Class of 2022 gets their white coats and takes the Oath of a Pharmacist

Members of the UC San Francisco doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) Class of 2022 took a formal step into their new careers on August 30, symbolically donning the white coat of health care professionals and taking the Oath of a Pharmacist at a ceremony in Cole Hall on the UCSF Parnassus campus.

“Today we officially become partners toward the goal of safe, effective drug therapy for all the world’s citizens,” said School of Pharmacy Dean B. Joseph Guglielmo, PharmD, as he welcomed students into their new profession.

Kearney and Guglielmo at lectern.
Grant Burningham

Dean B. Joseph Guglielmo (right) introduces speaker Thomas Kearney (left).

The Class of 2022 will be the second class to learn through a new curriculum. “You are our partners in a bold new venture that sets a new standard for incorporating scientific thinking into learning,” Guglielmo said. Health care, Guglielmo noted, is evolving rapidly. UCSF PharmD students are distinguished by their ability to master this change by identifying, examining, and systematically solving complex pharmacy problems, he explained.

UCSF Pharmacy Alumni Association President Gregory Allen Smith, PharmD ’92, also welcomed the class, advising students to gain inspiration through the careers of two late School faculty members, Robert D. Gibson, PharmD ’58, and Robert Levin, PharmD ’64, for inspiration.

Soares speaking at lectern.

Alisha Soares, Class of 2020, delivered this year’s student speech.

In the keynote address, Thomas Kearney, PharmD ’80, associate dean of academic affairs and a faculty member in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, shared his own path in pharmacy telling students to embrace opportunities when they arise and not lose track of the honor they’ve been given. “I had some part of giving patients a second chance at life,” Kearney said after describing his involvement in treating a child for an accidental drug overdose and realizing that toxicology would be his chosen specialization.

Student speaker Alisha Soares, Class of 2020, said students should learn to advocate for their patients but also to prioritize themselves. “I learned I’m myself with or without my white coat,” she said. “What makes me who I am is my history and my past.”

As Vice Dean Sharon L. Youmans, PharmD ’85, MPH, called each member of the class to the stage, they were each formally coated by one of 12 members of the pharmacy community, including alumni and current faculty members. The newly coated members of the Class of 2022 then stood, faced the audience of gathered family and friends, and swore to devote themselves “to a lifetime of service to others through the profession of pharmacy,” part of the Oath of a Pharmacist, administered by Lisa Kroon, PharmD, chair of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy.

“We are deeply honored to partner with you as we together continue to ask ‘why?’ and ‘why not?’” Guglielmo said as the event ended.

Jung with daughter and onlookers.

Yoonie Jung (right) held her daughter Chloe Lee as Hannah Kim and Angelinne Christie Nono looked on.

Laughing students sit in the auditorium.

Students preparing to take the Oath of a Pharmacist.

Students reading.

Students read the Oath of a Pharmacist.

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About the School: The UCSF School of Pharmacy aims to solve the most pressing health care problems and strives to ensure that each patient receives the safest, most effective treatments. Our discoveries seed the development of novel therapies, and our researchers consistently lead the nation in NIH funding. The School’s doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program, with its unique emphasis on scientific thinking, prepares students to be critical thinkers and leaders in their field.