Albertsons Companies Support Scholarship, Professional Training and More for School of Pharmacy

A gift made this fall by Albertsons Companies to Pacific University’s School of Pharmacy will provide immunization training for approximately 100 first-year pharmacy students during the 2020 spring semester. 

The training funded by Albertsons Companies was developed by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and prepares students to administer a range of common vaccines to patients. Pharmacists are trained and allowed to administer vaccinations in the pharmacy and healthcare practice settings. The certification students receive is recognized nationwide for ease of practice after graduation. 

This is the third gift in less than two years from Albertsons Companies that provides immunization training for Pacific University pharmacy students. 

For more than a decade, Albertsons Companies has supported the School of Pharmacy with multiple gifts each year to provide event sponsorships and special trainings, like the immunization training. 

Albertsons Companies also strives to ensure the success of Pacific’s pharmacy students by providing financial aid through the Albertsons Companies Pharmacy Scholarship. Each year, a committee of the School of Pharmacy chooses one or more students to receive the scholarship, based on strong academic achievement. 

From the first scholarship awarded in 2009, through the end of the 2018-2019 academic year, 32 Pacific pharmacy students have so far received almost $35,000 in scholarship support from Albertsons Companies.

“We are truly humbled by the generosity that Albertsons Companies provides every year to our program, particularly to our students,” said Reza Karimi, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “Those supports have assisted students in learning not only the craft of patient care but leadership and advocacy for the pharmacy profession.” 

Timothy Saeteurn PharmD ’21, one of the current recipients of the Albertsons Companies Pharmacy Scholarship, said that receiving it greatly eased the burden of planning for his rotations next year. 

“I am honored to know that my contribution to the community and Albertsons Companies has not gone unnoticed. I hope to continue serving the community while still representing Albertsons Companies after I finish the program,” Saeteurn said. 

Isabelle Wong PharmD ’20, another current recipient, said that receiving the scholarship has given her the opportunity to pursue her professional career goals, including pursuing a residency program, before becoming an ambulatory care pharmacist. 

“With the Albertsons Companies Scholarship fund, I’m able to attend pharmacy conferences where I can network and further ensure success for my residency application by talking and networking with residency directors and current residents,” Wong said. “I view residency as an opportunity to build on my knowledge and gain the necessary exposure and training to best serve patients with both excellency and confidence.”

Albertsons Companies also sponsors two events that bookend students’ time in the pharmacy program: the White Coat Reception and the Graduation Recognition & Reception ceremonies. 

The White Coat Ceremony represents the students’ entry into the pharmacy profession. During this symbolic event, students are reminded of their ethical and principal obligations to devote their knowledge and time to their patients. The ceremony continues with the presentation of a white coat and a pledge of professionalism. On their final day in the program, at the graduation recognition ceremony, the newly minted doctors of pharmacy are again reminded of their responsibilities by taking the oath of the pharmacist.

Locally great and nationally strong, Albertsons Companies, Inc. is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States. Albertsons Companies operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2018 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company gave over $262 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities and veterans outreach.

“We try to find ideas and solutions to best provide our patients with progressive health services and wellness offerings that grow with them throughout their lifetime,” said Nasri Massaad, vice president of pharmacy operations – west for Albertsons Companies. “This is why we invest in our future pharmacists through academic scholarships, white coat ceremonies, innovation trainings, and other opportunities we find. It is our hope that by investing in pharmacy students now, they will in turn give back and serve their own communities by making their patients’ lives better.

“By partnering with institutions like Pacific University School of Pharmacy,” Massaad said, “we are fostering the next generation of community-centered pharmacists to help lead the way to a healthier future for all of us.” 

In 2018, 10 years after making its first gift to the School of Pharmacy, Albertsons Companies was inducted into Pacific University’s President’s Circle, a donor recognition society that celebrates all donors who have given $100,000 or more cumulatively to Pacific. 

Pacific’s School of Pharmacy, part of the College of Health Professions and located on the university’s Hillsboro Campus, offers the Northwest’s only three-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. The school admitted its first class of pharmacy students in 2006. The mission of the School of Pharmacy is to foster a learner-centered community that prepares leaders, scholars, and providers to elevate the pharmacy profession and interprofessional patient-focused care. 

Pacific University is a diverse learning community, where students thrive in a personal academic environment. Tracing its roots to 1849, when it was chartered as a school for orphans of the Oregon Trail, Pacific has long been devoted to making a difference in the world. The university is in the midst of its most ambitious comprehensive campaign to date. Lead On: The Campaign for Tomorrow at Pacific University aims to raise $80 million to strengthen endowments for student financial aid and program growth, expand learning facilities and resources, and invest in innovation and long-term growth on the way to creating an even brighter future for the Boxers of today and tomorrow.