Commencement Tuesday, May 26, 2020 | Wednesday, May 27, 2020 About Touro University California Touro University California (TUC) is a Jewish nonprofit, independent graduate institution of higher learning that was founded in 1997 on three Judaic values: social justice, the pursuit of knowledge, and service to humanity. TUC’s vision is to be a place of inspirational teaching and scholarship, transformative leadership, and exemplary service. Today, the university is organized into three colleges: the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Pharmacy, and the College of Education and Health Sciences. Home to over 1,500 students, TUC is deeply committed to its mission of offering distinguished professional programs in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, public health, nursing, and education. The TUC learning experience is student-centered, enriched by research and scholarship, and prepares professionals for rewarding lives in service to others both locally and around the globe. Touro College and University System Touro University California is part of the Touro College and University System (TCUS), which is comprised of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. • Touro College was established in 1970 with the mission to educate, to serve, to perpetuate, and to enrich the historic Jewish tradition of tolerance and dignity. Created as an independent institution that would support and strengthen the Jewish community, Touro has remained steadfast in its commitment to Jewish continuity and more broadly, to humankind. • Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in TCUS schools and divisions. The system has 30 schools with branch campuses in the New York area, as well as programs in Chicago, California, Nevada, Moscow, Israel, and Berlin. • Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus, as well as Touro College Los Angeles and Touro University Worldwide, are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. History of the Campus Touro University California faces the Napa River on historic Mare Island where in 1854, the first permanent Navy installation on the West Coast was established. Naval operations at that time insured the flow of gold and U.S. mail to and across Panama and protected American whalers in the South Pacific. Under the leadership of Commander David G. Farragut, Mare Island began a long history of shipbuilding. The first U.S. warship built on the West Coast was launched at Mare Island in 1859, and the first dry-dock on the West Coast was completed in 1891. The Mare Island Base Hospital, a National Historic Landmark, was constructed in 1899 on the foundation of an even older Navy hospital. The only U.S. battleship ever built on the West Coast, the Californian, was launched from here in 1919. Other historic milestones include the building of a platform on the vessel Pennsylvania, which permitted the first carrier landing of an airplane, and converting the Navy’s first vessel to run on oil rather than coal. During World War II, Mare Island produced almost 400 vessels and in 1958 launched the first of 17 nuclear submarines. tu.edu 1 Congratulations Graduates! It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Touro University California’s Spring 2020 Commencement. On behalf of the entire university leadership team and our faculty and staff, we are thrilled to have you here remotely for this wonderful celebration. I offer a special welcome and thank you to the family and friends of our graduates. They could not have completed this journey without your steadfast support. Graduates—your commencement marks a pivotal and important day for you, Touro, and most of all, the communities and people that you will go on to serve. Today, after persevering through long days of studying, lectures, and labs while learning at the side of our expert faculty and community partners, you can walk with your head held high as well-prepared professionals in your field. You will be joining a distinguished group of alumni who are outstanding doctors, pharmacists, educators, physician assistants, nurses, family nurse practitioners, public health practitioners, and health science professionals. You are now fully prepared to meet the same challenges and make an import impact on those that look to you for help and counsel. As the newest alumni of the university, I encourage you to remain closely connected to Touro University California. You are now the leaders and mentors for future generations of Touro students. Congratulations on your achievement under the most challenging of circumstances. Now, more than ever your skills and training will be an essential asset to your patients, communities and your world. Shelley Berkley CEO and Senior Provost Touro Western Division Touro University California Graduates of 2020, your commitment to social justice has created transformational changes in our community even in the midst of a pandemic. Your service at the Student- Run Free Clinic and on the MOBEC has provided access to healthcare and given patients the tools they need to live healthier and more fulfilling lives. Many of you have served in communities across the globe to create and implement meaningful public health interventions. The