Sunday, June 7, 2020, OSU College of Pharmacy conferred 78 Doctor of Pharmacy degrees (Pharm.D.), and 7 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. This year due to unprecedented circumstances the College pivoted and reimagined graduation into a virtual celebration. Dean Grace Kuo began the virtual celebration by welcoming family and friends to the 20th Annual OSU College of Pharmacy Commencement ceremony.
Notably, 81% of the 2020 graduates are resident Oregonians however, other states represented included Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, and Washington. Class of 2020 is 56% female while 44% is male with an average age of 28.5 years old. Nearly all have accepted positions in a variety of practice settings with 33 of the graduates moving on to pursue postgraduate training in the form of a pharmacy residency.
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. Oregon State University’s President Dr. Edward Ray celebrated the graduate’s accomplishments and thanked them as future healthcare professionals, especially during this difficult time. President Ray spoke of OSU alumni as a family and that he considers OSU alumni as the driving force for the future.
Class President, Brian Destine (’20) addressed graduates and guests with stories from pharmacy school about perseverance, collaboration, teamwork, and friendship. Brian stated, “While this pandemic may have impacted our expectations of how pharmacy school would end, it does not take away from the fact that the Class of 2020 is prepared for the next stage of our career.”
All graduates were celebrated during the virtual graduation celebration, and a few exceptional students were recognized for their outstanding work over the last four years. Dr. Juancho Ramirez presented the following 13 students with 12 distinguished awards for their accomplishments in the classroom, clinic, and community:
Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy Award
Rachel Proteau (’20)
Excellence in Clinical Communication Award sponsored by Wolters Kluwer Health
Philip Nguyen (’20)
USPHS Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Practice Award
Priscilla Park (’20)
Merck Oustanding Student in Pharmacy Award
Ashley Hubsky (’20)
Maria Herbison (’20)
Wolters Kluwer Health Excellence in Clinical Communication
Philip Nguyen (’20)
APhA-ASP Senior Recognition Certificate
Art Sarkissian (’20)
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Plaque
Henry Le (’20)
College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence
Timothy Shan (’20) – Excellence in Health Education
Henry Le (’20) & Brian Destine (’20) – Excellence in Leadership
Linda Huynh (’20) – Excellence in Professional Engagement
JP Sacdal (’20) – Excellence in Patient Care & Advocacy
Chitra Kanchagar (’20) – Excellence in Scholarship & Creative Inquiry
| The celebration ended with kind words, well wishes, and see you laters from faculty and staff at the College. Thank you to our corporate partners who have a longstanding history of graciously sponsoring our student events throughout the year. Be sure to check out the full Graduation article in the BEAVERx Magazine coming early September! The full graduation video is available at the link below! |