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The third Doctoral Hooding Ceremony for the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences started with the usual pomp and ceremony, but also with accolades as Dean Kanneboyina Nagaraju announced that the school has been recommended for a four-year accreditation following the recent site visit by accreditors. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education will make its final decision in June.

“I want you to know that the site visitors commended the excellent professionalism of our students in all of their interactions with you, and they said that our faculty and staff offer small-school care and enthusiasm and a big-school research environment to our students,” Nagaraju said.

Returning the focus to the PharmD candidates, Nagaraju said they have accomplished a great deal in a short period of time, “including achieving the highest match rate in the country for those who applied for residencies!”

It has been an incredible four years, he said. “Your hard work has paid off, and now you are prepared to change the face of the pharmacy profession, whether at the local, state or national level, but no matter what path you choose, you are prepared and capable of practicing at the top of your license.”

President Harvey Stenger told the graduates they are among the pioneers of pharmacy at ������ϲ����� and said the contributions they will make to their field will stand the test of time. “Because of your work in the classroom, in laboratories and in the field, you have distinguished yourselves in your knowledge of pharmacology and drug development and delivery,” he said.

“Similarly, your interprofessional experiences have provided you with the ability to assess patients holistically, understanding the context of their illness and gaining practical experience that will set you apart from your peers,” Stenger added. “The pharmaceutical future needs outstanding practitioners like you.”

Donald Hall, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, celebrated his first Commencement at ������ϲ����� as he celebrated the PharmD graduates. “You are truly remarkable students who have brought your intellectual curiosity, work ethic and sense of humor to bear throughout your time here,” he said. “You will take all that you have experienced here and become change-makers in the every-evolving field of pharmacy.

“As you make your way forward, remember to define your value to prospective employers,” he added. “Show them that you know how to solve problems, that you know how to ‘play well with others’ on teams, that you learned to be a leader at ������ϲ����� — and that you are a good communicator. These skills will serve you well in whatever endeavors you undertake.”

Former provost Donald Nieman, who played a critical role in the establishment of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and also served as interim dean of the school, provided a keynote address.

“This day belongs to you,” he told the graduates. “You set your sights high, worked hard and pushed ahead when you thought that medicinal chemistry, biostatistics or pharmacokinetics would do you in. You made new friends who helped you through the tough times and you discovered the satisfaction of assisting patients.”

Nieman spoke of how the newest Doctor of Pharmacy graduates are entering a wonderful profession that is integral to making healthcare accessible to Americans. “And the role of pharmacists like you will only expand in the coming years. You will see changes in the profession that those retiring now can hardly imagine. But you are well-prepared to make the most of those changes because you are ������ϲ����� graduates,” he said.

And he spoke of trust — the trust people have in pharmacists. “Pharmacists and doctors are at the top of the trust list; the only profession Americans trust more is nurses. Pharmacists are far more trusted than lawyers, bankers, accountants, teachers, and even clergy,” he said.

That trust is deserved for several reasons, Nieman added. ”First, patients know them and interact with them regularly,” he said. “And even on the craziest days, the time you take to answer patients’ questions, the empathy you show for a senior citizen concerned about a new medication or a patient alarmed about the cost of their prescription is what makes you respected, valued and trusted.

”The trust and respect pharmacists have earned is based on more than being empathic, accessible and friendly,” Nieman said. “It’s also based on the deep scientific knowledge pharmacists bring to their practice, and this is where ������ϲ����� pharmacists — you — stand out.”

Nieman also addressed the value of rigorous scientific review as a vital part of drug development. “You will be voices of science and reason in a world where disregard for them has become a threat to public health and social progress,” he said. “You are well prepared to take on that role because your curriculum was evidence-based, scientifically grounded and included serious research. A curriculum that is premier. Just like your school and University. Just like you.”

Oluwateniayo “Teni” Sopitan, class president for all four years of the graduates’ PharmD program, addressed her fellow students, focusing on the value of teams, teamwork and maintaining strong relationships with others.

As a Division I volleyball player during her undergraduate years at North Carolina State, she was a member of the Wolfpack.

Admitting that she was lonely when she first arrived at ������ϲ�����, she soon realized she had to build her own wolfpack again.

“I ran for class president, and I started to engage with the people who were also going through the hardest moments of their lives, and I was able to relate to everyone in my class on a deeper level that I initially did not think was possible,” she said. “Through my decision of running for president, I started to find my team, my wolfpack, and I am so grateful for being able to create my wolfpack at ������ϲ�����. I would be nobody without the 80 of you standing beside me, I would have been a lone wolf.

“No matter what stage we are in our lives, we will have to continue to work in teams — teams we voluntarily put together or teams we are placed in,” she said. “We will have to create a wolfpack in whatever chapter of our lives we are in.

“I hope, Class of 2023, that you are able to see the parallels from my experience into our future careers as pharmacists, whether we are in teams in a retail, hospital or industry setting. We will create the teams we will need to be able to accomplish common goals,” she said. “This is only the beginning. Let’s start saving lives!”

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Read more about Oluwateniayo Sopitan.