WPPD Program celebrates 2,500th graduate

WPPD 2500th Graduate
College of Pharmacy Dean Julie Johnson recognized Vincent Ho during UF’s commencement ceremony on Dec. 18.

Canadian pharmacist Vincent Ho traveled more than 1,100 miles to participate in his graduation ceremony at the University of Florida, and at the event, he collected the distinct honor of becoming the 2,500th graduate of the UF College of Pharmacy’s Working Professional Pharm.D. Program, or WPPD.

An employee of Hamilton Health Services as an intensive care unit pharmacist, Ho enrolled in the WPPD program in 2013. He had previously obtained a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from the University of Toronto in 2010, and wanted to expand his knowledge of critical care pharmacy through UF’s program. As a distance education student, he engaged in online learning activities, participated in virtual class discussions and traveled to weekend seminars with his cohort.

Ho’s experience follows a similar path as other WPPD graduates who held bachelor degrees in pharmacy and wanted to obtain a Pharm.D. degree. Established in 1994, the WPPD program has served licensed pharmacists in North America who are looking to stay competitive and expand their career potential.

“The WPPD program has emerged as the country’s most successful nontraditional Pharm.D. program and changed the lives and careers of thousands of pharmacists,” said Sven Normann, Pharm.D., director of the WPPD program and associate clinical professor of pharmacotherapy and translational research. “We celebrate this milestone and the incredible success of the program with Vincent and all of our 2,500 graduates.”

Joining Ho at his Dec. 18 graduation ceremony in Gainesville was his fiancée, Jessica Lam, a pharmacist at Taddlecreek Family Health Team in Toronto and a second-year student in the UF College of Pharmacy WPPD program.