristin Buttner, Katherine Mostek, Allison Young
Raymond – Brittany Munderloh, Halley Friedeman
Superior – Amanda Wagner
Valparaiso – Stacy Wolfe
Virginia – Kelly Flesner
San Diego, Calif. – Katelynn Crum
St. Joseph, Mo. – Megan Bauer
Rapid City, S.D. – Josie Bloom
Yankton, S.D. — Emily Steckler, Britt Lehr
Bellevue, WA — Katie Leahy
Komaki, Japan — Rina Kojima
UNMC College of Nursing Kearney Division
Broken Bow — Kassandra Wright
Cozad — Chase Tellus
Curtis — Hillary Wills
Friend — Shelby Adams
Genoa — Brandi Homolka
Gibbon — Kirsten Rasmussen
Gothenburg — Karissa Slack
Grand Island — Jennifer Murray, Adrian Romero
Kearney — Melody Baetz
Lincoln — Jenna Howell
Litchfield — Caitlin Schall
McCook — Abby Stewart
Minden — Jayme Smith
North Platte — Jennifer Favinger and Susan Palmer
Omaha — Caleb Kiser
Ord — Jamie Tuma
Oshkosh — Brieanna Jasnoch
Overton — Alison Carpenter
Ravenna — Brentley McKeon
Sargent — Jason Granger
Peyton, Colo. Andrew Richardson
St. Francis, Kan. — Allyson Reichert
UNMC College of Nursing West Nebraska Division (Scottsbluff)
Alliance — Hannah Steele
Bartlett– Tina Sheldon
Callaway — Kellsy Schneringer
Chappell — Landon Pettit
Gering — Kassandra Ehler, Beth Kugler, SeLina Ysac
Gurley — Jacob Collins
Minden — Chantel Schmidt
Scottsbluff– Katherine Corey, Jodi Vandenberge
LaPorte, CO — Victoria Herazo
Westminister, CO — Jamie Reed
Jackson, MI — Kelly McClain
Grand Forks, ND — Brianna Hauck
Poulsbo, WA — Bethany Leavitt
Guernsey, WY – Melanie Martinez-Ellis
Torrington, WY – William Branham, Jaylene Cunningham, Vanessa Ochsner
UNMC College of Medicine
Alliance — Danita Velasco
Arapahoe — Adam Haussler
Atkinson — Gregory McClanahan
Aurora — Tyler Vettel
Beatrice — Thomas Harmon
Bellevue — Shana Norris
Bennington — Crystal Reyelts
Bloomfield — Dana Archbold
Chester — Amanda Gehle
Columbus — Daniel Recek and Gregory Stecker
Creighton — Andrew Huber
Eustis — Lauren Gengenbach
Fremont — T. Alex McKnight
Gordon — Kyle Schmidt
Gothenburg — Brady Fickenscher
Hardy — Kendra Kaldahl
Herman — Maggie Kuhlmann
Kearney — Amanda Calleroz, Anthony Cannon, Kevin Denton, Tyler Humphrey, Christopher Jensen, Jessica Johnson, Kyle Myers, Ryan Peterson
Lexington — Jordan Homan
Lincoln — Christopher Babl, Bronson Boosalis, Sean Brozek, Jon Hedgecock, Kaitlyn Malone, Chelsea Navarrette, Abraham Olude, Robert Otte, Abbey Reed, Amanda Ruppert, and Nicholas Zalewski
McCook — Natalie Brooks and Stuart Frazier
McCool Junction – Keenan Taylor
Miller — Megan Saathoff
Minden — John Craig
Monroe — Alex Laudenklos
Nebraska City — Scott Madden
Neligh — Chad Hall
Newman Grove — Melissa Gasper
Norfolk — Randall Jay Ambroz
North Platte — Evan Correll and Sarah Jones
