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College of Pharmacy: Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)

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Program Dean: John M. Pezzuto, Ph.D.
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
34 Rainbow Drive
Hilo, HI 96720
Email: pharmacy@hawaii.edu
Phone: (808) 933-2309
Web site: http://pharmacy.uhh.hawaii.edu/

Professors:
Edward Fisher, Ph.D., R.Ph., Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Kenneth Morris, Ph.D.
Mark P. Okamoto, Pharm.D., R.Ph., Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice
John M. Pezzuto, Ph.D., Dean of College

Associate Professors:
Robert P. Borris, Ph.D., FLS, Associate Dean, Research
Anthony Wright, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Assistant Professors:
Leng Chee Chang, Ph.D.
Daniela Guendisch, Ph.D.
Supakit Wongwiwatthananukit, PharmD, Ph.D.
Ghee T. Tan, Ph.D.

Instructors:
Anita E. Ciarleglio, Ph.D., R.Ph.
Mimi Pezzuto, R.Ph.

Clinical Coordinators:
Mark Litzinger, R.Ph.
Carolyn Ma, Pharm.D., BCOP, CHTP/I

Student Services:
Ann Hayashi, M.A.

Director, CoP Relations:
Lisa Seese, B.A.

Pharmacy/Health Sciences Librarian:
Amy Knehans, M.L.I.S.

Laboratory Manager:
Tamara Kondratyuk, Ph.D.

Program Description

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo College of Pharmacy is a four-year educational and experiential program through which students pursue the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. The UH Hilo-COP’s Pharm.D. program prepares the student for entry into the pharmacy profession. During the four years at UH Hilo-COP, students will complete a total of 148 semester hours of credit; 95 hours in required courses, 9 credit hours in elective professional courses, and 44 credit hours in clinical/experiential education

Mission Statement

The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo College of Pharmacy is to prepare competent pharmacy practitioners who are committed to patient care, who reflect humanistic values, who embrace change, and who contribute to the renewal of the profession. The College of Pharmacy embodies a spirit of community, in which cooperation, trust and mutual respect are valued.

Inherent in this education is the acquisition by students of a relevant knowledge base as well as professionally related experiences, capabilities, understandings, skills, attitudes and values. It is the mission of the College of Pharmacy to build and deliver a quality, multidisciplinary health professions program, in which role models teach the student to learn and adopt the application of that knowledge throughout our environment.

Program Goals

  1. Implement academic curricula that lead to a flagship Pharm.D. program, which produces graduates committed to serving people via science-based practice.
  2. Accountability to the Institute of Medicine’s core competencies for the health professional workforce.
  3. Conduct research that advances pharmaceutical sciences and makes a difference for humanity inclusive of effects on global health.
  4. Cultivate culturally competent, intellectually inquisitive, self-directed, caring pharmacists who are critical thinkers, problem solvers and life-long learners in a changing healthcare environment.

Prospects for Graduates

Graduates of the Pharm.D. program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will be able to seek employment as pharmacists in a variety of professional settings. Their professional duties may include, but are not limited to, distribution of drugs prescribed by physicians and other health care practitioners, providing information about prescriptions and their use to their patients and customers, advising health care professionals on the prescription and interaction of drug therapies, compounding, pharmaceutical research, hiring and supervision of staff, business operations of pharmacies, administering of vaccinations, etc. The job outlook for pharmacists is extremely good nationwide and in Hawaiʻi. There is currently a shortage of community, clinical and research pharmacists. It is expected that the field of pharmacy will grow at a “faster than average” rate over the next decade (www.bls.gov/oco/ocos079.htm). In order to practice as a registered pharmacist (R.Ph.), state licensure is required.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admissions into the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo College of Pharmacy, students must meet the following requirements:

  1. Completion of the prerequisite courses including (68 credits):
    • Introductory Biology with Labs (8)
    • Microbiology with Lab (4)
    • General Chemistry with Labs (8)
    • Organic Chemistry with Labs (8)
    • Human Anatomy & Physiology with labs (8)
    • Calculus (3)
    • English (6) [3 composition]
    • Humanities (9)
    • World Cultures (3)
    • Social/Behavioral Science (3)
    • Economics (3)
    • Speech (3)
    • Please Note: the most current listings of prerequisite courses can be found on our website (http://pharmacy.uhh.hawaii.edu/). Prerequisites are subject to change at the end of each application cycle.
  2. Completion of the PCAT (www.pcatweb.info) and submission of official scores to PharmCAS (www.pharmcas.org).
  3. Completion and submission of the PharmCAS application (www.pharmcas.org) and completion and submission of the supplemental application to be sent by UH Hilo-COP to applicants meeting the minimum qualifications.
  4. International Applicants must also complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of coursework in the United States at any regionally-accredited college or university. Of the 30 require semester hours, 15 semester hours must be allocated to non-remedial science courses.

Note: Meeting the minimum qualification requirements does not guarantee admission. All eligible applications are reviewed by the UH Hilo-COP Admissions Committee which applies multiple criteria for the assessment of applications and selection of candidates to be interviewed.

UH Hilo-COP annually accepts 90 students for Fall admissions.

