UH Hilo welcomes first cohort to new online track to doctor of pharmacy degree
The UH Hilo pharmacy college launched a new distance learning track this month for the doctor of pharmacy degree, designed for students who work or have other personal or professional responsibilities.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy welcomed a new distance education cohort this month in the doctor of pharmacy program. The new PharmD-XO online track is designed for students who work or have other personal or professional responsibilities.
“The PharmD-XO pathway is a much-needed option for our island communities,” says Rae Matsumoto, dean of the college.
- UH Hilo pharmacy college set to launch new doctor of pharmacy online track in January (Sept. 18, 2025, UH Hilo Stories)
Twelve aspiring pharmacists hailing from the islands of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi and Puerto Rico are enrolled in the inaugural cohort. The new students just spent a week on campus for orientation and their White Coat Ceremony.
Distance learning program opens access to those unable to relocate to Hilo
UH Hilo’s pharmacy college is committed to developing programs that improve access to health care, especially in rural and underserved communities. A key part of this mission is to broaden access for health care providers, including aspiring pharmacists, to higher education opportunities to earn the degrees needed to provide that care to communities.
This new distance education pathway opens access for many aspiring pharmacists who are unable to relocate to Hilo to pursue their pharmacy doctorate degree. Often, when students do relocate, it leaves critical gaps in pharmacies and other health care settings where they were previously employed. The new PharmD-XO program closes those gaps, providing a viable online path for adult learners to continue to work and live in their communities while pursuing their degree.
“I really appreciated having the extra time to get to know my cohort as well as the instructors,” says member of the cohort Kelly Furutomo. “Thank you for creating this program that gives people like me and the rest of my cohort the opportunity to further expand our careers and revisit dreams that we thought were not possible to pursue.”
The cohort will spend the next four-and-a-half years taking classes online, mastering basic skills, and completing in-person introductory pharmacy practice experiences. The final year of the program will comprise eight advanced pharmacy practice experiences in different employment settings for pharmacists.
The next PharmD-XO cohort will start in the spring semester of 2027. The pharmacy college is currently recruiting students for the on-campus cohort that will begin in fall 2026.
–Read full story at the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy website.
