Class Notes: Spring 2025

March

2025

Bruce Wiesman, Mohamed Amin, Jocelyn Graening, Kassie Foellinger, and Kara Wong

The Spring 2025 edition of Class Notes includes updates from Bruce Wiesman (BS '70), Jocelyn Graening (PharmD '12), Mohamed Amin (PhD '13), Kassie Foellinger (PharmD '13), and Kara Wong (PharmD '10).

March

Alumni Updates

University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy alumni are leading dynamic lives, gaining recognition, getting new jobs, or investing in their personal lives through family, friends, and hobbies. Stay in touch with your fellow UW–Madison School of Pharmacy alumni across the country by checking (and sharing) Class Notes in each DiscoveRx digital magazine issue.

See our previous edition of Class Notes from the Winter 2024 issue.
Submit your class note for the Summer 2025 issue.

New Jobs/Positions

Mary Frances Picone (PharmD ’16) is starting a new position as a Pharmacist with the Division of Drug Price Negotiation for the Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Brock Dantuma (PharmD ’19) recently started a new position at UW Health as pharmacy manager – 340B and Supply Chain.

Kate Rotzenberg (PharmD ’07) begins a new role as pharmacist editor of the Journal of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin in May 2025.

Accomplishments and Awards

Mohamed Amin (PharmD ’13): “I am honored to be shortlisted among the eight most innovative teachers in the Arab world, as recognized by Times Higher Education. I received this recognition in Dubai, UAE in December 2024.”

Kara Wong (PharmD ’10): “I am thrilled to announce that I have been selected as a member of the inaugural class of Ameriacan Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP) Fellows! This designation recognizes individuals demonstrating excellence in advancing the practice of psychiatric pharmacy and the mission and goals of AAPP. I am proud to be a psychiatric pharmacist and am proud to be a member of AAPP.”

Heidi Mansour (BS ’96, PhD ’03) has been namemd a Fellow of the American Thoracic Society.

Bruce Scott (BS ’79) is being honored with a 2025 American Society of Health Systems Pharamcists Honorary Membership Award.

David Zgarrick (BS ’88) has received the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Personal Updates and Check-Ins

Kassie Foellinger (PharmD ’13) welcomed her fourth child at the beginning of 2025.

Jocelyn Graening (PharmD ’12) welcomed a baby boy in summer 2024.

Bruce Wiesman (BS ’70): “Continuing to enjoy retirement! Panama Canal cruise January 2025.”

Kenneth Bykowski (BS ’68): “In June 2025 I will be completing my 57th year as a practicing pharmacist. My how time flies! I have the most wonderful career that I could imagine, and have enjoyed every day, even the bad days, of being a practicing pharmacist. My career has spanned hospitals, where I implemented and transformed to unit-dose drug distribution systems, carrying on the mission of Winston J. Durant at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals. During my hospital pharmacy residency at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, I was the proud recipient of a Roche Hospital Pharmacy Award based on a competition among 500 residents across the United States. The project involved setting up a unit-dose drug distribution system and IV admixture program. In addition, I had the opportunity to open a brand new hospital pharmacy at Olympia Fields Osteopathic Medical Center in Olympia Fields, Illinois. This was a defining moment in my pharmacy career. When you walk in a blank room with no functioning systems and are told that you have to put together a state of the art pharmacy system in four months it send shivers down your spine. It tested everything that I had learned in my short career. It went perfect! I could not have been happier. Thank you to Winston J. Durant, David Zilz, Thomas Thielke and the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy. After this I ventured into the new area for pharmacy involvement called home health care. A company called Home Health Care of America (HHCA) hired me to open the eight state area in the Midwest to deliver TPN supplies to patients. Just before HHCA went public we changed our name to Caremark! Thank you to James Sweeny and Dick Allen for a wonderful opportunity. After tiring of the cold weather my wife Diane and I relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona. There I became involved in the emerging field of managed care pharmacy with a company called FHP. This allowed me to take the drug formulary process from the hospital to the office-based medical practioner participating in a managed care health plan. It also allowed me to visit one-on-one with community based medical practioners. During this time in 1991, I became involved with the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) which allowed me to network with managed care pharmacists across the county. I became involved in committee work dealing with legislative and grass roots advocacy at the federal and state levels. Currently, I am co-chairman of the Arizona Pharmacy Association (AzPA) Legislative Committee. Over the years I have been honored with awards by AMCP and AzPA for my involvement in promoting the profession of pharmacy. It is always a great feeling to be recognized by your peers. As stated earlier, I have enjoyed every day, even the bad days, of my pharmacy career. I’m very thankful to look at the third grade essay which stated “that I want to be a ‘Druggist’ when I grow up.”

Richard Hoffman (BS ’55): “My photograph (Silent Devotion) won 1st place in the amateur classification for the National Arts Program and I will be awarded with a check and acknowledged at the March reception in Santa Rosa, California. The photo was taken by me while on a Viking River Cruise to Russia. I now reside with my wife of 69 years, Toby Apple Hoffman, at a senior living facility.”