We celebrate the contributions, achievements, and engagement of our alumni. We invite you to learn more about members of our Badger pharmacy family through the alumni profiles.
When did you get your degree(s) at UW? What is/was your area of expertise?
2006 – PharmD; 2009 – MBA (UW-Oshkosh). My expertise is in Community and Long-Term Care Pharmacy.
Where do you currently work? What are your job responsibilities?
I work for HealthDirect as Director of Operations for the Midwest. I am responsible for nine pharmacies throughout the Midwest that operate as closed-door, long term care pharmacies servicing approximately 20,000 beds.
Describe a special memory from your time at the School of Pharmacy?
Pledging Kappa Psi was an amazing experience that I will never forget. My pledge brothers are still good friends of mine that I keep in regular contact with.
How do you feel pharmaceutical sciences and/or the pharmacy profession has changed since you graduated from the School of Pharmacy?
Pharmacist roles have changed drastically since I graduated. With the labor market demand easing for pharmacists, I have seen a vast expansion of roles and residencies for pharmacists and more involvement in cognitive services outside of the traditional dispensing role.
How do you “stay connected” with UW grads or with the School of Pharmacy?
Serving on the Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA) Board has been a great opportunity for me to stay involved at the School of Pharmacy. The PAA events are also a great way that I found to stay connected with colleagues. My favorite interaction however has been the ability to guest lecture for a Social and Administrative Sciences course for DPH-1s.
What advice would you give to current or aspiring pharmacy (PharmD or graduate) students?
Don’t just be a member of a student organization, get involved! Something that really helped me early in my career was the knowledge I gained from being the Student Senate Chair and Regent for Kappa Psi. It gave me invaluable experience that I’m very thankful for.
If you had to take one course again. What course and how would you do?
Wow, that’s a hard question. As I reflect on my time as a student, there were so many great classes. I would say an elective—490 Pharmacy Services Management. It was a class I was very passionate about and interested in with Professors Kreling and Martin. Undoubtedly, I could learn more from a therapy or pharmacology class, but I find the leadership and service development more applicable to my everyday life.
Faculty and or staff member remembered the most and why?
Too many to list, I couldn’t pick just one. John Dopp, Paul Hutson, Bob Breslow, and Judy Thomspon all come to mind. However, Social and Administrative pharmacy was my passion. David Mott, David Kreling, and Beth Martin were professors that I would consider mentors of mine. They were very engaging and gave me opportunities that I feel would have been missed without their guidance and support. Karen Kopacek was also a house mother for Kappa Psi and very supportive of our organization and personal development.
Hobbies/interests
I’ve always enjoyed playing soccer, we even had an intramural School of Pharmacy team (champions two years running!). I also enjoy running when I have free time, and family of course.
Random thoughts…
Take time to enjoy school. Four years goes by so fast! You have the rest of your career to work, enjoy the experience and your classmates. You’re only a student for so long, take advantage of everything UW-Madison has to offer.