UW–Madison’s Grandparents University pharmacy major offers hands-on exploration for kids and alumni alike

By Logan Underwood

For Kim Lintner (PharmD ’01), clinical pharmacist with UW Health, signing up for the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Grandparents University (GPU) was more than an opportunity to connect with her niece, Natalie — it was a chance to see her profession through a child’s eyes.

Serving as an “honorary grandparent,” Lintner and her niece signed up for Grandparents University’s pharmacy major at the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy — one of 30 immersive, two-day programs, ranging from animal ecology to theater and drama, available to kids aged 7 to 14 and an older relative who is a UW–Madison alum.

Through the pharmacy major, Lintner and her niece visited Rennebohm Hall to compound their own gummy medications, role-play patient consultations, and learn about how new drugs are discovered. Watching Natalie’s excitement grow reignited her own.

“I saw her understanding deepen in just two days, and it made me excited for the next generation of pharmacists.”
—Kim Lintner

“I saw her understanding deepen in just two days, and it made me excited for the next generation of pharmacists,” says Lintner. 

Compounding and consulting

Throughout a July weekend, Lintner and her niece were led through several interactive activities designed to give attendees a clearer idea of the multifaceted day-to-day activities of a pharmacist.

“It’s such a great opportunity for us at the School of Pharmacy to share with the public the critical impact we as pharmacists make,” says Ed Portillo (PharmD ‘14), associate professor in the Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research Division who helped build the School’s GPU curriculum. “And at the same time, we open the pharmacy career pathway to talented young kids. They explore pharmacy as an exciting future career opportunity.”

On the first day, kids got to make their own gummies — a gelatin-based drug delivery system — as an exercise in medication compounding. This involved not only following careful instructions and using pharmaceutical equipment, but it also helped teach attendees why medications never taste all that good. Even medications compounded for kids — such as in a bubble gum flavor to tempt kids into accepting their doses — can’t be too sweet in order to prevent kids from thinking they’re candy and taking too much.

Kids also got to don their white coats to counsel their grandparent (or aunt, in Lintner’s case) about properly taking the gummy formulation.

“It was so exciting to watch grandchildren go through the exact process that pharmacists go through when educating the public,” says Portillo. “It’s all about putting our grandkids and grandparents in an authentic situation where they can interact and learn together.”

Lintner was able to see how her niece’s perception of her occupation changed through the interactive experiences at Grandparents University. The grandparents and grandkids aren’t simply learning about medications, treatment, or patient interaction — they are directly experiencing what it means to be a pharmacist.

“You could tell the kids had more of a traditional pharmacist in mind going into it,” explains Lintner. “I think if they were asked on the last day to describe what they know about a pharmacist, they would have 10 times more answers than they had that first day. It was eye-opening about the possibilities.”

Medication experts

For Portillo, Associate Dean for Advancement Dave Mott (BS ’88, MS ’92, PhD ’95), Pharmaceutical Experiment Station Administrative Director Edmund Elder, teaching faculty Jessica Bergsbaken, and the rest of the Grandparents University pharmacy major team, being able to captivate the interest of grandparents is one of the things that makes the pharmacy major special.

In one activity during the second day of the program, the kids were taught about a variety of pain and allergy medications. Then, the grandparents would describe specific symptoms, and the kids would attempt to recommend medication to treat them. PharmD students and School of Pharmacy faculty helped the kids determine the right answer and led a discussion at the end of the exercise.

“We debriefed afterward and asked the grandchildren how it felt to be a pharmacist, and they said it was really empowering and helped them understand how pharmacists make clinical decisions,” says Portillo.

The interaction and engagement between the grandparents, grandchildren, faculty, students, and alumni was intentional to make this a high-impact event for families.

“They shared an experience around pharmacy, and I think that brings families even closer together,” says Portillo.

Portillo also recognizes that pharmacists may play an increasingly large role in patients’ lives as they age. While the program offers activities for kids and spotlights a potential career path, it also offers grandparents the opportunity to interact directly with pharmacy experts and ask their own questions. Many of the grandparents came in with questions about their own medications and experiences interacting with pharmacists.

“The non-pharmacist grandparents really liked getting a chance to ask those behind-the-scenes questions of a pharmacist,” says Lintner. “I think there were a lot of ‘a-ha’ moments, especially with the adults, realizing all of the things that their pharmacist actually does.”

Continuing success

In their second year organizing School’s Grandparents University pharmacy major, Portillo, Mott, Bergsbaken, and Elder added a third session in 2024, giving more families the chance to explore pharmacy.

Portillo believes that current PharmD students are what makes the program so successful. Between leading discussions, mentoring grandkids, and discussing information with grandparents, PharmD student volunteers are key to the activities running smoothly.

“When we run these sessions, it’s our current students who are doing the teaching and leading discussions, mentoring the grandkids, and sharing information with the grandparents,” Portillo says. “It’s a way for us to highlight the greatest strength of our school, which is our students, and how knowledgeable and excited they are about the profession.”

The team plans to offer the major again in 2025 for a third year, with more help from a secret weapon: students and alumni.

“That’s what Grandparents University is all about — connecting Badgers, learning from one another, and making an impact,” says Portillo. “I think that’s what I’m most excited about for next year.”