As the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy celebrates its 10th anniversary, its latest group of pharmacy students were welcomed into training on Friday, Sept. 16.
The annual White Coat Ceremony—during which faculty present the students with the coats and pins they will wear for the next four years— was held at USF’s Marshall Student Center for the 69 members of the class of 2026.
Kevin Sneed, PharmD, the dean of the Taneja College of Pharmacy and USF Health Senior Associate Vice President, welcomed the students and their families.
“The Taneja College of Pharmacy is not only forging a path to innovative discoveries and products, but with the full intention of transforming lives for the better,” Dr. Sneed said.
Kevin Sneed, PharmD, USF Health senior associate Vice President and Dean of the Taneja College of Pharmacy, gives the opening remarks.
Dr. Sneed later announced that the college was renaming its Entrepreneurial Academy, a two-year-old program that provides pharmacy students with advanced education and training in innovation and business development. It will now be called the ITEHC (Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship in Health Care) Academy.
“Let us not be limited in our courage to be bold, innovative and transformative,” he said.
As part of the ceremony, Dr. Sneed was honored with the college’s first chain of office. The chain will traditionally be worn by the college’s leader during ceremonial events and will be engraved with the names of Dr. Sneed and future deans.
Angela Hill, PharmD, smiled after the Taneja College of Pharmacy class of 2026 students finish their “Oath of Professionalism” during the White Coat Ceremony.
David Medvedeff, PharmD, gave the keynote address during the Taneja College of Pharmacy class of 2026 White Coat Ceremony
The ceremony also featured a keynote address by David Medvedeff, PharmD, CEO and co-founder of Aspen RxHealth. Dr. Medvedeff emphasized the rewards of difficult careers.
“If the work we’re doing was easy, everyone would do it,” Dr. Medvedeff said. “Being a pharmacist, from my perspective, is hard, but it doesn’t mean it’s not fun or rewarding. It’s just really hard because it matters.”
A procession of Taneja College of Pharmacy students heads to their seats during the class of 2026 White Coat Ceremony.
The Taneja College of Pharmacy’s class of 2026 is almost three-quarters women and ethnically diverse, with 60 percent identifying as Hispanic, African American or Asian. The class is also strong academically—44.5 percent of the students have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
More than 90 percent of the students hail from Florida, but there are also students from Illinois, New York, South Carolina and Puerto Rico.
Dean of the Taneja College of Pharmacy and USF Health Senior Associate Vice Presiden. Kevin Sneed, PharmD, greets Executive Vice President of USF Health and Dean of USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Charles Lockwood, MD, during the annual White Coat Ceremony for USF Health’s Taneja College of Pharmacy, held at the Marshall Student Center. The ceremony, during which pharmacy students receive their distinctive white coats, marks the beginning of their four years of training.
Photos, videos and story by: Allison Long/USF Health
