“Dad, tell everyone about Bucky Badger! Because that’s what matters.”
That’s what my 5-year-old son, Milo, told me before I attended the Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA) Luncheon this summer. I couldn’t believe it. My 5-year-old had just distilled down the years we spent together studying, taking exams, celebrating if we passed the exams, and enjoying the explosion of student life that is the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus into just one word: Bucky.
I may not be able to write a column all about Bucky Badger (Buckingham U. Badger is just too cool to describe with words alone), but I can tell you I am proud and grateful beyond belief to be serving as the associate dean for advancement for the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy. I realize that I have huge shoes to fill with my friend, Professor Dave Mott (BS ‘88, MS ‘92, PhD ’95), handing me the reins, and I am excited to work together as alumni and friends of our incredible school.
I am so excited to work together because:
I am a Proud Badger
I graduated from our PharmD program in the Class of 2014, and I currently practice in our pulmonary medicine clinic at the William S. Middleton VA Hospital. Serving our veterans at the VA alongside many alumni from our PharmD program is a tremendous honor. I also teach at our School of Pharmacy, where I am heavily engaged in our School’s Rural Health program. The key to this program’s success has always been connecting students with alumni.
What really makes me proud, though, is our collective impact. When I was at the PAA Luncheon this summer, I had the opportunity to look out at all attendees from the podium. I saw Jenny Tempelis (PharmD ’03), our new PAA president and health-system leader at Mayo Clinic. I saw Julie Bartell (PharmD ’06), our outgoing PAA president and ambulatory care leader at SSM Monroe Clinic. I saw a room completely full of experts who are innovating in community pharmacy practice, primary and specialty care practice, inpatient care, informatics, industry, and the list goes on. I saw a room full of leaders, and I thought of the millions of patients whose lives are better today because of them.
I then thought of the 8,500+ living alumni from our School of Pharmacy across the globe who work every day to discover new therapeutics, evaluate new models of healthcare delivery, practice and form trusting relationships with patients, and lead massive departments in charge of making healthcare delivery better. I thought of our alumni practicing in areas of Wisconsin considered healthcare deserts and the lifeline our alumni provide patients in the greatest need of receiving care.
I thought of my fellow Badger alumni from our Pharmaceutical sciences, Health Services Research in Pharmacy, Applied Drug Development, and Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation programs, who are leading the way in drug discovery, action, delivery, development, and deployment within our complex healthcare systems. I thought of our collective legacy, dating back to 1883 when the School’s doors first opened in South Hall, and then to Chamberlin Hall, and now to Rennebohm Hall, and the generations of alumni who have shared their legacies of time, talent, and treasure with us. Our collective impact on the lives of patients, whether through direct patient care delivery, leadership, or discovery of new innovations, is remarkable.
I am a Grateful Badger
I am grateful to be serving in the “messy middle” of my career. I say messy because I have two little boys, my 5-year-old Milo (who loves Bucky), and my 2-and-a-half-year-old Micah (who loves Badgers). Both are talented little guys who know how to make a huge mess of our house already cluttered with kids’ toys. I say middle because I have been practicing now for 10 to 15 years, and I have another 20 years (at least!) to go in my career. Many of my mentors, those who have shaped me and continue to do so, are still practicing. Professor Mott, who served as our associate dean for advancement for the past 5 years, was my pharmacy law professor when I was a student. He then became my mentor at the School of Pharmacy, and now a very good friend. At the same time, I have been mentoring students and residents now for over 10 years, and I have gotten to experience that feeling of total joy watching them succeed and light up the world with their talents. Josh Nachreiner (PharmD ’19) and Eric Friestrom (PharmD ’19, MS ’21) were both my former students, and they are already serving on our PAA board. The PAA is in very good hands!
I am also grateful for our current students. If you are ever having a hard day, our students are just the prescription for inspiration! I could not keep up with them if I were a student today. Our students’ energy, talent, and pure excitement about the future of our profession is contagious. The future of pharmacy practice, therapeutic discovery, and research innovation is very bright!
Our alumni and friends make opportunities possible for our students. At the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) Annual Meeting this summer, many of our students were able to attend the meeting, present posters, and network thanks to the generosity of alumni giving to our Student Success and Support Fund. This fund literally makes opportunities for student success possible. All gifts go directly towards providing students with opportunities to learn from mentors like you, evaluate innovative practice models, attend important conferences like PSW, conduct groundbreaking research, and the list goes on. These are the opportunities that define our students’ success and position them to make an impact years after joining us as alumni.
We are Giving Badgers
And that leads me to my final point. As School of Pharmacy Badgers, giving is in our DNA. It is just who we are. I reflect on my years of training and the individuals who gave me their time and mentored me regardless of how busy their calendars were. I think of the tremendous talent that we each have as alumni, and how we share our skills, whether they are clinical, leadership-focused, research-focused, and beyond. I also think of the scholarship opportunities that our students receive, especially through our critical Pharmacy Forward campaign, and how these gifts of time, talent, and treasure from us as alumni and friends are shaping the next generation.
My latest example of how giving impacts others came from Tom Thielke (BS ’67, MS ’69), former director of pharmacy at UW Hospital and Clinics and emeritus professor at the School. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Tom and Quin Chesak, a current fourth-year PharmD student. Tom has been a mentor of mine for years and has developed a scholarship fund that will support Quin in her final year of the PharmD program. Tom spent time mentoring Quin, and what he shared really resonated. He talked to her about his mentors, David Zilz (BS ‘62, MS ‘64) and Win Durant, and how he was shaped by them. Tom talked about his major pride point, having mentored 61 classes of residents at UW Hospital and Clinics, and he talked about his family, his grandchildren, and his gratitude. Just like that, Quin had a new mentor in Tom.
It was yet another example of how as Badgers, we are all connected. We all have stories like this that have shaped our practice in community pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and research labs across Wisconsin and around the world.
Ending with Bucky Badger
I want to end by saying my son, Milo — as always — was right. We need to talk about Bucky, who represents our values, identity, unity, and what we can accomplish when we work together as alumni and friends. This is what advancement is all about.
I am excited to learn from you and what you feel it means to be a Badger alum and friend of the School. I look forward to talking with you to learn how we can work together and further strengthen our students’ experience.
Let’s plan to talk at our upcoming Scholarship Brunch on November 16. We can also meet at our upcoming Innovators Events this spring or play pickleball with me at our event this winter (and I am sure you will beat me!). Plus, we have our Pharmacy Alumni and Friends virtual Trivia event on March 10. I and my colleague Alissa Karnaky, our School’s incredible advancement manager, and our stellar events team look forward to seeing you!
Most importantly, I am so excited for us to work together towards the Wisconsin Idea — to influence people’s lives well beyond the boundaries of the classroom.
On, Wisconsin!
Ed Portillo (PharmD ’14)
Associate Dean for Advancement