Class of 2030 Pharmacy Students, White Coat Ceremony
Cedarville University will welcome its Pharm.D. Class of 2030 at the Sept. 12 White Coat Ceremony. Students will receive white coats and stethoscopes, marking their transition into professional pharmacy education and healthcare. The ceremony features remarks from Dr. Jeffery Bates and keynote speaker Dr. Vineeta Rao, a 2019 graduate.
On Saturday, Sept. 12, Cedarville University will welcome its next generation of pharmacists. The Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony will take place in the Jeremiah Chapel in the Dixon Ministry Center at 10 a.m. A reception will follow the ceremony.
The ceremony will recognize first-year Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students in the class of 2030 as they begin their professional pharmacy education. Family and friends will join the celebration as students receive their white coats and stethoscopes.
As the dean of the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy, Bates will be addressing those who attend the ceremony. Dr. Vineeta Rao, a 2019 graduate of Cedarville’s Pharm.D. program, will be the event’s keynote speaker. Rao has established an exceptional practice role in North Carolina, modeling some of the nation’s most advanced approaches to patient care.
Walgreens is sponsoring the White Coat Ceremony, and Cedarville pharmacy alumni have contributed funds to provide white coats and stethoscopes for incoming Pharm.D. students. Their support helps equip students as they begin the next stage of their pharmacy education and prepare for careers focused on patient care.
The White Coat Ceremony reflects a tradition in health professions education that marks students’ growing commitment to professionalism, ethical practice and compassionate patient care. The students’ promise is grounded in the university’s core values: love for God, love for others, integrity in conduct and excellence in effort. For Cedarville’s class of 2030, the ceremony represents both a milestone in their education and the beginning of their journey toward serving patients and communities as pharmacists.
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,542 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.