Kicking off the start of both their professional training and career journeys, 82 students in the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy Class of 2028 attended the annual White Coat Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 19, 2024.
Kevin Sneed, PharmD, dean of the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy (TCOP), emphasized the significance of the ceremony, during which students each receive a white medical coat signifying them as pharmacists in training over the next four years. “White Coat is really their introduction into the pharmacy profession,” he said. “We don't wait for graduation; their professionalism is starting right now.”
Kevin Sneed, PharmD, dean of the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy, speaks during the white coat ceremony.
The Class of 2028 will be the first to complete their entire academic program in TCOP's new USF Health downtown facility. This modern learning environment offers advanced resources and technology, such as the Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange Wall and Experiential Learning Lab, to support the students' pharmacy education.
Keynote speaker Jeffrey Mesaros, PharmD, JD, Rph, with the Mesaros Group LLC, congratulated the new students and their assembled families.
“The profession of pharmacy is one of great possibilities,” Dr. Mesaros said. “I look forward to seeing them collaborate and innovate as they prosper in their personal and professional lives and am grateful for the opportunity to be a small part of it.”
Keynote speaker Jeffrey Mesaros, PharmD, JD, Rph, with the Mesaros Group LLC, speaks during the ceremony.
The incoming class reflects a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, with 33 percent being the first in their families to attend college. The cohort, which comprises 63 women and 37 men, boasts an average overall GPA of 3.55 and enters with a strong academic background, showing they are well prepared for the rigorous pharmacy curriculum ahead.
The students arrive predominantly from Florida, with 94 percent enrolling from within the state, and the remaining students hailing from across the country and Puerto Rico. USF alumni make up 58 percent of the class while other students come from such institutions as the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida.
In his remarks, Dr. Sneed stressed to the new students the importance of their training in preparing them to make a future impact on their communities. “As students accept the responsibility of receiving the white coat,” he said, “know that dozens, thousands, maybe millions of people will benefit from the time you spend transforming into the very best pharmacist clinician.”