UTEP School of Pharmacy Welcomes Largest New Class with White Coat Ceremony
Long-standing tradition marks students’ formal entry to the Doctor of Pharmacy Program
EL PASO, Texas (Aug. 26, 2023) – The UTEP School of Pharmacy hosted a White Coat ceremony on Saturday in honor of its Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2027. This year's entering cohort is the largest in the history of the Pharm.D. program, consisting of 63 students who were also part of the largest applicant pool in the school’s history.
The ceremony took place at Magoffin Auditorium on the UTEP campus, where graduates and their families gathered to commemorate this time-honored rite of passage.
The White Coat Ceremony marks an important step in the transformation of students into future pharmacists. School administrators presented the students with a white coat, which symbolizes authority, professionalism, clinical care and service, and a trust that must be earned.
“Our aim is to produce pharmacists who are passionate about addressing health care disparities and providing the best possible care for this community,” said José O. Rivera, Pharm.D., founding dean of the UTEP School of Pharmacy. “With this ceremony, we remind our entering students of the tremendous responsibility they’ve accepted.”
The ceremony included a recitation of the Oath of a Pharmacist, during which students promised to voluntarily maintain the skills, knowledge, and responsibilities needed to devote themselves to a lifetime of serving others.
One of the future pharmacists who participated in Saturday’s ceremony was Frank Rubenbauer. The Long Island, New York, native is returning to school after raising a family and a career in diagnostics manufacturing. His goal is to fulfill a lifelong dream to practice professionally in a field where he could be of service to others.
“I’ve always considered myself a scientist,” Rubenbauer said. “Pharmacy is, for me, a practical application of science that promotes people’s well-being.”
The UTEP School of Pharmacy is the only pharmacy school or college on the Texas-Mexico border and one of five schools and colleges of pharmacy at Hispanic-Serving Institutions nationwide. Its curriculum is designed to embrace the culture and needs of the community.
UTEP is the largest producer of graduates in health care professions among colleges and universities in the Paso del Norte region. With the Summer 2023 White Coat Ceremony, the University continues to shape the future of healthcare in the Borderland and beyond by initiating a new class of highly skilled future pharmacists committed to reducing health disparities for residents of the Paso del Norte region and beyond.
For more information about the UTEP School of Pharmacy and its programs, please visit https://www.utep.edu/programs/graduate/pharmacy-pharmd.html
Last Updated on August 28, 2023 at 12:00 AM | Originally published August 28, 2023
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
