White Coat Ceremony for Pharm.D. Class of 2028
11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 16, 2024
Cullen Performance Hall, 4300 University Dr., Houston, TX 77204
Visitor Parking (fees apply) available in Welcome Center Garage

The White Coat Ceremony is a special event in which College of Pharmacy alumni and faculty welcome new students to the journey through the Pharm.D. degree program and eventually the pharmacy profession. Incoming students are presented with a white coat, the symbol of clinical service and care, and take the Pledge of Professionalism to publicly acknowledge their new responsibilities and willingness to assume the obligations of the profession.

White coat ceremonies traditionally mark the student's transition from preclinical coursework to professional level clinical coursework. The first full-fledged white coat ceremony occurred in 1993 at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and has since been adopted by numerous colleges and schools involved in the education and training of a range of health and medical professions.

UH College of Pharmacy introduced the White Coat Ceremony to the Pharm.D. program in 2001. The current coat worn by students is embroidered with the official UHCOP logo and the college's own artistic representation of the profession's traditional mortar-and-pestle symbol.

To further explain the significance of the White Coat Ceremony, UHCOP alumni offered the following observations:

• "The white coat ceremony conveys the College’s and student’s commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity, and caring."

• "It underscores the student’s commitment to provide pharmaceutical care, assuring the safe and effective use of medication for the benefit of the patient and society."

• "By accepting your white coat, you will join a community of professionals who share the same commitment to improving the health of others."

• "You vow a personal commitment to work to ensure both the welfare of individual patients and the welfare of our society."