As we prepare for re-accreditation next year, we are well positioned as one of the best pharmacy schools in the country. We’re innovating our PharmD curriculum to offer more specialized tracks and recently launched the Pharmacy Operations and Technology Management concentration for deeper business and entrepreneurship skills. We’re expanding our interprofessional learning opportunities for our PharmD students and also playing a critical leadership role in setting national guidance for interprofessional education with Associate Professor Joe Zorek as a key partner of the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative.

Our comprehensive curriculum prepares PharmD students for success with the #3 NAPLEX first-time pass rate in the nation. Then there’s our impressive placement track record. For those who pursue residencies, UW–Madison School of Pharmacy is #5 in the nation in ASHP residency match rate. PharmD students who enter the job market are also successful with 94% employed within 90 days of graduation. And the value of their degree from UW–Madison is landing them higher average starting salaries at $116,400 compared to $105,354 nationally. It’s great to be a Pharmacy Badger!

Improving internal structure

Looking toward the future, the School is optimizing its organizational structure to ensure that the School of Pharmacy has the framework needed to excel. As part of this effort, we have created three new roles that will help keep us moving forward:

• Vice Dean
• Associate Dean of Advancement
• Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

In addition to his role as associate dean of academic affairs, Mel de Villiers has been named vice dean of the School of Pharmacy with expanded responsibilities that include experiential education, interprofessional education, and other areas.

David Mott (BS ’88, MS ’92, PhD ’95), professor and chair of the Social and Administrative Sciences Division, will take on the additional role of associate dean of advancement. He will work to build a stronger alumni community and create more engagement opportunities for Pharmacy Badgers.

Diversity and inclusion are core values and a strategic priority for the School. Therefore, we are making the role of diversity and inclusion a dedicated leadership position at the assistant dean level, and we will be conducting a national search.

Noteworthy awards

The School’s momentum in research continues with total research expenditures for the School of Pharmacy hitting $11.5 million in fiscal year 2018. In addition to our research strength, the School’s talented faculty and students are garnering acclaim nationally. Here’s a few recent examples.

• The Veterans Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs inducted Assistant Professor Ed Portillo of the Pharmacy Practice Division as a Gold Status Fellow for his cutting-edge chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) service. His project, “Reducing COPD Readmission Rates by Improving Transitions of Care through an Interprofessional Primary Care Team,” is a National Gold Status Project that is undergoing implementation at other VA clinics.
• Associate Professor Warren Rose of the Pharmacy Practice Division was honored with the 2018 Distinguished Investigator Award from the Infectious Diseases Practice Research Network (IDPRN) of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). 

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  In the lab of Assistant Professor Jiaoyang Jiang, Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate student Arielis Estevez was selected for the National Institutes of Health Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program.
• Three PharmD students earned awards from ACCP for their research.
• During the 2018 ASHP Midyear, Wisconsin Society of Pharmacy Students (WSPS) student leaders received the national Outstanding Professional Development Project Award. WSPS’ work on its Conference on Conferences event provided learning for PharmD students on how to maximize their conference experience and get practice in a mock conference.
• At the 2018 APhA-ASP Region 4 Midyear Regional Meeting, four PharmD students won two Great Lakes Region awards for WSPS outreach programs, Operation Diabetes and GenRx. 

Made possible by alumni

During this season of gratitude and giving, I’m awed by the dedication of our alumni and grateful for their incredible generosity in volunteering time, sharing their expertise, and providing direct financial support to make the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy stronger.

As the first pharmacy school in Wisconsin, the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy enjoys the largest alumni network in the state. But more importantly than size is the deep engagement of our Pharmacy Badger alumni. They strengthen the School in so many invaluable ways, partnering with us to deliver top programs, produce the best students, and support vital research.

