White Coat Ceremony Welcomes PharmD Class of 2028

Elisabeth Fall

The UCSF School of Pharmacy Class of 2028

The UCSF doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) Class of 2028 officially joined the pharmacy profession at the 24th annual White Coat Ceremony, held July 18, 2025, at San Francisco’s historic Herbst Theatre.  

Surrounded by family, friends, faculty, and alumni, 127 new students received their white coats — symbolizing their entry into clinical training— and took the Oath of the Pharmacist, pledging to uphold the highest standards of patient care. 

“Today, we become partners in pursuit of the shared mission of providing safe, effective, and cost-effective drug therapies to all patients as we improve the health of people everywhere,” said Executive Vice Dean Sharon Youmans, PharmD, MPH, who led the ceremony. 

A vibrant community 

Elisabeth Fall

Sharon Youmans, PharmD, MPH

The incoming students represent a rich tapestry of backgrounds: 83 percent are California residents, 17 percent come from other states or countries, and 31 percent are the first in their families to graduate from college. Additionally, 63 percent speak more than one language.

“At UCSF and the School of Pharmacy, we are a vibrant community that embraces our differences — and views them as strengths,” Youmans said. “Each of us brings a different perspective. Each of our stories is unique. You will benefit from the strengths that each of you bring to your cohort.” 

Rooted in science, inspired by service 

The ceremony highlighted the school’s legacy of innovation, transforming the pharmacy profession into a more clinical discipline over 50 years ago, and recognized more recent trailblazing in areas like pharmacogenomics and pharmacokinetics. 

Elisabeth Fall

“The world turns to us for leadership in ideation, methods, and discoveries,” Youmans said, noting the founding of the California Poison Control System, the launch of new retail pharmacies at Mission Bay and Parnassus, and the introduction of a first-in-the-nation Master’s Program in Artificial Intelligence and Computational Drug Discovery and Development.

“Pharmacy — and health care — are evolving rapidly,” Youmans said. “You are our partners in a progressive pharmacy curriculum unlike that of any in the world.” 

Voices of experience and leadership 

Matthew Bryant, PharmD ’02, president of the UCSF Pharmacy Alumni Association and an assistant clinical professor, addressed the students and shared wisdom from his career spanning more than two decades of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industry experience. Currently head of medical affairs at Boston Pharmaceuticals, Bryant has developed and commercialized numerous new medicines in hepatology, gastroenterology, oncology, respiratory, infectious, and rare diseases.

Elisabeth Fall

Third-year PharmD student Joanna Feng, who came to UCSF with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a double minor in physiology and microbiology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, offered words of advice and encouragement to the incoming class. She drew on her experiences as a student leader as vice president of internal affairs for both the Associated Students of the School of Pharmacy and the Student National Pharmaceutical Association, as well as her internship experiences at UCSF Health Medical Center, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and CVS Health. 

Inspiration and an oath 

Elisabeth Fall

Jonathan Watanabe, PharmD, MS, PhD

“UCSF makes the future of pharmacy happen,” said keynote speaker Jonathan Watanabe, PharmD, MS, PhD, chair of the school’s Department of Clinical Pharmacy. “It creates the opportunities of tomorrow.” 

Watanabe shared his recent experience at a national pharmacy workshop in Washington, D.C., led by the school and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where he was joined by many distinguished faculty, including Youmans and Dean Kathy Giacomini, PhD, BSPharm. The event was the first devoted entirely to pharmacy in the National Academies’ 162-year history, and examined strategies for enhancing the pharmacy workforce and training to advance patient care and outcomes. 

“I know these are challenging times for health care, but that may very well make this the best time to enter the pharmacy profession,” said Watanabe. “You will be a part of life-saving treatments and new innovations. There are so many opportunities for each of you in the Class of 2028 to be part of making the world a better place to live.”  

The ceremony concluded with students standing together to recite the Oath of the Pharmacist, led by Department of Clinical Pharmacy Professor Jennifer Cocohoba, PharmD ’01, MAS, who is also a practicing pharmacist with the UCSF Women’s HIV Program.