The 2024 USC Mann White Coat ceremony on Friday, August 23 celebrated 176 entering pharmacy students, marking the start of their pharmacy education and the commitment they are making to becoming healthcare providers.
The ceremony in Bovard Auditorium was the first to be held at the USC University Park Campus, where the USC Mann School was founded in 1905. Over the past two decades, all previous ceremonies have been held at the USC Health Sciences Campus.
Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos welcomed the members of the Class of 2028, and all of their guests, who filled Bovard Auditorium to capacity.
“As you begin the road to becoming a doctor of pharmacy, it is important to recognize the role you will play in the healthcare continuum,” Papadopoulos said. “You have the potential to save lives and improve the human condition.”
“The white coat you will wear today for the first time is not just a garment, but a symbol of your important role in this endeavor and others.”
“Wear your white coat with pride and let it inspire you to be the best pharmacist and, more importantly, healthcare innovator that you can be.”
-Raymond Risman, PharmD ’07, MS ’07
2024 White Coat Ceremony keynote speaker
Making changes to healthcare at scale
Raymond Risman, PharmD ’07, MS ’07, vice president of trade relations and pharmaceutical contracting at Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, shared memories of his time as a pharmacy student at USC, never imagining that one day he would not work in direct patient care, but instead in healthcare technology with venture capitalists and Wall Street executives. “Right now, I work for a billionaire who owns a basketball team and plays a shark on TV,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of patient care in pharmacy, but encouraged students to see themselves as innovators, and take a broader view of the impact they can make on the future of health care. “You don’t have guardrails,” said Risman, a member of the USC Mann Board of Councilors.
The white coat is a powerful symbol, he said, and it represents “your foot in the door to make changes to healthcare at scale.”
“Wear your white coat with pride and let it inspire you to be the best pharmacist and, more importantly, healthcare innovator that you can be.”
Kari Franson, senior associate dean for academic and student affairs and professor of clinical pharmacy, and Irving Steinberg, associate dean for faculty affairs and associate professor clinical pharmacy, called new students to the stage to put on their new white coats. Samantha Yeung, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy, led new students in reciting the Oath of a Pharmacist.
Entering the Trojan Family
Students, who had just completed a week of Orientation, shared a range of emotions before walking across the stage to receive their white coats.
Alexis Webb, one of the 27 UCLA graduates entering the incoming class, said she was drawn to USC by its extensive Trojan alumni network.
“Making connections and having a community to support you is extremely important,” Webb said. “Many previous UCLA students shared their positive experiences as Trojans and being a ‘Truin,’ and I think that having the connections between the two schools will help me transition more successfully into this new chapter.”
Trieu Phan, a graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, said he was also drawn to the famous alumni network. “Anywhere on the Earth, there will be a USC Trojan, and that is what I admire about USC, the Trojan Family,” he added.
Jason Chang, one of the 25 members of the class who graduated from UC Irvine, said he is excited to explore the different paths within pharmacy through rotation opportunities in Los Angeles. “I think Los Angeles provides tons of advantages including plenty of networking and job opportunities alongside an abundance of clinical and research opportunities.”
The ceremony concluded with several students – such as Ryan Mashayekhi, who was coated by his parents Mehrnoosh Akhavan Mashayekhi, PharmD ’91 and Ali Mashayekhi, PharmD ’93 – receiving their coats from loved ones who are practicing pharmacists.
They included:
- Arzu Faruki, coated by Fazal Kauser in memory of Faruki’s mother, Hina Aeysha Kauser, PharmD ’99
- Britney Pham, coated by her sister An Pham, PharmD ’19
- Candice Tang, coated by her mother Ngoc Nguyen, PharmD ’97
- Gregory Zadikian, coated by his mother Nella Zadikian, PharmD ’93
- Morgan Tse, coated by her mother Marian Yu, PharmD ’92
- Kylen Yu, coated by his mother Janny Yu, PharmD ’95
- Shaina Dalugdugan, coated by her husband Anthony Aquino, PharmD
- Lauren Fanous, coated by her sister Christie Fanous, PharmD
- Tara Abramian, coated by her mother Stella Abramian, PharmD ’97
- Weston Field, coated by his father Jeffrey Field, PharmD ’74
Bryan Vu Nguyen, a graduate of University of California, San Diego, said he was optimistic about the four years to come. “I’m excited to learn more about the world of pharmacy, and the things I can do to help the people around me live better lives.”
Watch the livestream of the 2024 White Coat Ceremony here.
