EDWARDSVILLE – The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy (SOP) presented 74 students, comprising its Class of 2025, with their professional white coats during the 17th White Coat Ceremony held Friday, Sept. 17 in the Morris University Center’s Meridian Ballroom.
The official garment acknowledges the students’ important entrance into the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program. During the ceremony, the students expressed their commitment to the service-focused profession by reciting the Pledge of Professionalism.
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“Today’s ceremony symbolizes passage into the first phase of the life-long educational process that you will need as a pharmacist,” said SOP Dean Mark Luer, PharmD, FCCP. “Through your actions, you will soon be writing yourself into the stories of others’ lives. You will be intentionally inserting yourself into another person’s life and not just in the way you fill a prescription, find a medication or dosing error, administer an immunization, teach someone to monitor their glucose, or use an inhaler. To each patient, your contributions may very well be the difference between a poor outcome and their well-being. Life is precious. Take pride in your work, and do not lose sight of the importance of your efforts.”
The white coats symbolically represent the Class of 2025’s transition from students to student pharmacists. A symbol of professionalism, the white coat represents the student pharmacists’ commitment to excellence in providing quality and compassionate patient care.
The evening’s keynote speaker was SOP alumnus Dr. Cody Sandusky. He is currently the president of the Illinois Pharmacists Association and director of pharmacy at the Harrisburg Medical Center. Sandusky advised the student pharmacists to take care of themselves and encouraged them to develop a pharmacy practice philosophy.
Today’s pharmacists improve patients’ lives through the medication and education they provide. Dedicated to developing a community of caring pharmacists, the School of Pharmacy curriculum is nationally recognized as a model that offers students a unique combination of classroom education, research, community service, and patient care. Areas of excellence include a drug design and discovery core, pediatric practice, chronic pain research and practice, and diabetes research and practice.
Photo: The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy (SOP) presented 74 students, comprising its Class of 2025, with their professional white coats during the 17th White Coat Ceremony.
