The White Coat Ceremony marks the first time a medical student will don his or her white coat, the defining symbol of a physician. The coat bestows a great honor on each student and with it comes a responsibility to uphold the trust of each and every patient they will encounter. The class of 2021 will receive their white coats on Friday, July 21 of this year.
First-year medical student Ashley Nelson has spent the last year working at the National Institute of Aging in Baltimore, MD, as a Post-baccalaureate fellow. Since high school, Nelson has had a deep passion for neuroscience, which eventually led her to her goal of becoming a physician scientist and being a part of the medical school's inaugural MD/PhD class.
Nelson attended Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, where she received a bachelor’s of science in neuroscience with a minor in chemistry and a master’s of science in neuroscience from BYU.
Path Toward Medicine
"My love affair with studying the brain was sparked at the end of high school and exploded during undergrad and my master's. I considered medicine and research early on, but deliberated over career choices for all my undergrad years and the beginning of the master's program. Ultimately, I realized that I wanted to use my enthusiasm for neuroscience and my joy of building relationships with those I volunteered with to do translational research. Translational research has a wonderful potential to both discover scientific truth and help those suffering from disease. At a friend's wedding reception over winter break, I found myself telling a bunch of friends that I was going to apply to MD/PhD programs, and realized on the way home that night that my own mouth had made a final decision before my mind knew it. Since then my heart has felt a growing excitement to become a physician-scientist, and I am ecstatic to get started at College of Medicine – Phoenix."
Experience at the National Institute on Aging
"The program is designed for people who have bachelor’s or master’s degrees who want one to two more years of research experience. I worked in Shih-Chieh Lin's lab, where we studied the basal forebrain. The NIH is full of amazing minds, and it's cool to see so many talented people working to do such high-quality science. I got to develop more research skills in a field different than I worked in at BYU, and it's been a great learning experience."
Decision to Attend the College of Medicine – Phoenix
"It was a multi-factor decision, but my top three reasons are probably that I felt an energy and enthusiasm from students and faculty on campus; there is a beautiful, collaborative spirit in Phoenix across many research institutions (with great opportunities in neuroscience), and Arizona has always been home to me. I've been wanting to return to Arizona for years."
Volunteer Work 
"My favorite volunteer work was with the BYU Special Olympics team, where I helped manage teams in six different sports year round for individuals with intellectual disabilities. It was an absolute blast building friendships with the athletes, volunteers and families. More recently, I have volunteered with a couple of after-school tutoring programs in Baltimore, MD: Adelante Latina and the Refugee Youth Project."
Special Thanks
"As it is with any path, I am incredibly grateful for the support and encouragement from my mentors, friends and family. Many have helped me become the person I am, and I owe them an unpayable debt for their love and help."
Meaning of the White Coat
"I get all smiley thinking about the white coat ceremony. The white coat is a symbol of dedication to improving the health of those we serve. During our time at school, it will bond our class together in learning and a give us a vision toward healthy bodies and happy hearts for our patients. I will put on that white coat with the goal of it being a mantle of responsibility to care for those around me, and with the giddy excitement of a dream coming true."