The Annual White Coat Ceremony

The ISU College of Pharmacy held its 22nd Annual White Coat Ceremony for the class of 2026 with an all new format following a two-day orientation in Idaho. Faculty and staff joined the new students for the ceremony for the incoming P1 Pocatello and Meridian students on August 17th at Stephens Performing Arts Center in Pocatello. The 7th Annual White Coat Ceremony for Alaska students in the Class of 2025 was held on August 19th in Anchorage.

Prior to the White Coat Ceremony, new students joined faculty and staff from all three campuses to participate in a day of leadership training, mentorship and fun. Dr. PBJ, a national recognized motivational speaker and leadership coach led the group through exercises and activities that were both meaningful and hysterical. As you can see, Dr. PBJ even tasked Dean Fitzgerald with carrying the weight of the whole college!

The White Coat Ceremony has been a tradition of ISU for many years, initiating the new P1 students and awarding them with their white coats. It’s a very special and meaningful ceremony for students, as each student is presented their coat by a family member, friend, or colleague that is also a pharmacist, with their friends and family there to witness.

Keynote speaker Alaka’i Montalbo, PharmD, Class of 2021 inspired the new student pharmacists, asking them to commit to lifelong learning and encouraging them to find what is most meaningful to them as they complete their education.

The Pocatello ceremony was led by Dean Walter Fitzgerald and Dr. Tom Wadsworth, who also led the ceremony in Anchorage. Thank you to all of those who donate and make this event possible, we could not do it without your generosity.