A unique welcome to the profession for the PharmD Class of 2024

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

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

Dean James M. O’Donnell, PhD, provided a warm welcome to the students and graciously acknowledged the event’s sponsors, Rite Aid and Tops Markets. James Gaiser, BS ’97, pharmacy district manager for Rite Aid, spoke to the Class of 2024 with words of encouragement: “[Pharmacy] will be a rewarding career, knowing that you get an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the community in which you live and serve.”

The virtual keynote address was given by Peter Fendt, PharmD/MBA ’16, Senior Manager of Business Insights and Analytics at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He discussed what he calls “The Three P’s for PharmDs:”

• Perspective:
  “A balanced and centered approach will ultimately make you not only more successful but happier in your career and your life.”
• Passion:
  “Fuel the passion that led you here and keep it burning bright as you advance in your studies and in your careers.”
• People:
  “People are the 'how' behind your success: as friends, peers, mentors and advocates. And people are the 'why' that should drive us every day: the patients we seek to serve, our neighbors who look to us as trusted professionals and accessible resources in navigating some of the most difficult, challenging, and sometimes confusing things they may face in their lives.”

This year’s “Calling of the Class,” led by Karl Fiebelkorn, Senior Associate Dean for Student, Professional and Community Affairs, allowed students to have a moment of recognition on the Zoom stage. “Many students had a friend or family member help them put their white coat on, a uniquely touching aspect of the virtual event,” said Jennifer Rosenberg, Associate Dean and Director of Admissions and Advisement. "We're so grateful we had this opportunity to recognize our newest cohort of future pharmacists."