Class of 2019 Graduation

Friday, June 14, 2019, OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy conferred 96 Doctor of Pharmacy degrees (Pharm.D.), and 4 Doctor of Philosophy degrees (Ph.D.). Four of the Pharm.D. graduates also received their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the OSU College of Business. Interim Dean Mark Leid began the ceremony by welcoming family and friends to the 19th Annual OSU College of Pharmacy Commencement ceremony.

Notably, 80% of the 2019 graduates are resident Oregonians however, other states represented included Arizonia, California, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada and Washington. Internationally the class represented Vietnam. Class of 2019 is 49% female while 51% is male with an average age of 30 years of old, reflecting the increasing maturity of our students. Nearly all have accepted positions in a variety of practice settings with 28 of the graduates moving on to pursue postgraduate training in the form of a pharmacy residency.

Class Representative, Sonya Lee (’19) addressed graduates and guests with stories from pharmacy school about perseverance, collaboration, teamwork, and friendship. Sonya stated “this is not the end but only just the beginning.”

Oregon Health & Science University Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Elena Andresen, honored graduates with inspiring words of congratulations and excitement for the future. Provost Andresen spoke about the unique partnership between OSU and OHSU which fosters the collaborative nature of patient focused care and prepares our pharmacy graduates to move into their careers as drug experts and capable clinicians. OSU Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Edward Feser, congratulated graduates on their hard work. Provost Feser spoke of the graduates entering the pharmacy profession as leaders and valuable partners to a diverse and collaborative healthcare team.

All graduates were celebrated during the graduation ceremony, and a few exceptional students were recognized for their outstanding work over the last four years. Dr’s. Theresa Filtz and Jon Furuno presented the following 13 students with 12 distinguished awards for their accomplishments in the classroom, clinic, and community:

Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy Award
Rebecca Guise (’19)

Excellence in Clinical Communication Award sponsored by Wolters Kluwer Health
Odaisa Igwe (’19)

USPHS Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Practice Award
Kevin Christy (’19)

Merck Oustanding Student in Pharmacy Award
Rusti Neukam (’19)
Jason Wang (’19)

Eli Lilly Achievement Award
Peter Atkins (’19)

APhA-ASP Senior Recognition Certificate
Nathan Wong (’19)

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Plaque
Shannon O’Leary (’19)

College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence
Leah Isip (’19) – Excellence in Health Education
Shannon O’Leary (’19) – Excellence in Leadership
Ling Zhan (’19) – Excellence in Professional Engagement
Cameron Cargile (’19) – Excellence in Patient Care & Advocacy
Laura Abell (’19) – Excellence in Scholarship & Creative Inquiry

Left to Right: Interim Dean Mark Leid, Stephen Certo, Paul Wachter & Paige Clark (’85)

Left to Right: Interim Dean Mark Leid, Steve Bass, his awesome son & Paige Clark (’85)

Thank you to our corporate partners who have a longstanding history of graciously sponsoring our student events throughout the year. Joining us for graduation included some of our corporate Pharmacy Partners, Steve Bass from Fred Meyer and Stephen Certo & Paul Wachter from Albertsons Co.

Following the ceremony, graduates reunited with their friends and families outside LaSells Stewart Center for a dessert reception in celebration of their
tremendous accomplishments.

Be sure to check out the full Graduation article in the BEAVERx Magazine coming early September! Full Graduation pictures will be available by June 28th!