Binghamton University’s Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2028 receives their white coats

Seventy Doctor of Pharmacy students, along with their friends and family, entered the Osterhout Concert Theater in Binghamton University's Anderson Center for the Performing Arts for a ceremony Saturday to officially receive their white coats. The annual White Coat Ceremony marks the students' entrance into the profession of pharmacy.

"As first-year pharmacy students - you'll be called P1s - you are embarking on an exciting path," said Dean Kanneboyina Nagaraju. "We pledge to educate and prepare you to become patient-centered pharmacists who will practice at the top of your license. When you graduate from here in four years, you will be prepared to take any path in the field of pharmacy that you are drawn to - and excel!"

Nagaraju shared with students that they'll learn from highly accomplished faculty, who are national leaders in pharmacy education and pharmaceutical sciences research. But more importantly, they'll learn from each other.

"These experiences will prepare you for your clinical experiences and for the ever-evolving world of modern healthcare," he said.

"Your decision to join the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences identifies you as smart, motivated individuals and as people who are committed to improving the world through innovative discovery and service to your communities," said President Harvey Stenger. "I'm confident that you'll excel here because we have the best teachers and scientists who work closely with students to ensure that they succeed in their academic careers."

Stenger continued by sharing that students who join the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences are noted for their passion and commitment.

"They are dedicated to serving their communities and working to improve health outcomes for the people around them," he said. "In just a few years, this school has developed and achieved a reputation for outstanding career preparation and for providing an academic setting that is rewarding and supportive."

Stenger mentioned the new $15 million Pharmaceutical Research and Development Center opening later this year.

"It will further support the discovery and innovation efforts of faculty and students," he said. "It's the cherry on top that ties together the Health Sciences Campus. The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will be able to broaden its outreach with top pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, with the potential to develop professional networks pharmacists need to complete their training. You will be among the first cohorts of students to benefit from that state-of-the-art facility."

"I'm sure you are nervous but excited to embark on your journey toward the Doctor of Pharmacy degree - as you should be," said Provost Donald Hall. "In four years, that I'm sure will fly by for you, you will enter a profession with unlimited opportunities - a profession whose scope of practice is evolving and expanding on an almost daily basis. Healthcare is America's largest industry, and you are positioning yourselves to be part of the dramatic changes it is undergoing."

"You are taking a big step today, beginning a challenging program that will test your stamina, commitment, intellect and compassion," he said. "We know that you have everything it will take to succeed. Your academic preparation and character have been assessed by our faculty, who believe that you will flourish here at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and in the profession."

While preparing for the event, keynote speaker Catherine Stimmel said she took a lot of time to reflect on what the white coat means to her as well as her own education and career, her patients, and the commitment she made to professionalism and patient safety over 20 years ago.

"The reason why so many health care professions, including pharmacists, wear white coats is for easy recognition by colleagues and patients," she said at the ceremony. "The tradition dates back to the 1800s, when trained surgeons, followed by other practitioners not too long thereafter, began wearing white lab coats as a way to distinguish themselves from the fraudulent health care providers attempting to pawn off miracle cures and did not practice traditional, evidence-based medicine. These coats you'll wear today set you apart and will entrust you to those patients that you'll ultimately serve."

Stimmel is the vice president, chief controlled substance and patient safety officer for Walgreens. She is also the director of the Walgreens component patient safety organization, The Patient Safety Research Foundation, Inc. which was the first Patient Safety Organization supporting community pharmacies and the clinicians who work there.

She acts as the lead representative on all safety matters, including controlled substance compliance, with other Patient Safety Organizations registered with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, hospital systems, primary care offices, specialty and community pharmacies, the public, and various regulatory organizations such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, Food and Drug Administration, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and State Boards of Pharmacy.

"For me personally, the white coat symbolizes a pharmacist's commitment to professionalism, trust and responsibility, which is paramount in ensuring the highest standards of patient care and ethical practice," Stimmel said. "A professionalism that entails not only possessing extensive knowledge of medications and truly being a medication expert, which you will become but also adhering to strict guidelines and ethical codes."

In her closing remarks, Stimmel left students with some advice as they take the next steps in their professional journey.

"One, remember why you are here and two, remember who you are here with," she explained. "The next four years of your lives are going to be challenging. We are in an unprecedented moment in history where there is great global suffering. Even within our own country, division, mental health challenges, economics and the aftermath of a devastating global pandemic are creating barriers for Americans to live healthy lives. You are a part of the solution."

Following the keynote address, James "JJ" Brice, the pharmacy school's director of student affairs, asked the 70 pharmacy students to cross the stage one at a time to be coated by Taylor Clark, SOPPS '22, clinical assistant professor and Alexandra Rola, clinical assistant professor.

"White Coat ceremonies have traditionally been used by schools of pharmacy as an outward sign of an inward and personal commitment to the profession," Brice said. "As our students walk across the state today, they will receive their white coat and take the first step to a lifelong commitment to the pharmacy profession."

Brice then led the students through the passing of the light of knowledge, which "symbolizes a very real exchange between you, your mentors, faculty members and colleagues."

The ceremony concluded as Jude DeLuca, associate dean of academic and student affairs, and professor of pharmacy practice, led the students and all pharmacists in the audience in the Pharmacy Oath.

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