Application Procedure

UH Hilo-COP operates on a competitive, rolling application basis. In order for students to be eligible for consideration, the students must meet the minimum requirements listed above and complete the following application procedure.

  1. Students complete, or are in the process of completing, their prerequisite coursework.
  2. Students take the PCAT. UH Hilo-COP suggests that students take the PCAT at least the year prior to seeking entry. Please note that PCAT scores must be processed by Harcourt and submitted to PharmCAS in time to meet the designated application deadline.
  3. Students complete and submit the PharmCAS application and fee(s) (www.pharmcas.org) along with official transcripts from all attended regionally-accredited colleges and/or universities, two (2) letters of recommendation, and PCAT scores by the designated application deadline posted on the PharmCAS website.
  4. Students complete and submit a supplemental application and application fee from UH Hilo-COP (http://pharmacy.uhh.hawaii.edu/prepharmacy/pphAdmissions.php).

Upon submission of all required application components, the complete file and applicant profile will be reviewed by the COP Admissions Committee. At said time, the committee will decide to invite the candidate for an interview, place the candidate on hold for further review, or reject the applicant. All candidates who are invited for an interview will be contacted via mail and email. After the personal interview, the applications and interview scores are presented to and reviewed by the Admissions Committee for final admissions decisions.

Program Curriculum

  1. First Professional Year (P-1), Fall (16 Credit hours):
    • PHPP 501 (1) Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiential (IPPE) I
    • PHPS 504 (3) Pharmaceutical Immunology
    • PHPS 501 (3) Biochemistry - biomolecules
    • PHPS 505/L (3) Pharmaceutics I
    • PHPP 511 (2) Culture & Inter-professional Health Care
    • PHPS 503 (2) Pharmaceutical Calculations
    • Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Sciences (2)
  2. First Professional Year (P-1), Spring (16 Credit hours):
    • PHPP 502 (1) Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiential (IPPE) II
    • PHPP 508 (3) Introduction to Biostatistics
    • PHPS 509 (4) Pathophysiology
    • PHPS 502 (3) Biochemistry - metabolism
    • PHPS 506/L (3) Pharmaceutics II
    • PHPS or PHPP 550 (2) Electives: Genetics in Medicine or History of Pharmacy
  3. Second Professional Year (P-2), Fall (18 Credit hours):
    • PHPP 503 (1) Introduction Pharmacy Practice Experiential (IPPE) III
    • PHPP 514 (4) Evidence-Based Medicine and Critical Literature Review
    • PHPS 507 (3) Foundation of Integrated Therapeutics and OTC drugs
    • PHPP 515 (7) Integrated Therapeutics I
    • PHPS 511 (3) Pharmacokinetics
  4. Second Professional Year (P-2), Spring (18 Credit hours):
    • PHPP 504 (1) Introduction Pharmacy Practice Experiential (IPPE) IV
    • PHPP 520 (3) Pharmacy Law and Ethics
    • PHPP 523 (2) Wellness, Prevention, and Disease Management
    • PHPP 516 (7) Integrated Therapeutics II
    • Electives (3)
    • Health Care Systems (1)
    • Basic and applied toxicology (1)
  5. Third Professional Year (P-3), Fall (17 Credit hours):
    • PHPP 505 (1) Introduction Pharmacy Practice Experiential (IPPE) V
    • PHPP 522 (3) Pharmacy Practice Management and Marketing
    • PHPP 513 (1) Culture and Pharmaceutical Care
    • PHPP 517 (7) Integrated Therapeutics III
    • Electives (5)
  6. Third Professional Year (P-3), Spring (17 Credit hours):
    • PHPP 506 (1) Introduction Pharmacy Practice Experiential (IPPE) VI
    • PHPP 524 (3) Pharmacoeconomics
    • PHPP 518 (7) Integrated Therapeutics IV
    • Electives (2)
    • PHPP 521 (2) Applied Pharmaceutical Care
    • Complementary Medicine (2)
  7. Fourth Year (P-4), Summer, Fall and Spring Semesters (Advanced Professional Practice Experiences: 42 weeks for a total of 35 credit hours):
    • PHPP 507 (5) Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) – Ambulatory Care
    • PHPP 508 (5) Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) – Community
    • PHPP 509 (5) Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) – Medicine
    • PHPP 510 (5) Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) – Specialty
    • PHPP 511 (5) Elective Experience
    • PHPP 512 (5) Elective Experience
    • PHPP 513 (5) Elective Experience

Professional Electives: Students must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of elective credits. Examples of elective options available are as follows:

  • Academic Pharmacy
  • Cardiology
  • Critical Care
  • Radioactivity in Pharmacy: An Introduction to Radiopharmaceutical Sciences
  • Drug Information
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Geriatrics (Long-term Care)
  • Health Outcomes
  • Home Health
  • Infectious Disease
  • Dean's Executive Forum
  • Substance of abuse and addiction
  • Nuclear Pharmacy
  • Nutritional Support
  • Oncology
  • Patient Safety
  • Pacific Islanders & International Pharmacy
  • Pediatrics/Child Health
  • Drug Development and Regulation for the 21st Century
  • Drugs from Natural Sources
  • Poison Prevention/Control
  • Prescription Benefit Management
  • Psychiatric/Mental Health/Psychological Behavioral Health Diseases
  • Research