WHITE COAT CEREMONY

Avaas Sharif, MD ‘17 is a clinical fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital. There, he has spent the last several months helping to evaluate and support the children of families seeking asylum in the United States. Ranked the #1 children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report, Boston Children’s Hospital treats a steady stream of immigrant children as Boston is home to the third largest population of Haitian immigrants.

In this role, Dr. Sharif is not only focused on better overall healthcare and trauma support for refugee and immigrant youth and their families; he is also working toward a plan that supports the healthy adjustment of these youth, embeds mental health services in community and school settings, and envisions individual wellbeing.

The New Jersey native decided to become a physician so he could influence change. The idea of service and helping children become whole was an inspiration to him early on.

During college at Rutgers University, he volunteered for his local town as an EMT. While he was a student at AUC, he volunteered at and led an AUC outreach program at ICAN Orphanage on Sint Maarten. One of his favorite experiences was taking the children for monthly treks to nearby Le Galion Beach for barbeques and fun days in the sun. “I learned so much there about what really is most important in helping and creating unbreakable bonds with the children,” he says.

After graduating from AUC, Dr. Sharif completed his psychiatry residency at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey. There, he led a number of innovative leadership programs including an educational program about the opioid epidemic, as well as a program that distributed free Narcan to families and caretakers. In July, he will begin a second fellowship in forensic psychiatry at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Brigham Hospital.

“The last few years have been surreal, filled with success, and it all started with my acceptance letter from AUC,” he said.

Join Live from Facebook or YouTube

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aucmed
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aucvideo
• White Coat Digital Program Link (COMING SOON)

1. Purchase your white coat as soon as possible. We ask that you wear your white coat during the event. They are available for purchase online via the University Bookstore, or on campus in Sint Maarten:

• If you are in Sint Maarten, you can purchase your white coat at the Campus Service Center.  
• Select the “White Coat Ceremony” course under the January 2022 Courses header. 
• Choose your gender and coat size using the size chart as guidance. 
• Ensure you enter your current address for delivery.  
• Keep in mind that orders ship from the US, and international shipping charges will apply for orders being delivered outside of the US. For students who are based in Sint Maarten, purchasing from the Campus Service Center may be the best option.

2. Submit your photo and a recording of your name.

To honor each student individually, we will showcase your headshots during the live event. Our partners at NameCoach will soon send an email (to your AUC email account) with instructions to upload your photo and a recording of your name. Submissions are due by Tuesday, February 15, 2022. 

• Photos should be headshots (taken from the waist up), in business formal attire and your White Coat. 
• Hold your camera or phone horizontally so your photo is landscape and make sure you are in a well-lit area and against a plain background.
• If you are unable to get your white coat in time, please submit a photo in business formal attire. 

If you have any questions, please contact aucevents@aucmed.edu.
 

Keeping Our Community Safe 

Limited in-person attendance: The event space will be limited to participating students and faculty/staff in order to maintain social distancing. We appreciate the desire by many students to have your loved ones join you for this special occasion, but we are unable to accommodate any guests—including spouses, family, and friends—onsite during the ceremony. All students and faculty/staff will need to sign in at the entrance in order to be admitted to the event space. Guests will not be permitted onsite.

Note: Please arrive 10 minutes early to sign in so that the event will start on time.

While guests will not be able to join the in-person ceremony, we will be livestreaming the event on AUC’s social media channels so that family and friends can follow along and celebrate your achievement, regardless of location.

Standard COVID-19 safety protocols: Our usual campus COVID-19 safety protocols will remain in effect, and we will continue to follow Sint Maarten government requirements for COVID-19 mitigation. All attendees will be required to follow AUC’s safety measures, including wearing your facemask, social distancing, and completing the daily health assessment on the AUC Safe App before entering campus.

AUC continues to closely monitor the ongoing global health situation and will modify our plans if needed to ensure we are in alignment with any updates to local government requirements and/or guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).

AUC continues to closely monitor the ongoing global health situation and will modify our plans if needed to ensure we are in alignment with any updates to local government requirements and/or guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).

Cheryl Ann Schumacher

Manager of University Events & Travel