Gift of time

One of the ways our alumni give back is with their time, particularly in helping the School recruit prospective students. Many PharmD alumni interview prospective students and meet with applicants. Just a few examples include Monica Robbins (BS ’77), clinical pharmacist in informatics from Indianapolis; Greeta Cherayil (BS ’84), regional scientific associate director in Brookfield, Wis.; Ted Boylan (PharmD ’03), vice president of clinical programs from Chicago; and Priscilla Lee (PharmD ’13), clinical pharmacist in Rockford.

Simply giving the time to speak with prospective students and encouraging promising talent to apply can be impactful. For example, Corey Lester (PhD ’17), assistant professor at the University of Michigan, recently spoke with a prospective Social and Administrative Sciences graduate student about why our SAS program was a great experience. Peter Anderson (PhD ’07), assistant professor at the University of Washington, Bothell is a strong advocate of our Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate program—one of his undergraduate advisees will be applying.

Other alumni contribute their time towards marketing efforts, such as participating in the pharmacy careers video series for prospective PharmD students that features Charlie Lee (BS ’96), pharmacy manager, and Monica Bogenschutz (PharmD ’08), pharmacy coordinator for pediatric clinical services. Sharing their UW–Madison experience through alumni testimonials is another avenue to support the School. Several alumni took time out during the Alumni Tailgate to film their thoughts about our PharmD program, including Berook Addisu (PharmD ’10), associate chief of acute care and operations, Sarah Peppard (PharmD ’06), clinical pharmacist, and Christopher Frye (PharmD ’15).

Gift of talent

In the area of teaching and learning, our alumni are fundamental to the School’s clinical training, leadership development, and pharmacy practice. With the majority of our 1,500 preceptors being alumni, our alumni preceptors provide critical clinical training that enriches the student experience during their clerkships and practice experiences. We’re privileged to have some of the best preceptors, such as AACP Master Preceptor Jeffrey Fish (BS ‘91), Melissa Forbes (PharmD ’10), and Paul Jest (PharmD ’11), among countless others.

Inside the classroom, our alumni are bringing the latest in pharmacy practice to our students. For example, in a new course focused on rural health, PharmD students are learning firsthand from alumni practitioners who are sharing their deep expertise in innovative practices and services, as well as their rich perspective on the current issues facing pharmacists serving rural communities. The rural health class speakers included Scott Larson (BS ’96), director of pharmacy and emergency services, Melissa Stiles (PharmD ’10), hospital pharmacy manager, Julie Bartell (PharmD ’06) ambulatory care pharmacist, Chris Barron (BS ’97), executive director of population health, Michelle Farrell (BS ’99, PharmD ’00), owner and pharmacy manager, Bryant Schobert (PharmD ‘14), director of pharmacy, and Abby Moore (PharmD ‘17), Indian Health Services pharmacist.

Social and Administrative Sciences graduate students hear from alumni speakers as well, with Jia Pu (PhD ’13) as one example. Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate students benefit from alumni presentations, hearing from Rick Pyter (BS ’73, MS ’76, PhD ’80) and Azita Saleki-Gerhardt (BS ’88, MS ’91, PhD ’93), both also serving as Board of Visitors members.

Outside the lecture halls, alumni play an important role in supporting student organizations. Marnie Wickizer (PharmD ‘03) helped start a new student chapter of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) at the School of Pharmacy and continues to serve as its advisor. George Zorich (BS ’78) wanted to spur entrepreneurship skills among PharmD students and helped start the School’s first entrepreneurship group and SHARx Tank competition.

Alumni also are vital in leadership development for our students, providing career support by mentoring and sharing their career experiences. The School’s PharmD Leadership Certificate and Mentor program has 100 percent alumni mentors, such as Aaron Steffenhagen (PharmD ’01). PharmTox alum Katherine Fallace (BS ’10) spoke about the career paths available to PharmTox students while Ping Tong (PhD ’00) gave a career talk to Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate students about career options in government. Several other PharmSci alumni traveled at their own expense to share their career stories as panelists at the last Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Student Retreat. Alumni panelists included Stacy J. Keding (PhD ’01), director of strategic competitive intelligence, Matt Slattery (PhD ’08), assistant professor of biomedical sciences, Irawati (Angki) Kartini Kandela (PhD ’06), assistant director of tumor biology core, and Kwadwo Owusu-Ofori (PhD ’10), founder and lead product developer at Anokye Food Company.

