Oettinger was selected by the national ACT Pharmacy Collaborative to participate in the inaugural Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders Program 

By Logan Underwood

“My dad pushed me to become a leader from a very young age,” says Morgan Oettinger. Her family urged her to forge her own path to find what she is truly passionate about. And as a high school student, she found it: pharmacy.

In pursuit of that passion, Oettinger, now a third-year PharmD student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy, has earned recognition from the Academia Community Transformative (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative.

The ACT Pharmacy Collaborative — founded by the Community Pharmacy Foundation, the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, CPESN USA, and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy — works with over 100 pharmacy schools nationwide with the goal of transforming pharmacy care into a community-based system. Oettinger is one of 50 student pharmacists from across the United States chosen by the collaborative to participate in the new Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders program.

“I’m excited to learn more about what it means to be a leader in community pharmacy and honored that the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative sees my potential.”
—Morgan Oettinger

“I am thrilled to be a part of this new program,” says Oettinger. “I’m excited to learn more about what it means to be a leader in community pharmacy and honored that the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative sees my potential.”

A motivated student leader

In Fall 2023, the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative launched the Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders program to help students develop leadership skills, learn about patient care, and build a national network of pharmacy colleagues interested in community-based pharmacy. As one of the students in the distinguished cohort, Oettinger will have the opportunity to participate in the program’s online learning activities.

Oettinger credits her recognition by the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative to years of pharmacy experience and a few key role models throughout high school and college.

After taking a chemistry class early in high school, Oettinger immediately knew she wanted to go into healthcare. Upon working at a local pharmacy in her small hometown of Beaver Dam, Wis., and seeing pharmacist Abbi Linde (PharmD ’11) in action, Oettinger decided to focus on pharmacy.

“They were very innovative, pushing clinical services, and helping patients,” Oettinger says. “After that, I knew this is definitely something I want to do.”

In her first year of the PharmD program at the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy, Oettinger met another role model.

“I did a rotation at Boscobel Pharmacy, a rural independent pharmacy, with Michelle Farrell (BS ’99, PharmD ’00), and it was my favorite rotation so far,” she says. “Seeing what she does and the number of people she helps inspired me. I knew I wanted to someday be like her and Abbi, as well as my current boss Erin Williams (PharmD ’11) and our assistant manager Amanda Cousineau.”

Now as a third-year PharmD student, Oettinger is following in their footsteps. She is completing the School’s Rural Health named option in the PharmD program, and she was the first student to sign up for the School’s new Entrepreneurial Training and Independent Pharmacy APPE (Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience) track. Through the APPE track in her fourth year, she will get additional exposure to pharmacists practicing at the top of their license and meeting community needs in innovative ways.

“I’m so excited to get started and learn more about these innovative practice environments,” she says. “The School has set me up well to thrive in this program and my future practice.”

Oettinger credits these experiences for being selected for the Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders program. Linde, a member of the Wisconsin Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN), wrote her a letter of recommendation for her application, as did School of Pharmacy Associate Professor Ed Portillo, who leads the Rural Health program.

“These experiences with community pharmacy really helped,” says Oettinger. “I’m grateful for all of the connections I’ve made so far and where they will help me go next.”

An invaluable opportunity

The Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders program offers Oettinger key opportunities to develop practical skills and dive more into her interest in community pharmacy. The program consists of four monthly virtual sessions, starting in January 2024. In May and June, Oettinger will join an immersive online workshop with presentations from nationwide leaders in the field.

Alongside the virtual sessions and workshop, Oettinger will be nationally recognized on the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative website and receive a certificate for completion.

“It’s a great opportunity,” says Oettinger. “We will get more insights in how to run a pharmacy and how to be a leader in your community to make a difference beyond the pharmacy.”

“I’m grateful for all of the connections I’ve made so far and where they will help me go next.”
—Morgan Oettinger

Although excited for the chance to network with leaders in the field of pharmacy, Oettinger is most looking forward to learning more about community-based pharmacy care.

“What I’m hoping to take out of it is being able to better understand what others are thinking and how to lead them,” Oettinger says.

The skills and experience from the Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders program will give Oettinger momentum in furthering her future career in community pharmacy. She hopes to become a leader and a mentor in the field, connecting and communicating with a breadth of patients to provide quality care, like those that inspired her.

“To be able to bring people together and lead them toward improved health — I hope I can do that for someone else someday,” says Oettinger.