educators among you have applied evidence-based strategies to your classrooms so that your students will thrive in a world that is different from the one in which you yourselves grew up. In your final year, you stood up to the challenge of COVID-19 that has altered the way we live. You responded with grace in the call to shelter-in-place to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. You have continued to serve by supporting our communities and each other in the midst of great challenges from sewing masks, to caring for the homeless, to staffing drive through testing centers, and providing remote education for K-12 students. Today you stand ready to meet our community’s most essential needs in an unprecedented time. Every one of you has been changed by your time at Touro University California. Use your experience to live a life of great impact while continually upholding these values: respect for the inherent value and dignity of each individual, acceptance and appreciation of diversity, and compassion and service to society. We, your faculty and staff, know you will continue to create positive change in our world. Sarah Sweitzer Provost and Chief Academic Officer Touro University California 2 College of Pharmacy Tuesday, May 26, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. PROCESSIONAL Bruce Chrisp Music THE NATIONAL ANTHEM Bruce Chrisp Music INVOCATION Rabbi Elchonon Tenenbaum INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS Rae Matsumoto, PhD Dean of the College of Pharmacy WELCOME Alan Kadish, MD President, Touro College and University System & New York Medical College Shelley Berkley, JD Chief Executive Officer and Senior Provost of Touro University Western Division Sarah Sweitzer, PhD Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Touro University California RECOGNITION OF FACULTY AND STAFF Rae Matsumoto, PhD CLASS OF 2020 STUDENT SPEAKER Tony Lotte, PharmD COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER Daniel Ford, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Residency Program Director, NorthBay Healthcare CONFERRAL OF DEGREES Sarah Sweitzer, PhD PRESENTATION OF DEGREE CANDIDATES DOCTOR OF PHARMACY READING OF NAMES Eric Ip, PharmD, APh, BCPS, CSCS, CDE, FCSHP Laura Baumgartner, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP HOODING OF GRADUATES Keith Yoshizuka, PharmD, MBA, JD, FCSHP Lauren Roller, PharmD, BCCCP RECITATION OF THE PHARMACIST OATH Debra Sasaki-Hill, PharmD, Associate Dean of Clinical and Professional Affairs CLASS OF 2017 ALUMNI SPEAKER Katrina Zywiec, PharmD, BCPS BLOWING OF SHOFAR Rabbi Elchonon Tenenbaum CONGRATULATIONS AND CLOSING Rae Matsumoto, PhD RECESSIONAL Bruce Chrisp Music 3 College of Pharmacy The Touro University California College of Pharmacy was founded in 2005 and achieved full accreditation with the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) when it graduated its first Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) class of 61 students in June 2009. It is fully accredited through 2023. The PharmD program is unique in the nation in that it provides two full years of advanced pharmacy practice experiences. Students are offered a variety of clinical practice and management opportunities in their final two years. Our PharmD program graduates students that are well-prepared to provide clinical services in community pharmacies, hospitals, clinics and new healthcare models of practice. Students also have the option to select research and academic experiences that hone their skills in research methodology and academic endeavors. Our international group of 45 pharmacy faculty is committed to supporting student learning, community and professional service, research and scholarship, and have a strong record of partnering with research programs in California and elsewhere to generate new knowledge. Over the years, our PharmD graduates have been selected for competitive pharmacy positions, pharmacy residency programs, research fellowship programs, and graduate/professional programs in business, law, public health and healthcare all across the United States. We are dedicated to maintaining a supportive relationship with our alumni as they pursue their careers and are extremely proud of the 98 Doctors of Pharmacy being presented today. Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2020 Undergraduate Degree Hometown Roua Aboukhadijeh * B.S. Pharmaceutical Science Corona CA Dustin Adams * B.S. Mechanical Engineering Oakland CA Brianna Nemesia Aguirre B.S. Biological Sciences San Jose CA Karla Aguirre B.S. Nutritional Biochemistry Stockton CA Runa Akahoshi * ¥ B.S. Human Biology Rosemead CA Anna Akiyama B.S. Economics Daegu S.Korea Shams Al-Rawi B.S. Pharmacy and Medical Science Walnut Creek CA Samantha Antonio B.S. Biochemistry/Chemistry West Covina CA Amir Asadollahi B.S Biological Sciences Shiraz Fars, Iran Chelane Au B.S. Pharmacological Chemistry Millbrae CA Lola Bae B.A. Human Development Fullerton CA Katelyn Baker B.S. Pharmaceutical Chemistry Modesto CA Ketan Batta B.S. General Biology Livingston CA Carlos Bejarano B.S. Immunology and Microbiology Rio Vista CA Xuan Bi * B.S. Biological Sciences San Jose CA Nathaniel Calloway ɫ Ƌ Bryan Chiem ɫ B.S.