White Coats: The Symbol of a Profession

PITTSBURGH—Receiving a white coat is an academic tradition for many first-year pharmacy students throughout the United States. Now, thanks to Gordon J. Vanscoy, an associate professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pitt pharmacy students can be assured of the continuation of that professional induction ceremony, which began at Pitt last year.

Vanscoy's $220,000 charitable lead trust to name the School of Pharmacy's Annual White Coat Ceremony has assured that the ceremony, which has been embraced as an important and celebrated event by Pitt students and their families, will continue for decades. Among other things, the gift will provide first-year pharmacy students with their first white coats, which they receive at the ceremony.

"The University inaugurated the White Coat Ceremony last year," said Patricia Dowley Kroboth, interim dean of the School of Pharmacy. "To have an outstanding alumnus and faculty member name this annual event is inspiring not only to our students but also to our alumni and faculty."

The second-annual ceremony, newly named the Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy White Coat Ceremony, was held Friday, Jan. 30, in Pitt's Scaife Hall. A reception followed in Salk Hall, home of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy.

During the ceremony, each of the 99 first-year pharmacy students was garbed in a white coat, the symbol of clinical service and care. After receiving their white coats, students publicly declared their commitment to integrity, ethical behavior, and honor, by reciting the Pledge of Professionalism before faculty, family, and friends.

"My father always wanted a doctor in the family. He was so proud of my success and of the work that I have done to serve others throughout my career," said Vanscoy. "After his recent passing, I wanted to do something in his honor that would articulate his ambitions for his children and his trust in the clinical work of those in healthcare. I know this event would have made him very happy."

Vanscoy earned the B.S. degree in pharmacy and his M.B.A. at the University of Pittsburgh and the Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Duquesne University. He is an assistant dean for managed care at the University and the chair and CEO of the Monroeville-based University Pharmacotherapy Associates, the nation's largest pharmacotherapy consulting and education firm.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, is ranked among the top 10 of the nation's schools and colleges of pharmacy when measured by research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Funding from NIH is viewed as a benchmark for a school's research programs because of the competitive and rigorous peer review process required to receive NIH funds.

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