Third-year students ceremonially welcomed into Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences major

Undergraduate pharmacy students were ceremonially welcomed into the URI College of Pharmacy’s Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences program, where they will begin their careers in pharmaceutical research, during the college’s Lab Coat Ceremony last week.

The third-year students who have completed required prerequisites formally transitioned in the pharmacy major, where they will study drug discovery and design, disease mechanisms, drug delivery, and therapeutic interventions. The students will work hands-on in the advanced laboratories in Avedisian Hall, gaining expertise in designing, developing, and evaluating medications, according to BPS Director Angela Slitt.

“The Lab Coat Ceremony is a welcome into the college of BPS students,” Slitt said. “It’s an opportunity to get them started in the college and give them an introduction into the research program. It tells them now is the time to really get involved with a major course of study and find a research mentor and a project you can make a difference on.”

During the ceremony, the students recited the Oath of a Scientist, before receiving their lab coats and a pipette symbolic of their transition into the lab.

“The ceremony really allowed me to feel like I was becoming a valued part of the College of Pharmacy. It really does feel like a big step forward in my professional development as a future pharmaceutical research scientist,” said student Chantelle Lilly. “I am incredibly eager to get into a research lab. Taking my scientific oath really cemented just how important my role will be to future pharmaceutical endeavors.”

“The ceremony was both symbolic and motivating. Receiving the lab coat felt like a transition from learning in the classroom to contributing in a research setting,” said student Roman Olivardia, noting he’ll work in the Metabolism and Muscle Biology Lab, a joint venture between the colleges of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “I am excited to participate in meaningful work at the intersection of nutraceutical therapies, muscle biology, and metabolism, all areas I’m interested in.”

The college’s BPS program prepares students for careers in pharmaceutical companies, consumer products, and healthcare. It offers opportunities in biomedical research, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, or as a pre-med or pre-health pathway.

The URI College of Pharmacy is the top ranked pharmacy school in the Northeast and routinely ranked among the top in the country. The college is ranked #1 in New England in research funding and has been among the top 10 in the country in that category in recent years. The college garnered more than $21 million in research funding last year, helping fuel discoveries in such critical subjects as cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, microplastics exposure, liver disease and many more.

For more information or to apply to the URI College of Pharmacy, visit the college’s admission site here.