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Emblazoned across the top of the invitation to Larkin Health Sciences Institute’s White Coat Ceremony on Aug 12 is “One Big Journey Begins with a Single Step.” But for students of the inaugural class of LHSI’s new College of Pharmacy, this journey also began with a formal presentation of their first-ever pharmacist’s lab coat.
“You worked very hard to get here today,” said Jack J. Michel, MD, Chairman of the Board of Larkin Heath Sciences Institute to the 65 students assembled at the well attended ceremony. “And much in the same way this white coat will be there for you through your studies, so too will be your faculty and administration – we are committed to your success.”
Before crossing the stage to receive their bright-white pharmacist’s coat embroidered with the College of Pharmacy seal, the students also received words of welcome and encouragement from the founding Dean of the College Gary M. Levin and LHSI President Sandy Sosa-Guerrero, among others. More than 400 family members, friends, and guests also were in attendance.
Dr. Michel’s pledge to the students carried added significance, as the ceremony also marks an important step in the journey for LHCI’s overall teaching program. The new College of Pharmacy will ultimately serve as the cornerstone of an emerging 50-acre health-sciences campus, called Larkin University, now under development in Naranja Lakes near Homestead.
Plans call for several other existing LHSI colleges to merge onto this same campus alongside the planned 80,000-square-foot College of Pharmacy building. Also included in future phases is the relocation of the School of Nursing and College of Biomedical Sciences, a College of Osteopathic Medicine, a College of Dentistry, student housing, a recreation center, and public charter middle and high schools to serve students interested in the Health Sciences.
“You are playing a major role in the history of Larkin Health Sciences Institute,” Dr. Michel continued. “You will always be known as the inaugural class of the College of Pharmacy, so we will do everything in our power to ensure you succeed in this journey.”
The new College of Pharmacy is the first year-round program in the State of Florida, and the first pharmacy college ever in Miami. Additionally, LHSI will confer graduates a Doctor of Pharmacy, Pharm.D, completed in three years as opposed to the traditional four-year period. And with more than 50 percent of students in the inaugural class being Miami-Dade County residents, it is uniquely “Miami’s College of Pharmacy.”
Also unique is how the curriculum is structured. Founding Dean and Professor Levin explains that instead of teaching many courses at one time, they have integrated topics into distinct two-week blocks that utilize many active learning strategies.
“This also allows students to focus on one major set of concepts at a time,” Levin says, “instead of trying to be successful in six courses at a time as is the case in most colleges of pharmacy.”
Initially, classes will be conducted in a recently renovated 44,000 sq-ft building at 18301 N. Miami Ave. However, after the future move to Naranja Lakes, the College of Pharmacy will accommodate 120 students per class. The inaugural class is 64 percent female, encompasses nearly 84 percent students who are a member of a visible ethnic minority, and has a median age of 28. Approximately 91 percent of the student population is using financial aid and private student loans to fund their education. Among them is Moises Pineda of Miami who was accepted to the program in March.
Pineda described the White Coat Ceremony as a “motivating experience and a proud moment to share with family.” To him, the event represents an important chapter in his pharmacy career and he looks forward to spending it with his fellow students whom he has quickly grown to respect and enjoy.
One of the core values of the college is “social justice,” says Levin, “and as such, this program is successfully increasing access to pharmacy education. The inaugural class truly epitomizes our commitment to social justice and the vision of being a catalyst for innovation and collaboration in health care,” he added.
Larkin Health Sciences Institute (LHSI) was founded in 2013 as a private not-for-profit academic institution that offers a graduate Doctor of Pharmacy degree and a post-baccalaureate Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree. For information visit: www.ularkin.org.
