College of Pharmacy holds class of ’26 white coat ceremony

Friday
Three smiling young women create a heart shape with their arms. One of them is wearing a medical white coat.

(From left) Maryam Altamimi, Sarah Alramadhani and Khulood Habeeb, all childhood friends, celebrate outside Centennial Hall after Alramadhani’s white coat ceremony with the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy.

Photo by Kris Hanning, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications

The University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy class of 2026 celebrated its transition from academic coursework to advanced clinical training during the annual white coat ceremony at Centennial Hall on April 4. 

During the ceremony, 133 students received their white coats from faculty members. The students have completed their third year of academic coursework and will begin clinical rotations for their final year. Members of the class of 2025, who will graduate in May, then led the group in reciting the Pledge of Professionalism.

“Today is a significant milestone for all of you. We are here to honor your accomplishments as you transition from student to health care professional,” said Rick G. Schnellmann, PhD, dean of the college and the Howard J. Schaeffer Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences. “As you wear your white coat, understand it is a symbol. It represents your unwavering commitment to professionalism, ethics and patient-focused care. It marks your dedication to a lifetime of learning and your responsibility to ensure that those you serve receive safe and effective care.” 

The white coat ceremony at the Coit College of Pharmacy was first performed in April 2001, initiated by the members of the class of 2002.

Five University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy faculty members stand together, smiling and wearing their medical white coats.
A young woman smiles and pumps her arms in celebration while wearing a medical white coat.
A young man smiles and shakes hands with his professor. Both are wearing medical white coats.
A young woman in a red dress is helped into a medical white coat on stage in front of a backdrop reading, “R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy.”
Two smiling women in medical white coats hug side by side as they pose for a photo.
A large group of pharmacy students wearing white coats all read small cards to themselves.
A young woman in a medical white coat yells in celebration with her arms raised as she walks out of a building.
Two young women walk with their arms linked, smiling and wearing medical white coats, outside a building.
Three young men, two of them wearing medical white coats, crouch and smile as they pose for a photo.
A mother and her young adult son, who is wearing a medical white coat, stand back to back and smile in a sunny outdoor setting.
A young woman in a medical white coat smiles with her mom and dad while taking a group selfie.
A woman and two young men, one wearing a medical white coat, stand side by side with their arms around each other, smiling and making a “V” sign with their hands.
Two young women, one wearing a medical white coat, share a hug outside a building on a sunny day.
Dozens of University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy students wearing white coats stand together, waving and smiling.