Photos by Andy Manis

The education journey toward becoming a pharmacist takes four years, and the first major milestone in that journey is the White Coat Ceremony: Student pharmacists receive their own white coat and are officially welcomed into the profession. The University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy celebrated this ceremony for its PharmD Class of 2027, with comments from School of Pharmacy Dean Steve Swanson and alumni including Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA) President Heather Spatchek (PharmD ’18), Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) President Hannet Tibagwa Ambord (MS ’00), and the 2023 Young Alumnus of the Year Matt McGowan (PharmD ’10). PharmD students shared their voices, too, with speakers Lauren Glaza (third-year PharmD student), president of the Wisconsin Society of Pharmacy Students (WSPS); Abby Opsal (third-year PharmD student), Tracy Wang (second-year PharmD student), and Davina Gerber (second-year PharmD student, of the WSPS professionalism team who helped organize the event.

The white coats they’re given during the ceremony, and will wear throughout their four years in pharmacy school and during clinical rotations, wouldn’t be possible without the generous donations of School of Pharmacy alumni and friends.