Since 2018, Susan Thoms, MD, and her husband, David, have taken part in the White Coat Sponsorship Program at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed).
They take pride knowing that their generosity has helped seven medical students receive their first white coats, along with a stethoscope, tuning fork, reflex hammer, and apparel they need for their coursework and clinical applications. The ceremony is an important symbol of what is to come.
But for the Thomses, the decision to be White Coat sponsors is one rooted in something much more meaningful than the simple act of donating money or writing a check.
“It’s not just about the money, it’s not about the donation,” said Dr. Thoms, who practiced ophthalmology in the Detroit area for 38 years before she retired in 2015. “It’s about the relationships and the willingness to put oneself out there as a mentor and friend. The first year of medical school is hard and sometimes it’s just nice to have someone to talk to, someone who can take you to lunch or dinner and help you escape the rigors of medical school for just a moment.”
This year, as WMed prepares to welcome its 12th class of aspiring physicians – the MD Class of 2029 – the Thomses are serving as co-chairs of the 2025 White Coat Sponsorship Campaign.
The White Coat Ceremony is a time-honored tradition at WMed and a rite of passage for first-year learners as they embark on their education and goal of becoming physicians. For White Coat sponsors, meanwhile, their philanthropy opens the door to creating a bond that will help to inspire the medical school’s newest students.
“To me, it really is more than just giving the money to buy a coat,” Dr. Thoms said. “I tell my students I have two good shoulders and you can cry on both of them if you’re having a bad day, you can share your triumphs when you pass your summative exam, and you can text me when you pass the board exams.”
Over the years, Dr. Thoms has formed strong relationships with several students who she helped through the White Coat Sponsorship Program. She keeps in touch with them even after graduation and texts them often to see how they are handling the demands of residency training.
At times, she has been known to stop into the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus with a homemade salad to have lunch with a student at the fireplace on the building’s first floor. Each fall, David and she invite the students they’ve sponsored to their Kalamazoo home for pumpkin carving and dinner.
“I make myself available,” Dr. Thoms said. “You can’t wait for them to come to you, you have to put yourself out there for them.”
Dr. Thoms said her relationships with the students have enriched her life and she enjoys providing the young learners with the type of support that, unfortunately, was hard to come by when she started medical school in 1970. At that time, she was one of just 10 women in her class of 160 at Wayne State University School of Medicine and she often found herself navigating the rigors of medical school alone and longing for the support of a female mentor.
It was an experience that proved challenging but it also helped shape her career as a physician and her intense focus on mentorship that led to the many treasured relationships she has now with students, residents, physicians, and medical school leaders across the country.
“I’ve always mentored and I’ve always felt that it’s very important,” Dr. Thoms said. “You have to instill good behavior and good ethics in the next generation of physicians. I want them to grow up to be good solid doctors.”
During her 18 years in private practice in the Detroit area, Dr. Thoms would often invite high school, undergraduate, and medical students to shadow her in her office. She continued mentoring students when she joined the faculty at University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center in 1996 where she directed satellite offices in Livonia and, later, Northville.
Two of her early mentees have gone on to serve in leadership roles as a department chair at Case Western University School of Medicine and as a residency program director at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
After she retired in 2015, the Thomses moved from West Bloomfield to Kalamazoo, a town they both love and know well from their time at Kalamazoo College. They first met as students at K in 1968 and completed their undergraduate studies there in 1970. They married in 1972.
After returning to Kalamazoo, Dr. Thoms said she sought out ways to be involved in the community and heard about the medical school’s Standardized Patient Program. She joined in 2017 and continues the work today playing the role of a patient during an array of exercises in the WMed Simulation Center that allow students to hone their physical exam, history-taking and communication skills. She also serves as a clinical associate professor in the Department of Surgical Sciences.
In addition to her involvement in the White Coat Sponsorship Program, Dr. Thoms serves as an adviser for the ophthalmology student interest group and has mentored several WMed students who have gone on to train and practice in the specialty. Even more special to Dr. Thoms is that three WMed students who she either mentored or sponsored through the White Coat Sponsorship Program asked her to serve as their honorary hooder when they received their MD degree from WMed.
“I take great joy in seeing our students develop and I believe that I can teach them to be good communicators,” Dr. Thoms said. “They’re going to take care of me someday so I want them to be really good.”
As co-chairs for this year’s White Coat Sponsorship Campaign, the Thomses said they see their role as an extension of their work with WMed that began when they came to Kalamazoo in 2017.
“I think we both really care to inspire people to be their best,” said David, who recently retired from the practice of law after a long and successful career in estate planning, tax and non-profit organizations. Additionally, he has served on the leadership boards of Greenleaf Trust, Kalamazoo College, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.
“For the students at WMed, the White Coat Ceremony is a milestone in their journey to become doctors but we also want them to remember the ultimate prize and that is the chance to go out into the world and to provide medical care to those who need it,” David added.
Dr. Thoms said former mentees have often asked her how they can repay her for her support throughout the years. How they can give something back to honor her selflessness.
Her answer to them is simple.
“I tell them you can repay me by doing the same thing,” she said. “You take a student to dinner and instill in them all the good qualities you’ve learned and possess.
“Set an example and pay it forward.”
If you are interested in being a part of this year’s White Coat Sponsorship Program, please visit wmed.edu/giving/whitecoat or contact the Office of Development at giving@wmed.edu or 269.337.4290.