Brittany M. Ward of Demopolis recently participated in a White Coat Ceremony to be inducted into the Harrison School of Pharmacy at Auburn University.

She is one of 152 students who make up the Class of 2016. Ward attends classes on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile, where Auburn has a satellite pharmacy program.

Auburn’s White Coat Ceremony occurs at the end of a weeklong Foundations of Pharmacy orientation course, which introduces first-year students to the Doctor of Pharmacy program and professional responsibility of pharmacists.

The ceremony marks the transition into the professional program with each student being formally dressed in their white coat – a symbolic gesture of the patient care responsibilities each student pharmacist accepts upon entering the program. Once all students don the coats, they are administered the Oath of a Pharmacist.

“These are amongst the brightest and most dedicated students from Alabama and across the country,” said Lee Evans, dean of Auburn’s Harrison School of Pharmacy. “They will contribute significantly to improving patient outcomes as a result of their knowledge and skills with optimizing patients’ medication use.”

The Harrison School of Pharmacy is the oldest professional school at Auburn University. Established in 1885, it has grown into a preeminent institution of pharmaceutical education across the country. The gifted faculty and clinical staff serve students and communities across Alabama, including a satellite program located on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile.