The event was the school’s 10th ceremony as part of Temple University and is a benchmark for second-year podiatry students, who will begin their clinical work in the school’s Foot and Ankle Institute in the fall.

Students, faculty, alumni and friends were welcomed by John Mattiacci, D.P.M, dean of the podiatry school, and heard from Mary E. Crawford, D.P.M., president of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, about becoming a successful physician.

“Always remember the patient is your primary obligation, and you will always be successful,” Crawford said.

James Burke, Ph.D., associate dean of academic affairs, led the ceremony, and Kieran Mahan, D.P.M., chair of the Department of Surgery, led the newly cloaked doctors in the recitation of the Declaration of Geneva, an affirmation of the future doctors’ dedication to helping their patients.

“Today you begin to practice what you came here to learn: the art of healing the men, women and children who have come to you,” Mattiacci told the students. “Never forget the person behind the disease; never forget the trust they show when they come to you, and never forget the duty that you owe to them when they present.”