UHH Hilo College of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony

Pharmacy students from the class of 2013 are joined by College of Pharmacy faculty members after taking the "Oath of a Pharmacist."

A "White Coat Ceremony" was held by The University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy on Saturday October 1, 2009 at the UHH Performing Arts Center.

The White Coat Ceremony signifies the rite of passage for students in the health professions to affirm their commitment to the values of their profession, including the professionalism, respect, integrity and caring. More specifically, it is the first time these students have recited the "Oath of a Pharmacist" in front of their peers, their professors, the community and their families as they publicly declare their intent to be a compassionate and respectable health care professional.

Training in pharmacy has grown through the years and changes in curriculum have students interacting with the public at a much earlier point in their careers. For this reason, the White Coat Ceremony which had been conducted in the second or third year is now held in the first academic semester.

"The benefit of including a pharmacist as a integral part of a health care team is to insure that the medication being prescribed will interact correctly and result in the desired outcome" said Mark. "By training pharmacist on the Big Island, we will increase the likelihood of pharmacists living and working in Hawaii and increasing the level of care available to residents."

YWCA Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

Mark stands with YWCA Interim Executive Director Gloria Lau prior to the start of the "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes." Mark sports a pair of red Kenneth Cole Reaction sandals for this event.

Mark joined Mayor Billy Kenoi, Police Chief Harry Kubojiri, Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira and County Prosecutor Jay Kimura along with men from all walks of life in a march to stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence.

Now, more than ever, as financial distress mounts, the level of domestic violence is also increasing in our island community. All ages and income levels are affected with victims in Hawaii ranging from 2 months to 96 years old. Rich and poor alike, no one is immune from sexual assault.

Those in need of assistance should contact the YWCA Sexual Assault Crisis Hotline at 935-0677.

Vulcan Wahine Support the Cause

Coach Daphane Honma and members of the University of Hawaii at Hilo Vulcan Women's Basketball team led the group in stretching exercises prior to the start of the YWCA's "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event.

September 2009 Newsletter

International Micro-Robotics Competition

Following the lead of Art Kimura, I have been pursuing the possibility of hosting the First Annual Micro-Robotics Competition and Symposium here on the Big Island. At Art's suggestion and as part of the ground work, I visited with the Waiakea High School Robotics Club which meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3 - 6 PM to work on various projects.

Laupahoehoe School Celebrates AYP

Laupahoehoe School held an assembly today to celebrate a school wide effort by students, teachers, parents and staff to achieve AYP or Annual Yearly Progress required by the federal No Child Left Behind law. The law requires testing of students in math and reading and requires students to reach benchmarks in a variety of demographic categories.

Students meeting benchmark, students with the highest math and reading scores as well as students achieving the greatest improvement in scores were recognized with certificates. All students were encouraged to continue their efforts so that next year, everyone would be recognized for meeting the benchmark.

To end the ceremony, and amid shouts of "Mohawk! Mohawk!" Principal Tom Ekno followed through on a promise made last year to shave his head if the student met five goals that the school set out last year.

Playgound Tests

Tests were conducted today on newly installed fitness equipment at Honoka'a Elementary School. The equipment sits on a special padded surface that is meant to absorb the impact of students should they fall from the equipment to the ground. The inspection involved dropping a measurement instrument from the height of six feet and determining the level of impact on the cushioned surface.

The contractor is currently awaiting approval to complete cement work to reattach sidewalks from the play area to the adjacent building. Once this is completed, students will be able to enjoy the new equipment. Identical equipment was also installed at Paauilo School.