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OSU GRADS EASE PHARMACIST SHORTAGE

07-12-04

By Kay Cooke, 541-737-4015
SOURCE: College of Pharmacy, 541-737-3424

CORVALLIS - With healthcare needs on the upswing, recent graduates of the College of Pharmacy at Oregon State University don't have to look far for employment - almost all of the 72-member class who celebrated their graduation in a recent special recognition ceremony already have jobs.

OSU President Ed Ray spoke to the graduates about the role of pharmacy as being key to optimizing the health and well-being of the public, especially as health care costs rise.

"We know you are ready to deliver care and dispense medicine with accuracy and expertise," said Ray. "You are in a position to improve and maintain our health." William Campbell, a 1966 OSU graduate, keynote speaker and dean emeritus at the University of North Carolina, emphasized the need for pharmaceutical care and the endless career opportunities available for pharmacists today.

"You are the connection for patients who must navigate a fragmented health care system," said Campbell. "You are the connection between other health professionals whose mounting obligations make it impossible to maintain even a passing knowledge of drug therapy."

Wayne Kradjan, dean of the college, congratulated the class and told the nearly 700-member audience at the event that Oregon takes pride in knowing that the majority of graduates completed their pre-pharmacy education in state, and 78 percent of the graduates plan to stay in Oregon working in a community, retail or hospital setting.

The doctor of pharmacy professional degree is awarded jointly by both OSU and Oregon Health & Science University. By the time graduates receive their Pharm.D., they will have earned an undergraduate science degree followed by four rigorous years of intense study of pharmaceutical sciences and practice.

The doctors of pharmacy and award recipients included:

OREGON

CALIFORNIA GEORGIA HAWAII NEVADA WASHINGTON

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Last Update:Friday, 09-Jul-2004 15:07:24 PDT

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