Of course, we also appreciate our alumni recruiters who help our students land their first jobs. In our latest Career Fair for PharmD students, 36 employers attended. Many of those recruiters were alumni, such as Christa Hatch (PharmD ’13) and Diane Erdman (PharmD ’97) with Ascension, Charlie Kujak (PharmD ’02) with Mayo Clinic, Zach Luick (PharmD ’07) with Walgreens, and Maria Wopat (PharmD ’10) with the William S. Middleton VA Hospital.

Another important way alumni share their talent is their service on the Board of Visitors (BOV) for the School of Pharmacy. BOV members are accomplished alumni who advise and consult for the School on strategic issues. Marianne Ivey (BS ’67) and George Zorich (BS ’78) recently concluded their terms, and now we’re welcoming Tom Thielke (BS ’67, MS ’69) and Dave Ehlert (BS ’98, PharmD ‘99) to the board.

In addition, several alumni volunteer their talent to serve on the Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA) board, including PAA President Nate Smith (PharmD ’14) and President-Elect Josie Kristiansen (PharmD ’10).

Gift of treasure

Alumni donors make student scholarships possible, helping approximately 20 percent of all current PharmD students. Their generosity in financially supporting students through scholarships is making an enduring impact in producing future pharmacy leaders. BOV members Nancy Gilbride (BS ‘90, MS ‘93) and Dan Luce (BS ‘81) are launching two new namesake scholarships. Many other scholarship funds have been created by alumni, such as Ronald Borchardt (BS ‘67), Deb Fluno (BS ‘87), and Pam Ploetz (BS ‘68), in addition to gifts made by family and friends to remember alumni through memorial scholarships. The Class of 1967, spearheaded by Ted Collins, Bill Zellmer, and Tom Thielke, and the Class of 1990, led by Tony Ball, both recently made a class gift to the School to establish new scholarships. Other class gifts include the Pharmacy Class of 1974, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

In addition to tuition scholarships, other alumni contribute generously to fund Pharmaceutical Sciences travel awards and graduate fellowships for our doctoral and masters students. Givers include Allan Collins (BS ‘65, MS ‘67, PhD ‘70), Kenneth Miller (BS ‘64, PhD ‘69), Thora Vervoren (BS ‘53), Leon Lachman (PhD ‘56) and his spouse, Jordan Cohen (BS ‘65, MS ‘67, PhD ‘69) and his spouse, and the many alumni and friends who contribute to the Joseph Wiederholt Fellowship in Social & Administrative Pharmacy. Also, every year numerous alumni, including Chris Leuenberger (PharmD ’16), sponsor white coats for PharmD students and donate toward travel grants during the White Coat Ceremony.

We are also very fortunate to enjoy the support of alumni to advance our research through named professorships and chairs. For example, Mahendra Patel (MS ‘74, PhD ‘78) and his spouse, Jayshree, fund the Jens T. Carstensen Distinguished Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and John Apinis (BS ‘64) and his spouse, Inara, established the Janis Apinis Professorship in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Over in SAS, David Sanders (BS ‘52), along with his spouse, Miriam, and SAS professor emeritus Robert Hammel (‘48, ’56, ’59), created the Hammel-Sanders Distinguished Chair in Pharmacy Administration. This represents another essential way our alumni support faculty research at the School.

Finally, many of you contribute to the School of Pharmacy Annual Fund, which makes possible a myriad of programs, including faculty educational support, Dean’s Scholarship, student graduation awards, PharmSci Seminar Series, PharmTox program support, and much more.

I offer my heartfelt thanks to our alumni and friends who believe in the power of our mission, the possibility of a pharmacy education, and the potential of our students at the School of Pharmacy. Thank you very much for giving back and paying it forward—we are forever grateful.

On, Wisconsin!

Steven M. Swanson
Dean