About the College

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Message from the Dean

An educational experience rooted to place, culture, and diversity… inspired by you

Welcome to the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo where people matter, communities are important, and we live our mission and values. At the DKICP, we strive to work closely with one another to achieve shared goals – the success of our students, the health of our communities, and the wellbeing of our families. And we do so while embracing a deep sense of responsibility (kuleana) for our place (aina) and each other (ohana).

Now is an exciting time to be entering the profession of pharmacy, given the myriad of career pathways that the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree presents. Graduates from our program have become successful clinicians, scientists, educators, and managers, who are employed by pharmacies, hospitals, universities, and pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies. Our alumni include innovators and leaders who advance practice, advocate on behalf of their patients, and/or run their own businesses.

At the DKICP, your journey is our focus. Our students start building their professional identities early. From the first year in the PharmD program, our future pharmacists immerse themselves in introductory pharmacy practice experiences at hospitals and other clinical settings, while building knowledge and skills in the classroom. Our future pharmacists enhance their learning through health and educational outreach in our communities, and advocacy efforts to advance the scope of pharmacy practice in Hawaiʻi and beyond. Our future pharmacists embrace opportunities to distinguish themselves through specialized certificates in rural health, research, healthcare leadership, and veterinary pharmacy along with nationally recognized certifications in immunization, point-of-care testing, and medication therapy management.

Here at the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, we are working each and every day to create a better future – for ourselves, our families, and the people and communities we serve. We do so by connecting learning, living, and aloha, and invite you to become a part of our pharmacy family.

Rae Matsumoto
Dean Rae Matsumoto, PhD

E malamo pono,
Rae Matsumoto, PhD
Dean

The Mission

The mission of the DKICP is the traditional mission of academic healthcare - education, research, and service with emphasis on patient care. More specifically, our mission is:

  • To educate pharmacy practitioners and leaders.
  • To serve as a catalyst for innovations and discoveries in pharmaceutical science and practice for the promotion of health and wellbeing.
  • To provide community service, including quality patient care.

Students attend the DKICP blessing ceremony

The Vision

The Vision of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is to drive Improvement of Healthcare in Hawaiʻi and throughout the Pacific.

We will achieve this vision by focusing on Hawaii’s unique cultural, physical, and geographic features, by employing world-class faculty, and by graduating exceptional professionals.

As we chart our course, we are committed to:

  • Preserving the strengths of our foundation
  • Demonstrating a positive impact
  • Ensuring financial viability that enables us to support UH Hilo’s mission
  • Living the values of the University of Hawaii System
  • Engaging and giving back to our community
  • Embracing unique opportunities

A Historical Perspective: How the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy Began

“The conception of the College of Pharmacy came from the Island, with a higher religious power helping along the way.” — Pat De Leon, Former Chief of Staff to Senator Daniel K. Inouye

Daniel K. InouyeSenator Daniel K. Inouye (September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) By all reports, the credit for spurring the University of Hawaiʻi to start a College of Pharmacy on Hawaiʻi Island goes to Senator Daniel K. Inouye, the senior U.S. senator from Hawaiʻi, and his inimitable chief of staff, Patrick “Pat” De Leon. In 2000, Sen. Inouye was 76 years old and had been the U.S. senator for Hawaiʻi since 1963.

At a time when many people leave new ideas to the younger generation, Inouye was still working to bring the islands of his state together. Every island in Hawaiʻi has its own potential and unique characteristics to ad a specialty to the university system. Each neighbor island will harbor centers of excellence; this was Senator Inouye’s vision. He believed every island should have its own specialty. For Hawaiʻi Island, it was to be the only College of Pharmacy in the Pacific region.

A timeline of major milestones in the beginning includes:

  • 2001 - Senator Inouye secures funding support to develop a comprehensive long-term strategy for establishment of a clinical pharmacy program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
  • October 2004 – BOR approves the reorganization to establish College of Pharmacy at UH Hilo and positions and hiring of a Dean
  • October 2005 – Chancellor Tseng requests BOR for approval of the creation of a College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and authorize recruitment of a Dean for the College.
  • June 2006 – John M. Pezzuto appointed as Founding Dean.
  • 2006 – Hawaiʻi State Legislature approved funding for initial core team, and Board of Regents approves organizational structure, degree program and curriculum.
  • February 2006 – UH Hilo’s College of Pharmacy received affiliate institutional membership in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the the national organization representing pharmacy education in the United States.
  • 2006 - WASC Substantive Change Committee reviews proposal from UH Hilo to offer Pharm.D. professional pharmacy program.
  • May 2007 – The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) conducts first site visit to UH Hilo
  • June 2007 – ACPE approved Pharm.D. program at UH Hilo for pre-candidate accreditation status. With this designation, UH Hilo becomes the first school recognized by ACPE to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy degree in the State of Hawaiʻi.
  • August 2007 – The Inaugural class of 2011 began classes at UH Hilo.
  • June 2007 – University’s College of Pharmacy has achieved the first step in the Pharmacy School Accreditation Process. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) has granted the College of Pharmacy Pre-Candidate Status.

Accreditation and Program Disclosure

The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Doctor of Pharmacy program, is fully accredited through June 2025 by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
190 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 3000
Chicago, IL 60603-3446
Phone: (312) 664-3575
Fax: (866) 228-2631
Email: csinfo@acpe-accredit.org
Website: acpe-accredit.org

78.7%
On-time graduation rate (Class of 2023)


69.7%
NAPLEX® results for first-time takers (Class of 2023)
  • The on-time graduation rate for the most recent graduating class in the single degree pathway, i.e., the percentage of a class cohort completing the curriculum in 4 academic years. 78.7% for the Class of 2023.
  • The most recent year’s NAPLEX® results for first-time takers as found on the NABP website: 69.7% for the Class of 2023.

Measures of student achievement for the most recent graduating class

  • Class of 2024 - Residency Match rate= 86%

  • Class of 2023 - The number of graduates in the class cohort entering residencies, fellowships, or graduate school: 8 (11%) entered residencies.

  • Class of 2023 - The number of graduates who also received a certificate:

    • Rural Health Certificate: 5 students
    • Healthcare Leadership Certificate: 5 students
    • Health Science Research Certificate: 4 students
  • Class of 2023 - The percentage of graduates in a class cohort employed in the profession of pharmacy during the first year after graduation (including residencies and fellowships): 68% (32% no information)

Number of Graduates by Year

Class Year Number of Graduates
2011 84
2012 88
2013 85
2014 84
2015 91
2016 85
2017 79
2018 74
2019 74
2020 73
2021 79
2022 75
2023 41
2024 36

Contact Us

Contact Information

The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy
University of Hawaii at Hilo
200 W. Kawili St.
Hilo, HI 96720-4091

Phone: +1 (808) 932-8116
Fax: +1 (808) 932-8117
Email: pharmacy@hawaii.edu

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