Today, the School of Pharmacy is celebrating a spring convocation like no other. For the first time, the School was unable to welcome graduates for a reception in person. Although safety precautions due to COVID-19 keep us apart, the faculty and staff at the School extend their sincere congratulations to our newest alumni!
We regret that we cannot celebrate your graduation in person. But on behalf of all of our faculty and staff, I extend my sincere congratulations. Your hard work and commitment have paid off, and we cannot wait to see what you will achieve in research and pharmacy practice going forward.
Today’s graduates include six from the the School's bridging program as well as a few from our PharmD program. Many of the students receiving their degrees today are from the School of Pharmacy’s graduate programs, the MSc and PhD in Pharmacy. 2020 is a historic year for the School’s PhD program, with a record number of students convocating.
Convocation is the reward for an investment in your future. It stems from the choice you made years ago to step into the unknown and take a journey of science and self-discovery. Our University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy graduate students have emerged as competent scholars. The School is immensely proud of their achievements and we will watch with admiration as they continue to contribute to their chosen fields.
The PhD in Pharmacy program was started in 2013, and we are proud to see so many students successfully complete the program this spring.
The PhD and MSc graduates showcase the breadth of research areas examined by students and faculty at the School. These graduates investigated topics as varied as understanding the cellular mechanisms involved in cancer, to novel drug delivery methods, to factors that influence pharmacist decision-making. Below are the graduates and their supervisors:
- Fahad Alzahrani (PhD, supervised by Nancy Waite)
- Alanna McEneny-King (PhD, supervised by Andrea Edginton)
- Amna El Shatshat (MSc, supervised by Praveen Nekkar Rao)
- Kristina Ellis (MSc, supervised by William W.L. Wong)
- Heidi Fernandes (MSc, supervised by Sherilyn Houle)
- Nyasha Gondora (PhD, supervised by Michael Beazely and John Mielke)
- Lokesh Narsineni (PhD, supervised by Marianna Foldvari)
- Deep Patel (PhD, supervised by Jonathan Blay)
- Gokul Raj Pullagara (PhD, supervised by Nancy Waite)
- Colin Whaley (MSc, supervised by Kelly Grindrod)
Since we could not celebrate in person today, faculty and staff at the School will be sharing congratulations photos and messages on our social media channels - follow along on Twitter!