Commencement 2021

College Welcomes 143 Professional, Graduate Program Candidates to Alumni Ranks

May 13 — UH College of Pharmacy formally welcomed 143 professional and graduate program candidates from the 2020-21 academic year to its alumni ranks during the Commencement ceremony May 13 at UH's Cullen Performance Hall.

Presided over by UHCOP Dean F. Lamar Pritchard, Ph.D., R.Ph., the ceremony culminated with the conferring of seven Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology; and 129 Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees; and seven Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in Pharmacy Leadership and Administration. 

The 2020-21 class also included more than 50 students graduating with high academic honors: 18 summa cum laude (3.9-4.0 grade point average [GPA]), 18 magna cum laude (3.7 - 3.89 GPA), and 19 cum laude (3.5-3.69 GPA). In addition, the class includes 28 members of the Rho Chi Honor Society and 15 members of the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society. Five students also were awarded the Pharmacy Certificate in Hispanic Healthcare.

In delivering the Student's Response, Pharm.D. candidate David Cooper observed that, "This was not just an exercise in scholastics. In addition to our knowledge of pharmacology, medicinal chemistry and pharmacotherapeutics, the Class of 2021 will also leave here today with the qualities of resilience and fortitude.

"These qualities were forged through a tumultuous four years, from the utter destruction of Hurricane Harvey to the frustrating uncertainty of completing clinical rotations in the midst of a global pandemic. I believe that with every crisis comes opportunity, and though we've had more than our share of crises, we have also taken full advantage of our opportunities. Our class have provided officers to various organizations on the national level, we boast winners of both regional and national competitions, and we also claim published authors that contribute to important research along with the pulse of opinion in the pharmacy profession." 

A video recording of the Class of 2021 Commencement is available on the UH Commencement Archive page (scroll down to College of Pharmacy).