Making Meaningful Connections Through Wearing the White Coat
by KATHRYN VANCE
In its 11th year , GLMS hosted the annual Wear the White Coat Experience that welcomes community leader “ VIPs ” to shadow physicians in their practices , and to see the inner workings and demands of health care from a new perspective . The program kicked off in September with a “ Pre-Op ” breakfast where the VIPs could meet the physician they were paired with . They then had two months to complete their shadowing before coming together in November for the “ Post- Op ” dinner .
At the dinner , the VIPs and physicians were able to share their experiences and what they learned from being a part of the program . There was laughter , tears were shed , and smiles radiated throughout the room as everyone told stories ranging from laparoscopies , brain surgeries , deliveries and more .
Some of our VIPs described their experience as “ life changing ,” something they will “ always treasure ” and “ a privilege to learn from [ her ].” One VIP even said “ If I were in my 30s , I ’ d be applying for med school . I loved it that much !” Stay tuned over the next few months as we feature firsthand testimonials on their experiences from some of our community leaders .
Thank you to all who participated in this year ’ s Wear the White Coat Experience . We hope that the memories last a lifetime and helped make significant , meaningful connections . If you ’ re a physician interested in being a preceptor for our program in 2025 , please reach out to Kathryn Vance at kathryn . vance @ glms . org .
( L to R ) Delene Taylor , Rotary Club of Louisville , and Dr . Brian Williams ; Joe Tackett , UofL School of Medicine , and Dr . James Patrick Murphy ; Dr . Melissa Perrotta and Laurie Bottiger , The de Paul School ; Denise Sears , SOS , and Dr . Kandis Adkins .
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