College of Pharmacy Initiates Class of 2022 in White Coat Ceremony

Members of the Class of 2022 from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy will hear words of inspiration from a prominent pharmacist who helped spearhead personalized care in Hawaiʻi at their White Coat Ceremony Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018. The event, which takes place in the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center from 2 to 4 p.m., is open to the public.

The ceremony, where new student pharmacists recite the Oath of a Pharmacist, signifies a rite of passage for individuals entering their first year in the professional program. Participants will be cloaked with a white coat symbolizing their student status and the values of the profession.

The ceremony includes 82 student pharmacists from the Pharm.D. program, three pharmacy residents who are continuing their training with DKICP faculty on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu, and two students beginning their Ph.D. programs at DKICP.

The keynote speaker is Byron Yoshino, president and CEO of Pharmacare Hawaiʻi, a locally owned multi-service pharmacy company based on O‘ahu. He is a current member of DKICP’s Dean’s Council who has been involved in the growth of the college since its beginning.

Yoshino will speak to his future colleagues about his experience opening his first retail pharmacy in 1980 and later founding a company with Richard Sakurada in 1983 that is now Pharmacare Hawai‘i.

The students also will be addressed by UH Hilo Interim Chancellor Marcia Sakai, Hawai‘i Island Mayor Harry Kim and DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma.

Ka Haka ʻUla O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language will perform the mele ho‘okipa, or welcoming chant, Ua Ao Hawaiʻi.

The event is sponsored exclusively by Walgreens.

For more information, contact Kristy Fujii at kristyna@hawaii.edu or (808) 932-7140.