As friends, family and faculty looked on with pride, 244 first-year students in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy received their white coats at the annual White Coat Ceremony on April 12 at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Members of the class of 2028 have now earned an honor that symbolizes the highest ideals of pharmacy and communicates a message of trust, expertise and professionalism to the patients they serve.
“The white coat ceremony is an annual event that is one of the highlights of the College of Pharmacy’s academic year, and something we have been looking forward to since August 12, when these students first stepped on campus and officially became a part of the Gator Nation,” Peter W. Swaan, Ph.D., M.Pharm., UF College of Pharmacy dean and professor said in his welcome message. “Your presence at this momentous occasion means so much to the college, but more importantly, it means the world to the students we are honoring today.”
Attendees this year had a chance to hear a keynote speech from Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, Pharm.D., the Gyi Endowed Professor in Pharmapreneurship and associate dean for clinical services and practice transformation in the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Rodriguez de Bittner reflected on her journey in pharmacy, where she found her drive in pharmacy through these three words: purpose, passion and joy.
“Today, more than ever, pharmacy must reinvent itself,” said Dr. Rodriguez de Bittner, who also serves as the executive director of the Center for Innovative Pharmacy Solutions at the University of Maryland. “You must develop a mindset that there are opportunities in adversity, and the students of today have an opportunity to redefine our profession.”
Following her remarks, students from the three campuses received their white coats. After the coating, they collectively recited the class creed that demonstrated their commitment to serving patients and loyalty to the profession.
The UF College of Pharmacy would like to thank CVS and Walgreens for their sponsorship of the event.
April 12, 2025 at Curtis M. Phillips Center
White Coat Ceremony 2025
