College of Pharmacy initiates Class of 2022 in White Coat Ceremony

Members of the Class of 2022 from the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy will hear words of inspiration from a prominent pharmacist who helped spearhead personalized care in Hawaiʻi at their White Coat Ceremony on October 14. The event, which takes place in the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center from 2-4 p.m., is open to the public.

The keynote speaker is Byron Yoshino, president and CEO of Pharmacare Hawaiʻi, a locally owned multi-service pharmacy company based on Oʻahu. He is a current member of DKICP’s Dean’s Council and has been involved in the growth of the College since the beginning.

Yoshino will speak to his future colleagues about his experience opening his first retail pharmacy in 1980 and later founding a company that is now Pharmacare Hawaiʻi with Richard Sakurada in 1983. They began the business by delivering intravenous drug therapy to home patients locally on Oʻahu, then statewide and have grown to a company of more than 200 employees with 38 pharmacists. Other staff includes registered nurses, certified dietitians, enrollment specialists and delivery personnel. They offer various health care services including home infusion, specialty pharmacy, retail pharmacy, long term care pharmacy, pharmacy consulting services and nutrition support at home and in nursing facilities.

He received his Pharm.D. at the University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and has a Business Administration Certificate from the University of Hawaiʻi’s Executive Business Program.

The ceremony, where new student pharmacists recite the Oath of a Pharmacist, signifies a rite of passage for individuals entering their first year in the professional program. Participants will be cloaked with a white coat symbolizing their student status and the values of the profession.

Participating in the ceremony will be 82 student pharmacists from the Pharm.D. program, three pharmacy residents who are continuing their training with DKICP faculty on Kaua`i and Oʻahu, and two students beginning their Ph.D. programs at DKICP.

Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language will perform the mele hoʻokipa, or welcoming chant, Ua Ao Hawaiʻi.

The students also will be addressed by UH Hilo Interim Chancellor Marcia Sakai, Hawaiʻi Island Mayor Harry Kim and DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma.

The event is sponsored exclusively by Walgreens. For more information, contact Kristy Fujii.