Sep. 4, 2025
Students in the University of Missouri’s Clinical Laboratory Science program participated in a White Coat Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 22, for what will be the final cohort under a 20-year partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The event formally serves as a professional welcome into the clinical laboratory field. Students, faculty and family members gathered in Neff Hall at the University of Missouri to participate remotely in the main ceremony taking place in Omaha, Nebraska.
The ceremony marked a pivotal moment for the program, which is concluding two decades of collaboration with UNMC. Moving forward, the Clinical Laboratory Science bachelor’s degree will be rebranded as the Bachelor of Health Science in Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences with an emphasis in Medical Laboratory Science.
The Medical Laboratory Science program will now be fully taught and housed within the College of Health Sciences, with students completing coursework at Mizzou and rotations either in Missouri or anywhere of their choosing that the program is able to accommodate. Two new full-time faculty members, Annie John and Elaine Durchholz Sowell, joined the program this fall to prepare for the change.
Alese Thompson, an assistant teaching professor with the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, has been appointed as the program’s new director. She noted that the ceremony is a critical milestone, highlighting the students’ commitment to their profession.
“It’s extremely rewarding for me to see each student grow both in their knowledge base and professionalism from the time of the White Coat Ceremony to walking across the stage at graduation,” Thompson said.
