October 04, 2004

UCSD School Of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical
Sciences Welcomes 30 Future Pharmacists

By Leslie Franz

Nine men and 21 women were officially welcomed to the UCSD School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in a White Coat Ceremony September 23, 2004, during which they received the white coats they will wear as they study to become pharmacists. The 30 students are the school’s third class since it opened in the fall of 2002.

They begin a four-year program leading to a doctorate in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree that will prepare them for several career choices, including hospital or clinical pharmacy, community pharmacy, pharmaceutical management, or drug development in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.

The school’s dean, Palmer W. Taylor, Ph.D., told the students they would become part of UCSD’s unique health sciences environment that includes a coordinated curriculum shared with students in the UCSD School of Medicine. In addition, he described the upcoming clinical opportunities the students will have in UCSD hospitals, community pharmacies and outpatient settings.

Featured speaker David J. Triggle, Ph.D., a distinguished professor in the School of Pharmacy, State University of New York at Buffalo, noted that the promise of individualized medicines unique to a patient’s genetic profile are only a few years away, and UCSD’s students will be part of that new generation.

UCSD vice chancellor for health sciences, Edward Holmes, M.D., added that “when you finish, you’ll be the new leaders in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences.”

The average age of the incoming class is 24, with an average undergraduate GPA of nearly 3.70. Two students come to UCSD from out of state, while 28 attended undergraduate school in California. The 30 students were selected from more than 1,000 applicants.

Media Contacts: Sue Pondrom (619) 543-6163