New student pharmacists don white coats for first time

Seventy-six new student pharmacists crossed the stage of the Anderson Center’s Osterhout Concert Theater Saturday, Aug. 28, during the fifth White Coat Ceremony held by Binghamton University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The ceremony included remarks from several people, including a virtual keynote address by Rear Admiral and Assistant Surgeon General Richardae Araojo, who is associate commissioner for minority health and director of the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In welcoming the students to the school, Founding Dean Gloria Meredith said that each of them is joining in “our mission to educate and prepare pharmacists to practice at the top of their license.

“But what does that mean for you?” she asked. “It means that, when you graduate, you will be prepared to take any path in the field of pharmacy that you are drawn to — and excel!”

Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger told the students that they are at the center of the largest, most important project the University has been involved with over the past decade or more — the establishment of a Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City.

“This facility sets a national precedent in terms of learning and research spaces, with high-tech classrooms, a compounding lab, sterile room, home healthcare learning spaces and a simulation suite,” he said.

“And we will soon be breaking ground on a new $15 million state-of-the-art research and development center adjacent to the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,” he added. “This new facility will be a catalyst for private pharmaceutical investment and research that will support collaborative research by our faculty and graduate student researchers.”

Stenger also told the students they had come to Binghamton at just the right time. “Not only have we created a cutting-edge facility for you, but right now our nation needs trained pharmacists and pharmaceutical students,” he said. “Our future pharmacists will play a vital role, serving as the public face for patients’ interactions with the healthcare system.

“Already, pharmacists are playing a crucial role, by administering the COVID vaccine, and we can expect a continued reliance on our pharmacists as society works to address not only COVID, but many of the healthcare challenges we face,” Stenger said.

Donning white coats is a great tradition because it reinforces the idea that the students are actually shouldering a new role with new responsibilities, he added.

“It is a call to recognize the duties you have to the people you will be treating, and to accomplish your tasks with professionalism and high ethical standards. I am confident that all of you will rise to these responsibilities and make Binghamton University and our community a better place,” he said.

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Donald Nieman also spoke.

“We often hear about America’s healthcare crisis,” Nieman told the students. “And you will be part of the solution.”

Noting that the pandemic underscores the importance of the health professions, including pharmacists, to the country’s well-being, Nieman said that pharmaceutical scientists have played a critical role in developing a safe, effective vaccine. “And as students, and ultimately doctors of pharmacy, you will administer the vaccine and — equally important — educate patients, helping to dispel the myths that have kept far too many Americans unvaccinated and extended the problem that we are facing.

“You are taking a big step today,” he added. “You are beginning a challenging program that will test your stamina, your commitment, your intellect and your compassion during the next four years. It won’t be easy, but we know that you have everything it will take to succeed.”

As in past years, a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council also spoke. This year’s representative, Richard Merchant, is CEO for three nonprofit organizations: the Northern Area Health Education Center in Potsdam, N.Y., the Central New York Area Health Education Center in Cortland, N.Y., and Health WorkForce New York in Syracuse, N.Y. Each of these organizations is affiliated with Upstate Medical University, College of Medicine. Merchant is also the vice president of the New York State Association for Rural Health.

Merchant told the new student pharmacists that, regardless of the path or paths they take, it is important to realize that the core values of the school remain the same.

“These values will support and guide you during your academic career and will serve to support and guide others you care for or with whom you work in your professional career,” he said. “Donning the white coat has particular and momentous significance as a provider, but it also has an exceedingly powerful impact from the larger, community-oriented, perspective.”

Merchant reminded the students that they would be expertly trained, and then able to take into the world not only their expertise, but the expression of the school’s values through their work and in their relationships. “You each will be considered a leader in your community,” he said. “Most importantly, remember to embrace the values upon which this remarkable institution operates, and prepare yourselves to share those values with those most in need. It is, after all, shared values that unite us. I encourage you to keep these values close to your heart.”

Araojo, who earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Maryland, and earned a master’s degree in pharmacy regulation and policy from the University of Florida. could not be present in person due to the pandemic, but spoke to the students virtually. She has been with the FDA since 2003.

She began her remarks by thanking the students of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for their leadership, dedication and contributions they have made for getting the COVID-19 vaccine into people’s arms and saving lives.

Araojo explained that the FDA is both a regulatory and consumer protection agency, and its Office of Minority Health and Health Equity that she directs is dedicated to providing leadership and policy direction for the agency on issues related to racial and ethnic minority, underserved and underrepresented populations.

“Like the oath you will take today, we are devoted to service to others. And as you embark upon your pharmacy career, I want you to remember the significant responsibility that you have to a lifetime of service to others and the trust the public has in you to fulfill that responsibility.”

This is an unprecedented time where everyone has embraced change to carry out their roles, she said, as she encouraged students to forge ahead to make history for their colleagues who follow in their profession.

As one who did not follow a linear path in her career, Aroajo said hard work, dedication, service to others, networking and seizing opportunities have brought her to where she is today.

“You are now embarking on your journeys. Embrace all the opportunities that you will have during this time, from learning the various fields of pharmacy and cultivating your network,” she said.

She has learned that “clinical excellence, professional integrity and etiquette, compassionate empathy for patients and culturally appropriate communication are critical to delivering optimal patient outcomes.”

Araojo also has seen a multitude of disparities that many vulnerable communities face, as well as the trust that patients have for their pharmacist to help them navigate their treatment. Through the research, collaboration, outreach and collaboration of her office, she and her agency work to address issues such as the historic and persistent underrepresentation of minorities in clinical trials.

Speaking directly to the Class of 2025, Araojo asked them to ponder the solemn oath they were about to take “as you ready yourself to passionately embark on your journey.

“The new pharmacist will work in a diverse environment that is representative of the fast-growing, changing demographics depicted in recently highlighted social quotes from demographic trends,” she said. “It goes without saying that the new pharmacist will need to be mindful of the racial, gender, ethnic and socioeconomic factors that make up our amazing nation.

“This change in mindset is essential to optimal patient outcomes and to establish trust,” Araojo said. “When a patient comes to you for help, they need your attention, they need to be heard and they need to feel valued,” she said.

But these patients will not be at their best when they seek treatment, she added, “So you will need to learn how to become their best advocate in your service to others. Always remember to treat your patient as more than just a prescription.”

Araojo encouraged the students to take the time to find where their passions lie in the fields of pharmacy.

She told students that putting on the white coat is a symbol of shouldering a new role that comes with responsibilities to their future patients, and taking the Oath of a Pharmacist “is a huge and significant step. It is a testament to all the hard work, academic excellence and preparation that you have put in up to this point. You should be very proud of yourselves,” she said. “Participate as agents of change with a determined focus on improving care and remember that becoming a professional means more than just learning the science of pharmacy. It means mastering the art of pharmaceutical care in service to patients that must be carried out with dignity, integrity and honor as reflected in this oath.

“Stay motivated and persevere to achieve your goals and advance patient outcomes in public health,” she concluded.

The Doctor of Pharmacy students of the Class of 2025 next were helped into their white coats by pharmacy faculty Sarah Lynch and Rachel Klosko, both clinical assistant professors. Following that, they passed the Light of Knowledge and were led in the Oath of a Pharmacist by Sarah Spinler, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice to end the ceremony.