UH-Hilo College of Pharmacy to initiate class of 2022 during White Coat Ceremony

Members of the class of 2022 from the University of Hawaii at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, during their White Coat Ceremony on Oct. 14, will hear words of inspiration from a prominent pharmacist who helped spearhead personalized care in Hawaii.

The ceremony, from 2-4 p.m. at the UH-Hilo Performing Arts Center, is open to the public.

The ceremony, during which 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 Kauai and Oahu and two students beginning their Ph.D. programs at DKICP.

Keynote speaker is Byron Yoshino, president and CEO of Pharmacare Hawai‘i, a locally owned multiservice pharmacy company based on Oahu. He is a current member of DKICP’s Dean’s Council and 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, Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim and DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma.

Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani College of Hawaiian Language will perform the mele ho‘okipa, or welcoming chant, “Ua Ao Hawai‘i.”

The event is sponsored exclusively by Walgreens.

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