Pinning Ceremony Commemorates Major Milestone

The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP) recognized the achievements of the Class of 2027 in a Pinning Ceremony to celebrate their transition from the didactic portion of the curriculum to the final year of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs).

The Pinning Ceremony began with a kipaepae to welcome the advancing students to this new phase of their journey to become pharmacists. Through mele and hula, Ākeamakamae Kiyuna and the Hawaii Community College and University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo) ohana celebrated place and culture, and provided a reminder to the students that like volcanic eruptions, life brings chaos, but periods of calm always follow.

Showcasing the skills that earned him a 2025 and 2026 Excellence in Teaching Award, Dr. Bryce Fukunaga told colorful stories to help students remember that: attention to detail matters; you can’t get away with faking it; and that even if you are thinking otherwise, sometimes you may be the problem. As an alumnus of DKICP and clinical pharmacist at East Hawaii Health Clinics in Kea'au and Puna Kai, Fukunaga is an example of the growing impact that pharmacists who graduate from the program can have in the communities they serve.

Other speakers included Dr. Keiki Kawai'ae'a, UH Hilo Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who reinforced the important role of pharmacists and their community impact, and Yukino Sugihara, President of the Class of 2026, who provided additional words of advice and encouragement to the third-year students.

During the ceremony, DKICP faculty who taught the students during the first three years in the Doctor of Pharmacy program pinned commemorative lapel pins on their white coats to symbolize the special bond that exists between students and faculty in the college, and the readiness of the PharmD students to take this next step in their journey to become pharmacists. The Class of 2027 also reaffirmed their commitment as future pharmacists during the ceremony by reciting the Oath of the Pharmacist together with other pharmacists in the audience.

Over the next year, the students will engage in full-time immersion experiences in community, ambulatory care and hospital settings, specialty clinical services and other elective rotations.