Omaha — Faraz Ahmad, Jennifer Andahl, Neha Balmoori, Emily Bendlin, Kathryn Dotts Bennett, Mitchell Birt, Robert Bowen, Aaron Cisar, Tessa Wood Commers, LaKeisha Cox, Meghan Gaule, Nathaniel Goodrich, Rachel Hansen, Joseph Hejkal, Mary Huerter, Kelley Keefe, Kathryn Kersenbrock, Andrew Maresch, Kathleen McKillip, Alexandra Moustakes, Thomas Muelleman, Andrea Mullen, Alisha O’Malley, Natalie Ommen, Derek Passer, Joel Passer, Diane Peterson, Frank Lin, Marcie Richmond, Justin Ritonya, Timothy Rush, Heather Sutton, Lauren Taylor, Paula Thielen, Nicholas Trapp, Jacob Weasel, and Jill Westcott
Overton — Charles Whitten
Palmer — Ryan Santin
Petersburg — Rachel Faust
Red Cloud — Justin Westengaard
Schuyler — Rita Lindberg and Cole Reha
Scottsbluff — Brittany Schultz
Valparaiso — Genna Eller
York — Amanda Schnell
Mesa, Ariz. — Jacob Oran
Calexico, Calif. — Yun Tong
Carmichael, Calif. — Phillip Purnell
Canon City, Colo. — Patrick Reppert
Denver, Colo. — Benjamin Huebner
Fort Collins, Colo. — Cassia Rye
Glenwood Springs, Colo. — Luther Seible
Torrington, Conn. — Ross Smith
Atlanta, Ga. — Joseph Lamar
Hinsdale, Ill. — Steven Paulmeyer
Des Moines, Iowa — James Bisanti
Derby, Kan. — Nathan Harms
Topeka, Kan. — Ashley Reynolds
Ruston, La. — Rustin Rawlings
Grand Haven, Mich. — James Reinecke
Shoreview, Minn. — Jordan Warchol
Independence, Mo. — Trevor Gregath
Kansas City, Mo. — Maris Hoke
Platte City, Mo. — Jessica Gartrell
West Orange, N.J. — Krupa Savalia
Columbus, Ohio — Alexandra Brugler
Portland, Ore. — Kara Markin
Greenville, S.C. — Anna Hulbert
Aberdeen, S.D. Lisa Thayer
Harrisburg, S.D. — Dennis Bierle
Sioux Falls, S.D. — Amy Cook, Dawn Heeren
El Paso, Texas — Hernan Hernandez
Farmington, Utah — Cassi Grotepas
Newport News, Va. — Bryan Spells
Casper, Wyo. — Keegan Harkins
Afghanistan — Humaira Qasimyar
Karachi, Pakistan — Faisal Ahmed
Chien-Shien Yang Taipei, Taiwan
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam — Duy Minh Ha
UNMC College of Pharmacy
Ainsworth — Austin Lucht
Albion — Kyle Young
Alliance — Zachariah Davis
Axtell — Marcus Anderson
Battle Creek — Jenna Vogel
Bellevue — Heidi Brink, Ashley Hayden, Scott Jakopovic
Bertrand — Craig Dannehl
Bloomfield — Rebecca Schainost
Buea, Cameroon — Elsie Forsung
Cambridge — Cristin Bruckman
Carleton — Allysa Zoucha
Columbus — Cole Seckel
Cozad — Tyler Sturgeon
Dakota City — Elizabeth Morgan
David City — Jeffrey Brezina and Mikala Janicek
Fairbury — Brady Helmink
Fremont — Tillara Stoupa
Hastings — Penny Niles
Imperial — Jason Burke
Kearney — Morgan Farrell
LaVista — Matthew Crotty
Lexington — Kelly Kloch
Lincoln — Christine Dahl, Jennifer Doné, Thomas Hilsabeck, Mary Manning Kechely, Kyle McCartney
Madison — Alyssa Demmel, Kendra Oswald
Minden — Samantha Raffety
Nebraska City — Patrick Madden
Norfolk — Larissa Lechner
North Platte — Sarah (Milne) Hajek
