Eighty student pharmacists will be addressed by an influential pharmacist who served in the Obama administration at this year’s University of Hawaii at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday in the campus Performing Arts Center.
The ceremony is open to the public.
Rear Adm. Scott Giberson will be the keynote speaker. He is the former U.S. assistant surgeon general and chief pharmacy officer, a position where he managed more than 1,150 government pharmacists. Giberson currently is deputy director of the Office of Human Capital within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
As recipient of the 2013 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Award of Excellence, Giberson maintains dual licensure as a pharmacist and clinician, having earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Temple University. He also has a master’s degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts, and a graduate certificate in health emergencies in large populations.
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. Students will be cloaked with a short white coat symbolizing their student status and the values of the profession.
Three pharmacy residents who have earned their doctor of pharmacy degrees are continuing their training with DKICP faculty on Kauai and Oahu. Beginning first-year residencies are Byrce Fukunaga and Aryn You, and starting a second-year residency is Nicole Young.
Four new doctor of philosophy in pharmaceutical sciences students, Md Samiul Huq Atanu, John Jacob, Sasha Kovacs and Kh Ahammad Uz Zaman, also will be honored for beginning their journey in pharmacy research.
Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani College of Hawaiian Language will perform the mele ho‘okipa, or welcoming chant, “Ua Ao Hawai‘i.”
The students also will be addressed by UH-Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney and DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma.
Event sponsor Walgreens will be represented by Hayley Park, regional health care director, who also will speak at the ceremony.
