Photo Gallery: Chancellor Mnookin Tours the School

Chancellor Mnookin smiles at a board room table — UW Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin during her tour of the School of Pharmacy. | Photo by Todd Brown

Photos by Todd Brown

In April 2023, Jennifer Mnookin officially took the reins as the new chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. As she learns more about the campus she now leads, she visited the School of Pharmacy for a tour of our degree programs, facilities, and research endeavors. Chancellor Mnookin met with faculty, graduate students, and residents across Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research Division, Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, and Social and Administrative Sciences Division, along with a panel of pharmacy and community leaders.

Though her various sessions at the School, she learned that the School of Pharmacy — the top producer of pharmacists in the state of Wisconsin — is essential and uniquely positioned to advance pharmacy practice through education, service, outreach, and robust and varied research, with nearly $17 million in research funding.

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin began her visit at the School of Pharmacy by meeting with members of our Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research Division, including Professor and Division Chair Beth Martin (BS '90, MS '03, PhD '06), Associate Professor Andrea Porter (PharmD '06), and Associate Professor Warren Rose, as well as alum Ben Enriquez (PharmD '23) and second-year PharmD student Ryan Smith. They discussed the breadth of roles that pharmacy students are prepared for.
Associate Professor Warren Rose explains the innovative translational research happening at the School, such as how the Rose Lab is repurposing older antibiotics to address resistance.
Professor Michelle Chui, chair of the Social and Administrative Sciences Division, and Dean Steve Swanson guide Chancellor Mnookin to the Sonderegger Research Center for Improved Medication Outcomes (SRC).
In the SRC, Health Services Research in Pharmacy graduate student Jason Chladek, Division Chair Chui, Dean Swanson, and Associate Professor Jay Ford meet with Chancellor Mnookin to share the various research collaborations happening within the SRC and Social and Administrative Sciences Division. For example, Ford shares that pharmacists are well-positioned to address the opioid epidemic and provide services to individuals with an opioid use disorder (OUD) due to their accessibility, especially in rural areas. Specifically, they are trained to inform patients about what to expect pharmacologically with different medications for OUD (MOUD) and to follow-up with the patient once the MOUD is prescribed. In addition, a pharmacist can be a community resource about the potential harm caused by fentanyl-laced medications and the importance of naloxone as a rescue medication.
Professor Paul Marker, chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, and Dean Swanson lead Chancellor Mnookin to the School's research tower housing faculty labs exploring drug discovery, drug action, and drug delivery.
Professor Tim Bugni, in the Drug Discovery core of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, explains to Chancellor Mnookin how his lab uses natural products found in the ocean to cultivate promising potential antifungals and antibiotics.
Professor Tim Bugni, in the Drug Discovery core of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, explains to Chancellor Mnookin how his lab uses natural products found in the ocean to cultivate promising potential antifungals and antibiotics.
Professor Tim Bugni, in the Drug Discovery core of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, explains to Chancellor Mnookin how his lab uses natural products found in the ocean to cultivate promising potential antifungals and antibiotics.
Chancellor Mnookin meets with a panel of students representing all of the School's degree programs: PharmD, Pharmacology and Toxicology BS, Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD, HSRP PhD, Applied Drug Development Master’s, and Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation Master’s.
During the student panel, Chancellor Mnookin learns that the School's students feel well-prepared for the next steps in their careers.
During the student panel, Chancellor Mnookin learns that the School's students feel well-prepared for the next steps in their careers.
During the student panel, Chancellor Mnookin learns that the School's students feel well-prepared for the next steps in their careers.
In another panel discussion, Chancellor Mnookin hears from alumni Sarah Sorum (PharmD '05), CEO of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin; Andrew Wilcox (PharmD '01), chief of pharmacy at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital; Jack Temple (MS '06), senior director of pharmacy at UW Health; and Professor and Associate Dean of Advancement Dave Mott (BS ’88, MS ’92, PhD ’95), as well as Michael Johnson, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County.
Chancellor Mnookin learns how vital pharmacists are to the lives of patients and how the School of Pharmacy is instrumental in educating and training pharmacists, producing pharmacy leaders who go on to lead pharmacy in places like UW Health and the VA Hospital, and advancing patient care and evolving healthcare with organizations like the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin.
Chancellor Mnookin learns how vital pharmacists are to the lives of patients and how the School of Pharmacy is instrumental in educating and training pharmacists, producing pharmacy leaders who go on to lead pharmacy in places like UW Health and the VA Hospital, and advancing patient care and evolving healthcare with organizations like the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin.
The Chancellor hears from key partners of the School of Pharmacy and how we mutually advance our missions across practice, research, service, and outreach. Johnson calls the School an outstanding partner. He shares anecdotes about our partnership during the pandemic and how the School answered the call to help start the COVID-19 vaccination clinics with BGCDC to serve the community. That model of Boys & Girls Clubs working with a pharmacy school was the first in the nation, and other Clubs followed that model afterward.
In her final tour stop, Chancellor Mnookin meets with faculty involved with the new UW Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Sciences (TCRPS) — Professor and TCRPS Director Paul Hutson, Assistant Professor Cody Wenthur, Professor Lucas Richert, and Clinical Professor Eric Buxton — which reaches across campus to accelerate scholarly research into the science, history, and cultural impact of psychedelic agents, in addition to the potential therapeutic use of psychoactive substances. The Clinical Research Facility that houses their meeting is a groundbreaking study space that provides the comforts of home for psychedelic study subjects, while being decked out with monitoring equipment to ensure study safety and replicability.
After her tour, a reception provides Chancellor Mnookin with the opportunity to meet more faculty and staff of the School of Pharmacy. She comments on how our community values both the science as well as the human element in our patient-centered approach.
After her tour, a reception provides Chancellor Mnookin with the opportunity to meet more faculty and staff of the School of Pharmacy. She comments on how our community values both the science as well as the human element in our patient-centered approach.
After her tour, a reception provides Chancellor Mnookin with the opportunity to meet more faculty and staff of the School of Pharmacy. She comments on how our community values both the science as well as the human element in our patient-centered approach.
After her tour, a reception provides Chancellor Mnookin with the opportunity to meet more faculty and staff of the School of Pharmacy. She comments on how our community values both the science as well as the human element in our patient-centered approach.