Members of Samford University's McWhorter School of Pharmacy Class of 2022 were recognized during the school’s annual White Coat ceremony, Sept. 28, at Shades Mountain Baptist Church.
The ceremony included a presentation of a white coat to each student and students reciting the American Pharmacists Association's Pledge of Professionalism. Students were presented their white coats by the dean and a pharmacist, faculty member or pharmacy student of their choice. Coaters included numerous McWhorter School of Pharmacy alumni as well as parents, siblings, employers and other professional and student mentors.
Autumn Zuckerman ‘13, provided the ceremony’s keynote address. Zuckerman serves as the Program Director of Health Outcomes and Research at Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy. Under her leadership, the Vanderbilt specialty program was recognized as a Best Practice in the Journal of Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy.
In her speech, Zuckerman gave the students four points to remember as they begin their new journey: “Believe in yourself and find others who believe in you too, find your passion by embracing the possibilities, remember why you are here and enjoy this journey.”
Through personal anecdotes, Zuckerman told the story of how she found these points to be important in her personal career, illustrating the good and the bad.
“As pharmacists we have an opportunity to not only treat diseases,” Zuckerman said, “but to serve and uplift people with compassionate care in the form of a listening ear, going the extra step in finding needed resources or giving someone hope in their darkest time.”
At the conclusion of her speech, Michael Crouch, McWhorter School of Pharmacy dean, presented Zuckerman with a framed picture taken when she and several of her classmates visited a congressman while in school, which, according to Crouch, is symbolic of her achievement both in and out of the classroom.
In August, the 122-member class began a four-year professional curriculum that leads to a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. The students completed two or more years of undergraduate coursework prior to entering pharmacy school.
