As an oncology pharmacist with UW Health, Jason Bergsbaken expands remarkable cancer care across the region

By Archer Parquette

While Jason Bergsbaken (PharmD ’12) was studying for his degree at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy, he was searching for a calling. He completed rotations across multiple specialties and care settings, but none of them were quite the right fit. It wasn’t until his residency training at UW Health that he found the field for him — oncology pharmacy.

“What drew me to oncology pharmacy, first and foremost, was the patients,” Bergsbaken says. “We really go on a journey with patients in oncology. We have an opportunity to better understand their unique circumstances and goals of care and we get to partner with them to help them live better and live longer. That’s really rewarding.”

Bergsbaken did a second year of residency specializing in oncology pharmacy, and in 2014, he became UW Health’s pharmacy coordinator of regional oncology services. In his position, he coordinates oncology pharmacy services at UW Health’s Carbone Cancer Center and its many partner cancer centers, expanding and improving care across the region.

“We really go on a journey with patients in oncology. We have an opportunity to better understand their unique circumstances and goals of care and we get to partner with them to help them live better and live longer.”
—Jason Bergsbaken

For 2024, Bergsbaken was named the School of Pharmacy’s Young Alumnus of the Year for his ongoing work for patients with cancer and his many contributions to the school.

“Overall, I’m incredibly humbled and appreciative of the recognition,” he says. “Looking at past recipients of the award, there are so many young pharmacists that are making a significant difference for patients.”

Expanding remarkable care

UW Health’s Carbone Cancer Center is Wisconsin’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, making it one of only a small number of centers across the country that have met a standard of excellence for cancer prevention, treatment, and research.  

When Bergsbaken started at UW Health, the system was growing, and the leadership team was pursuing opportunities to expand their excellent cancer care further beyond its flagship Madison location.

“I want to recognize and show appreciation for our strong oncology pharmacy service line leaders and my mentors. They really made the case that the inclusion of a pharmacist resource could help us best extend our treatment to other sites and take best care of patients,” Bergsbaken says. “Additionally, we have such a great oncology pharmacy team here at UW Health. With increasing complexity in care, it takes a strong team with specialized skills to build and maintain all our resources shared with our partners.”

When partner cancer centers collaborate with UW Health, Bergsbaken works closely with them to extend UW Health’s oncology pharmacy care and ensure it meets the high standard set in Madison.

“We provide our expertise so that we can extend remarkable cancer care across Wisconsin and beyond,” Bergsbaken says. “We’ve been recently named the number one hospital in Wisconsin by US News and World Report for 13 consecutive years — I think that really illustrates the quality of work we do here — as well as our National Cancer Institute and National Comprehensive Cancer Network designations. And our goal is to continue sharing that quality of work with the greater region.”

Bergsbaken works closely with physicians and patients to select treatments, manage and mitigate side effects, and monitor safety.

“In cancer care, we’re moving more toward an individualized patient treatment approach,” he says. “Part of this strategy is targeted therapy — treating patients with specific genomic profiles. Additionally, we are rapidly expanding cell and gene therapy options that are engineered for a specific patient. It’s exciting that we have these new tools for patients.”

For his ongoing work in oncology pharmacy, Bergsbaken was named one of the 40 Under 40 in Cancer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting this year.

“That recognition is open to multiple disciplines — I think seeing pharmacists on that list really shows the huge impact and difference we make in the lives of our cancer patients,” he says.

Looking to the future

As a member of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association, Bergsbaken is also an advocate, lobbying state and national government on issues affecting cancer patients. Over the past two decades, he’s helped advocate for legislation to lower disproportionately high oral chemotherapy drug costs and to address drug shortage issues.

“Advocacy is an important tenet of my career,” he says. “Speaking to your representatives about important care considerations can seem intimidating, but you should be confident you are an expert. Advocating for changed legislation ultimately can lead to positive impacts for your patients.”

Bergsbaken returned to the School of Pharmacy in 2019 as a clinical assistant professor. He currently collaborates with Paul Hutson, professor in the School’s Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research Division, to develop oncology education for PharmD students, lectures to classes, and leads labs and seminars.

“Providing the best possible education for students is a passion of mine,” he says. “I want to convey lessons I’ve learned and help make students’ career journey more successful. It’s really rewarding to be a part of that. I also want to give students that early exposure to oncology pharmacy and show them what the field has to offer.”

On top of his role in oncology pharmacy at UW Health, he is also now the program director for PGY2 pharmacy oncology residency, overseeing the next generation of pharmacists training to transform cancer care.

“Mentoring students and residents is a great way to give back to your profession — and you learn so much from them, too,” he says. “You become a better communicator, a better leader, and ultimately a better pharmacist.”