Dr. Denis Kitayama ’76, PharmD, is one of the 23 accomplished individuals honored by the University of California, Irvine Alumni Association at this year’s Lauds & Laurels ceremony.
These awards recognize UCI alumni whose personal or professional achievements bring honor and distinction to a particular school or discipline, UCI and/or the UCI Alumni Association. Dr. Kitayama represented the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Dr. Kitayama has a 42-year career as a pharmacist, preceptor, teacher, and mentor. For the last 19 years, he has served as project manager, clinical content for Kaiser Permanente’s electronic health record. For more than 20 years, he has served as a mentor for UCI’s undergraduate mentor programs, meeting new students every fall. Many of his mentees, whom he often keeps in touch after the mentor program, have gone on to become pharmacists.
Dr. Kitayama’s legacy of mentorship to pharmacists is unparalleled. Last year, he was invited to be among the first mentors for the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences PharmD program. The school welcomed its first class of student pharmacists (49) in 2021. This year, the school will welcome its second cohort of students (50) at its annual White Coat Ceremony where Dr. Kitayama will serve as a keynote speaker.
“We are honored that Dr. Kitayama has shared his expertise with our students,” says Jan Hirsch, founding dean and professor of clinical pharmacy at the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Denis brings decades-worth of experience and knowledge to our eager students. His mentorship is invaluable and will help shape the next generation of pharmacists.”