Class of 2030 Pharmacy Candidates Cloaked for their Professional Journeys

Faculty, staff, alumni, family and friends watched with pride as more than 100 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences aspiring pharmacists donned their white coats to begin their professional journeys. 

An annual rite of passage, the Pharmacy White Coat ceremony recognizes the completion of a pharmacy candidate’s rigorous classroom instruction phase, marking their official transition into their professional learning years including clinical rotations.  

“This is such an important milestone event in these students’ lives as they commit to becoming competent and caring professionals,” Elena Umland, dean of The College of Pharmacy at ACPHS said. “It is such an honor to guide these future pharmacists as they transition from strictly students to student professional and discover the many ways they can serve the community as a pharmacist.” 

About the Class 

Out of the 101 candidates, 20 are first generation students. They are well-educated and hold an average GPA of 3.4 with: 

• four holding associates degrees 

• 37 with pharmacy technician experience 

• 46 holding bachelor’s degrees 

• four holding masters degrees  

• one holding a PhD 

The majority are U.S. citizens but there are also students from Canada. Many report their countries of birth to include Bangladesh, Canada, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Iraq, Korea, Nigeria and Russia. Forty of the students are bilingual, while many speak a third or fourth language, as well.  

In addition, the U.S. students hail from 13 states including Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Vermont.  

The Ceremony  

Dean Umland opened the ceremony and welcomed the more than 700 guests before introducing keynote speaker, alumna and past presidential officer of the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists, Leigh Bricoe-Dwyer ’87, PharmD.  

Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer serves as senior vice president, pharmacy services for CPS Solutions, LLC, Dublin, Ohio. She began her career as a clinical specialist in HIV and infectious disease at SUNY Stony Brook and has worked in various areas of pharmacy practice, including the pharmaceutical industry, with the majority of the last 25 years spent in pharmacy leadership roles in New York, Chicago and Michigan. She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Albany College of Pharmacy and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from St. John’s University.  

Before the event, Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer, hosted ‘Lunch with a Leader” for students and shared her insights on how our students will ‘build the future of pharmacy.’

At the ceremony, she asked them to consider what difference they will make in the world. She encouraged them to “be disruptors by leading the charge toward true patient-centered care.” 

“This is a great time to be a pharmacist,” said Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer.  “Throughout healthcare, market disruptors are forcing us to reimagine how we deliver healthcare with a focus on improving access, coordination of care and making care more affordable.  Great news for pharmacists because that is such a big part of what we do.” 

The event included a brief history and significance of the White Coat Ceremony, followed by faculty cloaking, who have the responsibility of guiding students on their path to becoming pharmacists.  

The ceremony concluded with the recitation of the oath of a pharmacist by the students, followed by a reception in the Gozzo Center, generously supported by Walgreens.