By: Victoria Elliott, RPh, MBA, CAE
PPA CEO
Jefferson College of Pharmacy, 2026 White Coat Ceremony
Introduction: The Weight and Promise of the Coat
Thank you, Dr. Law, for the opportunity to join you this afternoon on this very special occasion, and my first white coat ceremony keynote address.
Dean Law, faculty members, proud families, distinguished guests, and most importantly — members of the Jefferson College of Pharmacy Class of 2030: welcome to your beginning.
Look at the white coats handing here, and imagine the weight of yours sliding onto your shoulders just a few moments from now. In the world of healthcare, that coat is one of the most recognizable symbols of trust. When a patient sees you wearing it, they do not ask where you went to school, what your GPA was, or how many hours you studied last night.
They see a guardian. They see hope. They see someone who holds the key to their healing, their comfort, and their peace of mind.
Today, you are stepping into a lineage of care that is both deeply personal and extraordinarily vast. But as you put on that white coat, I want to challenge the mental picture you might have of what a pharmacist is. If you think your future is strictly defined by standing behind a dispensing counter or rounding in a hospital unit, I am here to tell you: that is only the beginning of the story.
Your white coat is not a uniform that fits you into a box. It is a canvas. And today, I want to talk to you about what it truly means to put professionalism in action—not just as a career choice, but as a lifelong commitment to changing patient lives on scales both small and large.
Part I: The Spark at the Bedside
My own journey began right here in Philadelphia, right here at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where I interned in the IV room and the pediatric pharmacy satellite. After I completed my residency at Crozer-Chester hospital, I returned to Jefferson as a pediatric pharmacist. Back then, fresh out of pharmacy school, my world was focused entirely on clinical precision.
In pediatrics, precision isn’t just a best practice—it is everything. Doses are calculated down to the exact milligram per kilogram. Every IV drip, every oral suspension, every antibiotic protocol requires relentless vigilance.
I remember the profound sense of responsibility walking into the Jefferson Children’s Rehabilitation hospital on City Line Avenue, where I transferred to after a few years at the hospital here in town. Standing at the bedside of a sick child, speaking with anxious parents who were looking to me for answers, I realized something fundamental about our profession: Pharmacy is never just about the molecule or the drug; it is about the human life on the receiving end of it.
Professionalism in action, at the bedside, looks like meticulous care, empathy, and listening when a parent is too frightened to ask the right questions. It was this clinical foundation that built my respect for the science of pharmacy and the relationship we have with our patients.
And for many of you, that direct patient connection will be the heartbeat of your career. It is a noble, vital, and beautiful calling.
Part II: Expanding the Canvas — Beyond the Bedside
But as the years unfolded, I discovered that the skills we learn as pharmacists—problem-solving, clinical analysis, critical thinking, and unconditional patient advocacy—are remarkably portable.
I found myself asking questions that reached beyond individual bedside care:
- Why are patients struggling to access or afford life-saving medications?
- How can we empower pharmacists to practice at the absolute top of their education?
- Who is sitting at the policy table, fighting for the profession so that we can better fight for our patients?
That curiosity led me to shift my white coat into new domains. Having completed a masters in Health & Medical Services Administration, I stepped into a hospital pharmacy management position at another Philadelphia-based hospital. While there, I volunteered for the local hospital pharmacy association and started moving up the leadership ladder. A colleague who had been tracking my progress and interest, reached out about a pharmacist position with that same association. While the opportunity was intriguing and would allow me to pursue my new-found interests beyond the beside, it also meant taking a pay cut, losing the opportunity to become vested in the hospital’s retirement plan, and posed a significant change in our family dynamic as I was expecting our first child in 2 short months.
Well, I took the leap, shifted my experience to the non-profit arena, and have spent the last 3 decades leading national and statewide healthcare organizations—most recently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association.
Now, you might wonder: How does running a professional association or walking the halls of the State Capitol in Harrisburg relate to putting on a white coat today?
It relates because advocacy is patient care written on a larger canvas.
When I stand in front of lawmakers to advocate for expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians; such as passing Act 80 of 2022 to grant broad vaccination authority to pharmacists, students and technicians; or fighting for PBM reform with Act 77 in 2024 to protect community pharmacies; I am not just advocating for laws. I am advocating for the senior citizen who relies on their neighborhood pharmacist for a flu shot. I am advocating for the working parent who needs accessible, affordable care in their local community.
When our association secured a $1.2 million CDC-funded grant to expand cardiovascular and diabetes management programs across the Commonwealth, or we when secure funding to run fall-prevention programs for older adults, we aren’t just managing funds. We are transforming how care is delivered to thousands of patients across the entire state.
Part III: What You Can Do With a Career in Pharmacy
I share my journey with you today not to outline a curriculum vitae, but to spark your imagination.
The pharmacy profession in 2026 and beyond is more dynamic, diverse, and essential than it has ever been. As you put on your white coat today, remember that your degree will open doors into spaces you might not even know exist:
Let me give you some examples.
- Clinical Practice & Primary Care: You can be the pharmacotherapy expert embedded in emergency rooms, oncology clinics, or ambulatory care practices, managing complex chronic diseases side-by-side with physicians and other providers.
- Association Leadership & Health Policy: You can lead professional societies, shape state and federal healthcare laws, write legislation, and champion provider status for you and your peers.
- Public Health & Global Initiatives: You can direct nationwide immunization drives, lead fall-prevention and chronic disease management programs in your communities, or work with local, state, federal or even global agencies to tackle health disparities.
- Research, Innovation & Industry: You can lead clinical trials, pioneer new pharmaceutical technologies, or harness artificial intelligence to customize drug therapies and streamline patient communications.
- Academia & Mentorship: You can train the next generation of healthcare leaders as preceptors, professors, and even deans of pharmacy.
Every single one of these paths is an example of professionalism in action. Every single one of them touches patients’ lives.
Part IV: Three Pillars for Your Journey
As you begin this intense, demanding, and rewarding journey at the Jefferson College of Pharmacy, I want to leave you with three principles to carry in the pockets of your new white coat:
1. Never Lose Sight of the Individual Patient
No matter how complex the pharmacology gets, or how high you climb in leadership, government, or industry, keep the patient at the center of your universe. When you look at a prescription, an insurance claim, or a piece of legislation, see the human being on the other side.
2. Raise Your Voice and Step Up to Lead
Do not wait for permission to be a leader in this profession. Leadership is not a title; it is an attitude. Join your professional student organizations. Attend legislative days. Engage with your state and national pharmacy associations. The policies shaped today will define the practice you walk into upon graduation. Be at the table, or I can sure you, someone else will decide your future for you.
3. Let Your White Coat Expand
Do not limit your vision of what you can accomplish. Our healthcare system needs your analytical minds, your attention to detail, your compassion, and your leadership. Be open to unconventional paths. Embrace opportunities that stretch your comfort zone—whether that’s grant writing, health policy, corporate or non-profit leadership, chronic disease management programs or public health initiatives.
Conclusion: Welcome to the Profession
Members of the Class of 2030, in just a few moments, you will put on your white coats.
Feel the weight of that coat. It carries the trust of every patient who will ever hand you a prescription, ask you for advice in a time of crisis, or depend on your advocacy for their health.
Wear it with pride and with humility. And above all, wear it with purpose.
Congratulations, welcome to Jefferson College of Pharmacy, and welcome to one of the greatest, most versatile, and impactful professions in the world.
Thank you.