Omaha — Matthew Egger, Crystal Fehr, Kayli Hall, Michael Koraleski, Daniel Lee, Kathleen Mohan, Ellina Pisetsky, Jessica Rago, Carly Setterlund, Mary Vacha
Ord — Derek Dennis, Kasi Nelson
Palmyra — Marissa Kroese
Papillion — Amy DeVeney, Aditi Gupta
Pawnee City — Holly Donahue
Plattsmouth — Stephanie Meisinger
Ponca — Alisyn Hansen
Ravenna — Brandon Bohn
Shubert — Colby McMann
Upland — Brittany Johnson
Atlantic, IA — Jennifer Schoenfeld
Clarinda, IA — Amy Carlson
Sioux City, Iowa — Angela Perez
Soldier, Iowa — Kristin Bumsted
Kansas City, Mo. — Leigh Blobaum
Springfield, Mo. — Grant Huning
Las Cruces, N.M. — Kristin (Brotan) McNaughton
Salt Lake City, Utah — Kimberly Terry
UNMC College of Dentistry
Dental students
Ainsworth — Stephanie Cobb
Ashland — Robert Bundy
Beatrice — Andrew Hibbert
Beaver Lake — Nicole Lecci
Blair — Ryan Boyd
Diller — Colby Bartlett
Elkhorn — Richard Carstens, Richard DuVall
Fremont — Spencer Richards
Gordon — Stephen Johndreau
Gretna — Jay Kocian
Kearney — Katherine Bush
Lincoln — Xuyen Doan, Thao Le, Josanna Stephenson
McCook — Kate Wolford
Meadow Grove — Jason Grant
Norfolk — Jennifer Veurink
Ogallala — James Hadden, Matthew Weber
Omaha — Kyle Beulke, Jordan Dudzinski, Shayna Gard, John Kuvetakis, Amanda Meyer, Laura Schmadeke
Randolph — Erin Bazata
Raymond — Coleman Christensen
Scottsbluff — John Chain
South Sioux City — Katherine Long
West Point — Jessica Cervantes
Wood River — Adam Anderson
York — Taylor Coffin
Oro Valley, Ariz.: Jacquelyn Freeman
Manhattan, Kan.: Meghan Hungerford
Wellington, Kan.: Samantha Jimenez
Billings, Mont.: Tanner Bennion
Grand Forks, N.D.: Brittany Krog
Stanley, N.D.: Scott Mortensen
Parkston, S.D.: Tami Luebke
Pierre, S.D.: Aaron Rumpca
Casper, Wyo.: James Beddes, Everett Maynard, Kelly Russell
Cheyenne, Wyo.: Stacie Stephens
Sheridan, Wyo.: Christopher Schultz
Dental hygiene students
Alliance — Nicole Benigno (Scottsbluff Division)
Beaver Crossing — Kristen Pankoke
Creighton — Stephanie Schwindt
Eagle — Lauren Hagel-Pitt
Gretna — Jessica Bruggeman
Hartington — Toshia Promes
Humboldt — Laura Thames
Humphrey — Jaycee Weidner
Lincoln — Jacqueline Berthelsen, Danica Harris, Rebekah Horn, Ginny McCracken, Marina Titov
Norfolk — Kristin Chambers
Omaha — Whitney Heimann
Papillion — Sarah Vann
Scottsbluff — Samantha Libsack (Scottsbluff Division)
Ulysses — Blair Krska
Wahoo — Kelsey Kmiecik
Waverly — Michelle Wooten
Avon, S.D. — Leslie Van Gerpen
Grand Junction, Colo. — Anne Rutledge (Scottsbluff Division)
Overland Park, Kan. — Kimberly Nuss
Pratt, Kan. — Amy Newby (Scottsbluff Division)
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources exceeds $100 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 3,200 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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