University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo welcomes inaugural online doctor of pharmacy cohort

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo pharmacy college launched a new distance learning opportunity this month for its doctor of pharmacy degree program.

Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy this month welcomed its inaugural cohort for the online distance education doctor of pharmacy program.

“The PharmD-XO pathway is a much-needed option for our island communities,” said Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy Dean Rae Matsumoto in a story for Office of the Chancellor web publication UH Hilo Stories.

It is designed for students who work or have other personal or professional responsibilities.

Twelve aspiring pharmacists hailing from Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi and Puerto Rico are enrolled in the online program’s first cohort.

Students just spent a week on campus for orientation and their White Coat Ceremony.

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s pharmacy college is committed to developing programs that improve access to health care, especially in rural and underserved communities.

A key part of this mission is to broaden access for healthcare providers — including aspiring pharmacists — to higher education opportunities so they can earn the degrees needed to provide that care to communities.

This new distance education pathway opens access for many aspiring pharmacists who are otherwise unable to relocate to Hilo to pursue their pharmacy doctorate degree.

When students do relocate, it often leaves critical gaps in pharmacies and other health care settings where they were previously employed.

The new PharmD-XO program closes those gaps, providing a viable online path for adult learners to continue to work and live in their communities while pursuing their degree.

“I really appreciated having the extra time to get to know my cohort as well as the instructors,” said inaugural cohort member Kelly Furutomo. “Thank you for creating this program that gives people like me and the rest of my cohort the opportunity to further expand our careers and revisit dreams that we thought were not possible to pursue.”

The cohort will spend the next 4.5 years taking online classes, mastering basic skills and completing in-person introductory pharmacy practice experiences.

Their final year will comprise eight advanced practice experiences in different pharmacist employment settings.

The next PharmD-XO cohort will start in spring 2027. Students are being recruited now for the on-campus cohort that begins in fall this year.