A cohort of students at the College of Pharmacy (CoP) at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) celebrated a day that will forever live in their memory, the day they donned the white robes of the healthcare professions, symbolizing the culmination of a foundational stage of their studies, and a commitment to the highest professional and ethical standards in patient care. In the presence of proud parents, senior university officials, and the President of the Iraqi Pharmacists’ Syndicate, Dr. Haidar Fouad Al-Sayegh, AUIB’s CoP organized its second annual White Coat Ceremony, celebrating the transition of another cohort of its students “from the pre-pharmacy level to professional courses.”
AUIB President, Dr. Michael Mulnix, addressed the students on that memorable day, saying: “You have chosen a career based on service,” as symbolized by the White Coat, the ceremony of which is “a rite of passage” not only marking a “transition from classroom to practice,” but committing to “a contract for excellence in patient care, to the highest standards of professional, ethical, and legal conduct.”
“You have all the right to be proud of your sons and daughters who will be part of the healthcare system” in the country, said the President of the Iraqi Pharmacists’ Syndicate, Dr. Haidar Fouad Al-Sayegh, addressing the crowd, assuring that graduates with high competencies will secure themselves jobs, no matter how scarce the latter are. “My main message to esteemed officials as well as students is: seek to create jobs for our graduates” by taking the initiative to establish pharmaceutical research centers and production facilities.
The mission of AUIB’s College of Pharmacy is “to develop professional leaders in research, practice, and teaching,” and to address the shortage of highly specialized professionals in the field, stated CoP Dean, Professor Achraf Al-Faraj, highlighting the College’s state-of-the-art facilities, furnished with laboratories and “simulators that prepare students for real-world scenarios.” He spoke of CoP’s rapid development in terms of faculty members and facilities, as well as the expansion of its memberships and partnerships with reputable institutions, allowing graduates to commence doctoral studies abroad.