The Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine has started a new tradition rooted in an ancient tradition—the Hippocratic Award and Pinning Ceremony.
The Hippocratic Award
Starting this year, graduating medical students are tasked with choosing a faculty member representative of the ideal role model of a teacher and physician. The inaugural award ceremony was held on May 3, and the first recipient is Dr. Sarah Stumbar, assistant dean for Clinical Education.
“No one embodies the ideals of professionalism, humanity, and dedication to teaching better than Dr. Stumbar,” said Dr. Yolangel Hernandez Suarez, senior associate dean for Student Affairs.
Dr. Stumbar teaches medical students at all stages of their training and oversees the third and fourth-year clinical curriculum. She also provides primary care to underserved patients in the college’s Green Family Foundation Neighborhood Health Education Program, better known as NeighborhoodHELP. “Medicine is a privileged profession because people entrust you with their stories—stories with a capital S… and you can intervene to rewrite their stories,” she told the audience of rising third-year medical students.
Dr. Stumbar and future winners will be recognized on a plaque accompanying a wire sculpture of the Hippocratic Tree located outside the Office of Student Affairs.
The Tree of Hippocrates
The Hippocratic Award was established in 1969 at the University of Florida inspired by a cutting from a famous tree.
More than 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, reportedly taught his pupils under an oriental plane tree, or Platanus orientalis, commonly known as a sycamore.A descendant of Hippocrates’ original tree still stands in the center of the Greek island of Kos. And a cutting from that tree was given to UF College of Medicine.
Two years ago, UF shared cuttings from its tree with other Florida schools, including FIU hoping they would establish their own Hippocratic Awards. FIU’s sapling is slowly growing inside the university’s Grounds Nursery. Despite concern that South Florida’s weather is not ideal for sycamores, the plan is to one day plant it outside the medical school.
The Pinning Ceremony
In conjunction with the annual award, starting this year, medical students entering their third year will receive a pin fashioned with the outline of Hippocrates’ tree to celebrate a significant milestone in their medical education journey— they are embarking on clinical rotations, crossing the bridge between classroom learning and real-world clinical practice.
View photos from the award and pinning ceremony
“Let this pin remind you of the sacred oath you took at your White Coat Ceremony and will reaffirm at your Commencement—the solemn pledge to always put your patient’s welfare first,” said Dr. Juan C. Cendan, dean of the medical school.
Dr. Cendan noted that the tree depicted on the tree has deep roots. It is by design. “They symbolize the deep-rooted traditions and values that underpin the medical profession. These traditions include a commitment to compassionate patient care, ethical conduct, and the pursuit of knowledge. In essence, we are talking about professionalism. And professionalism is crucial in medicine,” he told students.
Professionalism, he said, goes beyond technical competence. It encompasses integrity, empathy, respect for patients’ autonomy, confidentiality, accountability, and a commitment to lifelong learning and self-improvement. And he reminded students of the fundamental aspect of every doctor’s role: connecting with and caring for your patients—what Hippocrates called “the love of humanity.”