Dr. Allen Mask will be the commencement speaker for the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences’ 2019 spring graduation ceremony. He is well-known throughout North Carolina for his long tenure as the medical reporter and commentator for WRAL-TV/NBC News in Raleigh, where he has covered health and medical news for more than 25 years. Combining his role as a physician and journalist, he has won numerous awards for his medical stories which appear on the evening newscasts.
“We are privileged to have Dr. Mask join us for the 30th commencement ceremony,” said CPHS Dean Michael L. Adams (PharmD ’96, PhD). “He is well respected in the medical and health sciences’ community and will bring a wealth of knowledge and insight to share with our graduates and guests. We look forward to welcoming him to campus.”
Mask is an internist as well as an anesthesiologist. He completed two residencies: the first at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the second in anesthesiology at the University of North Carolina, where he attended both college and medical school. He practiced anesthesiology with Burlington Anesthesia Associates in Alamance County for several years. Mask is also the medical director and founder of the Raleigh Urgent Care Center, one of the oldest urgent care centers in North Carolina. In addition to his primary practice, he is also the physician for the City of Raleigh, and physician to the artists for LiveNation Entertainment.
He also has a deep interest in community affairs, particularly those involving health, education and the arts. He serves on the John Rex Hospital Endowment Board, the North Carolina Theatre Board, the Elon University Health Advisory Board, and the Raleigh Board of Wells Fargo Bank. He has previously served on the UNC Hospital’s Lineberger Cancer Hospital Board, the Cary Academy Trustee Board, the advisory board of the North Carolina School of the Arts, as well as the Saint Augustine University Board of Trustees and the Board of Trustees of Methodist University.
Mask, a father of six (the oldest attended the UNC School of Medicine and the youngest now attends the UNC School of Dentistry), now lives in Chapel Hill with his wife Deirdre, a gynecologist, and their dog Zoe. Campbell University runs deep in their family: one daughter, Sydney, is married to a Campbell graduate and another daughter, Alex, is about to walk down the aisle with another Campbell alumnus.
The College will be celebrating the graduation of the 30th class of pharmacists earning the Doctor of Pharmacy degree along with the 2nd class of students earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree. In addition, degrees in general science, clinical research, pharmaceutical sciences, public health, and physician assistant practice will be conferred.
The College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences’ graduation exercises will be held at 3 p.m. in the John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center in Buies Creek on May 10.