ETSU Quillen College of Medicine welcomes class of 2029

Published 1:37 pm Wednesday, July 30, 2025

East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine welcomed the 78 members of its Class of 2029 recently, a class chosen from a record 4,009 applicants.
The Class of 2029 represents 40 undergraduate institutions, with 65 students hailing from Tennessee. Fifteen students are ETSU alumni, and two are children of Quillen alumni. Five military-affiliated students are part of the class.

“As these students don their white coats for the first time, they are stepping into a legacy of impact that stretches far beyond the walls of our college,” said Dr. Bill Block, dean of the Quillen College of Medicine and ETSU’s vice president for Clinical Affairs.

“Today, our students are taking the symbolic first step toward becoming compassionate, skilled physicians committed to improving the lives of others,” Block said.

The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage for beginning medical students to help establish a psychological contract for professionalism and empathy in the practice of medicine. The event emphasizes the importance of both scientific excellence and compassionate care for patients. The Quillen College of Medicine held its first White Coat Ceremony in 1997. Since then, the ceremony has served as the climax of the college’s new student orientation program.

“Having been an intern in Quillen’s gross anatomy and simulation labs, I am excited to now be on the other side as a medical student,” said Ava Yobst, a member of the Class of 2029 and a 2025 graduate of ETSU.

“I remember looking up to the Quillen students I was working with and asking them countless questions about the program,” Yobst added. “Now, I’m eager to return to campus and officially begin that journey myself and serve as a mentor for other interns.”

The Class of 2029 also marked a new record for the number of students entering the college through the nationwide Early Decision Program with 20. The Early Decision Program allows students seeking acceptance to apply early to one participating school.

ETSU offers a robust combination of academic programs and patient-care facilities with more than 40 health sciences programs across five colleges that elevate interprofessional experience in health care education.