THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

HThere’s a perception that pharmacists’ roles are to wear lab coats and count pills. The reality is that pharmacists play a huge role in society, providing a massive range of front-line health services.

The University of Auckland needed to shift this perception to recruit new Bachelor of Pharmacy students and safeguard the future of Aotearoa’s health. But our young audience of 15-year-olds were certainly not reading University prospectuses, let along aspiring to count pills for a living.

So we went straight to where high-schoolers hang out - TikTok and Instagram - and created a hot new fashion drop.

Five local artists were paired with Bachelor of Pharmacy alumni. Each partnership created one bespoke coat exploring the different roles pharmacists play in society. The physical coats were exhibited at University of Auckland Open Day and have become a tool for career expos and high school recruitment drives.