Congratulations, Class of 2026!
Graduates, you should be very proud! You completed a rigorous academic program and persevered to achieve your degree. You are prepared to meet the healthcare challenges of our increasingly complex, global world.
As you graduate, you join a strong network of over 8,000 alumni who are exemplary practitioners, researchers, medical professionals, and leaders. You become a member of the Pharmacy Alumni Association, an organization for all graduates of the School of Pharmacy.
Skip to a Section
- Livestream: PharmD & HSPAL Graduation
- Download PharmD & HSPAL Program
- PharmD & HSPAL Keynote Speaker - Steve Rough
- Graduate Studies Recognition and Hooding
- Livestream: Graduate Studies Recognition and Hooding
- Download Graduate Studies Celebration Program
- Graduate Studies Keynote Speaker - Samantha Rector
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Graduation
- Download PharmTox Program
- PharmTox Keynote Speaker - Scott Haugen
- UW-Madison Spring Commencement Ceremonies
- Stay Connected
PharmD & Health System Pharmacy Administration Hooding Ceremony
PharmD & HSPAL Hooding Ceremony Livestream
Live: Watch the Hooding Ceremony live on Facebook from 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM CST on Friday, May 8, 2026
Graduation Celebration Program
Keynote Speaker: Steve Rough, BS ’91, MS ’94, RPh, FASHP
Steve Rough is a visionary leader in health system pharmacy, dedicating his career to transforming healthcare through innovative pharmacy strategies. With deep expertise in optimizing financial, operational, and patient care performance, Rough has played a key role in advancing the success of healthcare organizations nationwide. His commitment to fostering innovation drives exceptional outcomes in health system pharmacy.
As the immediate-past CEO and current Chairman of Visante, the nation’s leading health system pharmacy advisory solutions and managed services partner, Rough sets the company’s strategic direction, cultivating a collaborative and high-performing culture that fosters the delivery of unmatched client results and superior financial performance.
Throughout his distinguished career, Rough has developed sustainable, high-value pharmacy programs that have impacted both local and national healthcare landscapes. Before joining Visante, he served as Senior Director of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Health for 16 years, where he led all aspects of the health system’s pharmacy enterprise, excelling in strategic, operational, clinical, and financial performance. During his tenure, Rough cultivated an unmatched collaborative environment where interdisciplinary teams worked seamlessly, ensuring that pharmacists, technicians, researchers, and educators operated at the highest levels of their expertise, enhancing patient care across diverse settings.
In addition to his leadership at UW Health, Rough was a Clinical Associate Professor at the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy. He directed the Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Residency Program and the Master’s Program in Health System Pharmacy Administration, pivotal in shaping the next generation of pharmacy leaders.
An influential thought leader in hospital pharmacy, Rough has contributed over 40 publications and seven textbook chapters to the professional literature, and delivered over 150 presentations at national conferences, sharing insights on pharmacy leadership and innovation. His contributions to the field have earned him recognition from numerous professional organizations, including the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW). His accolades include the PSW Pharmacist of the Year (2003), the ASHP Distinguished Service Award (2010), The Winston J. Durant Lecture Award (2014), and the John W. Webb Lecture Award (2016).
Rough holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW-Madison and completed his residency training in Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacy Administration at UW Hospital.
Graduate Studies Recognition and Hooding Ceremony
Recognizing the achievements of our graduate students from the following programs:
Doctor of Philosophy – Pharmaceutical Sciences
Doctor of Philosophy – Health Services Research in Pharmacy
Master of Science – Applied Drug Development
Capstone Certificate – Applied Drug Development
Master of Science – Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation
Capstone Certificate – Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation
Graduate Studies Recognition and Hooding Ceremony Livestream
Live: Watch the Hooding Ceremony live on Facebook from 5:45 PM – 7:15 PM CST on Thursday, May 7, 2026
Graduation Celebration Program
Keynote Speaker: Samantha Rector, BS ’16, MA ‘23
Samantha Tabone Rector is a General Partner at XEIA Venture Partners in San Francisco, California. She graduated from the UW-Madison PPI Program in 2023 and has since then been involved in over 30 investment deals spanning psychedelic drug discovery, neurotechnology, AI-enabled drug discovery, and more. She’s fractional Head of Business Development at one of her portfolio company’s, Xylo Bio, and is leading the development of another earlier company, Forecast Bio. Samantha also advises on corporate development at Kernel Neurotech and volunteers with the NIH’s Blueprint MedTech Program, Nucleate, BrainMind, Creative Destruction Lab, and more.
Beyond her investment and operational roles, Samantha is a driving force behind the “Human 3” podcast, which interviews the scientists, founders and investors driving Human 3 – the next epoch of health, wellbeing and performance. As a co-host of the Human 3 Podcast, she explores the frontiers of neuro-restorative therapies, epigenetic medicine, and brain-computer interfaces to move the industry toward curative solutions.
Wear Your Alumni Pride
Show your Pharmacy Badger pride with new alumni apparel available to order online.
BS Pharmacology and Toxicology
Congratulations to the PharmTox Class of 2026!
PharmTox Graduation Program
Keynote Speaker: Scott Haugen, MD, BS ’95
Scott Haugen, MD, is a physician leader and interventional cardiologist who serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington Permanente Medical Group (WPMG), the largest clinician-led medical group in Washington state.
Drawn to medicine from an early age, Dr. Haugen earned his undergraduate degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and completed his training at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He built a distinguished career in interventional cardiology at WPMG, serving as Chief of Cardiology before transitioning to board governance, where he brings frontline clinical perspective to strategic leadership. He remains engaged with the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy as a longtime member of the Pharm/Tox External Advisory Committee.
A clinician-innovator, Dr. Haugen founded the first structural heart program in his region and performed the first minimally invasive structural heart procedures for Kaiser Permanente patients in Washington, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), mitral valve repair, and tricuspid valve repair. Recognized as a “Top Doctor” by Seattle and Seattle Met magazines for more than a decade, he has also received multiple honors for research, innovation, and clinical excellence.
Dr. Haugen lives in Kirkland, Washington, with his family. Outside of medicine, he enjoys cooking, reading, travel, downhill skiing, and wakesurfing—pursuits that reflect the same focus and energy he brings to his professional life.
University of Wisconsin–Madison Spring Commencement Ceremonies
Doctoral and Professional Degree Candidate Ceremony (including PharmD and PhD)
Friday, May 8, 2026
5:30 pm CST
Kohl Center
Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Candidate Ceremony (including BS PharmTox Degree Candidates)
Saturday, May 9, 2026
12:00 pm CST
Camp Randall Stadium
Stay Connected
Keep in Touch
As you move on to achieve great things, share your new contact information to stay connected with your alumni network.
Stay Connected with DiscoveRx
Stay connected with the School by reading the quarterly alumni publication. You can share your milestones by submitting a Class Note.
Join Badger Bridge
Connect with other alumni on Badger Bridge, the social network just for Badgers. Find new connections, ask for advice, or offer to help students.
Acknowledgements
A heartfelt thank-you goes to the faculty and staff at the School of Pharmacy who coordinated this celebration event:
Anna Reinhart, Lindsey Weigel, Sally Griffith-Oh, Kendra Gurnee, Ace Hilliard, Lindy Stoll, Christopher McIntire, Katie Gerhards, Zoe Andrews, Jasmine Loving, and Alissa Karnaky