UMES welcomes first Pharm.D. students

By UMES Office of Public Relations

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore launches its newest doctoral studies program this month with the arrival of the inaugural class of pharmacy students.

Earning a spot in the first class was competitive. UMES received 931 applications and interviewed 150 prospective students for just 60 seats.

Orientation gets underway Aug. 9 and concludes when each student receives a "white (lab) coat" during a Sunday (Aug. 15) ceremony signaling the official start of classes.

"It's a real honor," Snow Hill native Michael Geesaman said. "Not many people get to say they are in the charter class."

The new professional program at UMES will produce its first graduates in three years - not the usual four.

That's because students - all of whom have completed two-to-four years of college work - will take classes year-round to earn a doctor of pharmacy degree, the profession's entry-level credential.

UMES is among just 12 schools in the country offering the year-round schedule, according to the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

Geesaman, 20, studied chemistry at Salisbury University for three years hoping UMES would get the green light to offer a pharmacy degree.

"I like the idea of doing something where I can help people with everyday medical questions," Geesaman said. "It's a good career."

Dr. Nicholas R. Blanchard, UMES' pharmacy school dean, said Pharm.D. graduates routinely get job offers with a six-figure starting salary.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median income in 2009 for all pharmacists was $109,180. "Job prospects are expected to be excellent" through the remainder of this decade, the agency's website predicts.

Expansion of health care instruction has been a focus of Dr. Thelma B. Thompson's tenure as UMES' president. A Pharm.D. program fit her vision of the institution's role in the 21st century.

It took UMES six years to build its case before the University System of Maryland's governing board authorized the program in 2007. Dr. Ronnie Holden, a long-time senior administrator at UMES, said the late Del. Page Elmore played a critical role assisting the university in receiving state-level approval for its initiative.

"It enhances our overall education environment," Holden said. "Del. Elmore saw that from the start."

One-third of the 60 pharmacy students are from Delmarva; two-thirds are minorities.

"We have an extremely diverse class," Blanchard said. "They have a wide variety of backgrounds and knowledge bases."

Pharmacists will play a crucial role in shaping health care treatment as baby boomers age and researchers continue producing new drugs to combat illnesses and diseases.

"This is a group of kids who will come out as very competent pharmacists with good communication skills," Blanchard said.

Blanchard became dean in 2008 and has been working to shape a curriculum and build a 20-member faculty. As the next two classes arrive, he anticipates adding nine more professors.

UMES' pharmacy program is eligible for full accreditation in 2013, when it will serve a total of 180 students.

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Bill Robinson, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355
Gail Stephens, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-651-7580