UB pharmacy school welcomes PharmD Class of 2025

Eighty-eight students took their first step toward becoming pharmacists on Aug. 26 when they took part in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ annual White Coat Ceremony.

The White Coat Ceremony symbolizes the passage into the initial stages of the profession of pharmacy practice and represents a contract for excellence in providing compassionate patient care.

The event, held in Slee Hall, also highlights the importance of scientific scholarship and emphasizes the highest principles of moral, ethical and legal conduct. UB PharmD students taking part in this tradition are welcomed to begin study among the ranks of pharmacy professionals.

During the "Calling of the Class," students were recognized by Karl D. Fiebelkorn, senior associate dean of student, professional and community affairs, and crossed the stage wearing their time-honored white coats.

The school’s new dean, Gary M. Pollack, PhD ’84, offered encouragement to the future pharmacists. “There is no better time to be entering the profession of pharmacy or the sciences that compose pharmacy right now,” he said. “The last 15 months has shown us the value of pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences in that we were able to discover, develop, formulate, market and dispense an extremely important vaccine. These new technologies will change the way you approach patient care forever.”

PharmD students also attended a variety of orientation programs to learn about school policies, spend time with student organizations representatives, and meet with faculty and staff who will help support their journey through pharmacy school.