Alumni Updates
Badger pharmacists are never sitting still. They’ve been busy advancing their careers, receiving well-earned recognition, meeting personal milestones, and contributing to the field from new leadership positions. Stay in touch with your fellow UW–Madison School of Pharmacy alumni across the country by checking (and sharing) Class Notes in each DiscoveRx digital magazine issue.
- Check out our previous edition of Class Notes from the Fall 2020 issue.
- Submit your class note for the next Spring 2021 issue.
Job Updates
Laurel Legenza (PharmD ’13) has been named director of global health at the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy.
Jessica Cottreau (PharmD ’06) is an associate professor and chair of the Pharmacy Practice Department at the Rosalind Franklin University College of Pharmacy.
Jack Temple (MS ’06) has accepted a position as senior director of pharmacy services at UW Health.
Melissa Theesfeld (PharmD ’06) was inducted as the president of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) during the 2020 PSW Annual Meeting.
Neil MacKinnon (MS ’95) will be the next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Augusta University in Georgia, effective in January 2021.
Kenneth Rockwell Jr. (MS ’94) is the director of regulatory affairs, ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group and PrECOG, LLC.
Mark Sacchetti (MS ’90, PhD ’92) has been appointed to the General Chapters–Physical Analysis Expert Committee of USP for the 2020-2025 cycle.
Robert Willis (MS ’79) has been named to the board of directors for Milestone Pharmaceuticals.
Eric Walters (BS ’74) is a professor of pharmaceutical sciences and associate dean for research at Rosalind Franklin University College of Pharmacy.
Accomplishments & Awards
Dave Hager (PharmD ’05) has been named 2020 Next Generation Pharmacist for health-system pharmacy.
Mary Gurney (MS ’99, PhD ’03) has been named a 2020 fellow of the American Pharmacists Association’s Academy of Research and Science.
William Scharringhausen (BS ’56) received the Dargavel Medal from the National Community Pharmacists Association.
Personal Updates
Candace Bishop (BS ’17, PharmD ’19) got engaged to fellow Badger Michael Meyer.
Katherine Sencion (MS ’19) married Alexander DeSanctis in a small, COVID-responsible ceremony in August 2020.
Tom McCourt (BS ’80): “Hello, fellow Pharmacy alumni. First, I encourage all of you to share a little piece of your life. Post graduation I joined the pharmaceutical industry with the Merck Clinical Development & Medical Affairs group working on the original NDA for Prilosec and went to help start up AstraMerck (now AstraZeneca) serving as brand manager for Prilosec, Nexium, and Entocort. Then, I moved to Novartis to launch Zelnorm and lead marketing operations, followed by Amgen to lead the Prolia team, and 11 years ago joined Ironwood to launch Linzess and now serve as president. I have the great pleasure to be a member of the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy Board of Visitors, Board of Trustees for the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and Board of Directors for Acceleron Pharmaceutical.
My wife Dorene and I live in Boston, I have two wonderful sons and two grandchildren residing in the Milwaukee area. I remain a passionate Badger fan, attended six bowl games and treasure my life experience at UW-Madison. I hope to hear from many of you and wish you all health and happiness.”
Dolly Bieck (BS ’69): “Retired from retail and hospital pharmacy. Enjoying tennis, golf, and Mahjong in southwest Florida.”
Bob Listecki (BS ’62): “Slugging it out at Glen Ellyn Pharmacy for 61 years. Preaching Vitamin D to minimize COVID symptoms and knowledge of probiotics for 101 health problems.”
Robert Reichert (BS ’54): “Loved pharmacy school and loved working in my pharmacy for over 20 years in Tucson, Ariz.”
Wallace Shong (BS ’50): “Enjoying retirement… and children and grandchildren! Of course I’m watching those Badgers play football and attempting to avoid COVID-19! Thanking God for my good health! Too old to hunt or play golf!”
Retirements
Mark Buhler (BS ’75) retired in July 2019 after 43 years as a pharmacist and 50 years working in a pharmacy.
In Memoriam
Douglas DeBroux (BS ’79) passed away in November 2020. He was an appointed member of the City of Green Bay Board of Health and owned his own pharmacy, DeBroux Pharmacy, in Coleman, Wis., and later worked as a pharmacy manager with Shopko and Walgreens. He loved to mentor student pharmacists and was a longtime clinical instructor for the School of Pharmacy.
Clark Eugene Palmer (BS ’68) passed away in September 2020. He was a pioneer in nuclear medicine who founded Christian Service Pharmacy. He later worked at RPH on the Go, traveling between hospitals around the Midwest, and served as director of pharmacy for Memorial Medical Center in Neillsville, Wis.
Michael Podolske (BS ’64) passed away in November 2020. He was an avid Badgers and Packers fan, enjoying each game among family, and enjoyed traveling west to Colorado, Montana, and Arizona.
Gary Qualley (BS ’64) passed away in November 2020. At age 26, he bought Lange’s Pharmacy in Racine, Wis., which he ran until he decided to become a certified financial planner at age 40. He was an avid golfer and sports fan who loved playing cards and spending time with family.
Edwin Knoechel (BS ’53, MS ’55, PhD ’58) passed away in December 2020, followed the next day by his wife, Geraldine. He and Geraldine started their family while he completed his education at the School of Pharmacy, and then moved to Kalamazoo, Mich., to work for the Upjohn Company. Although living in Michigan, he remained a loyal fan of both the Wisconsin Badgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Arnold Tucker (BS ’56) passed away in October 2020. He was a healthcare leader in Northern Wisconsin, first establishing Tuckers Drug Store in Park Falls, then serving as CEO of Flambeau Medical Center before returning to pharmacy and founding Park Pharmacy and home infusion service North Central IV Home Care. Outside of work, he devoted his time to the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired, JayCees, Flambeau Ramblers Barbershop Chorus, and many other hobbies.
Lou Koplin (BS ’51) passed away in October 2020, shortly after his 100th birthday. He was a survivor of the Holocaust, spending years in labor camps in Hungary and on the Austrian border before being marched 300 miles to the Mauthausen concentration camp, where he was liberated days later. After emigrating to the U.S. and earning his pharmacy degree, he opened his own pharmacy in Milwaukee.
Patricia May Connell (BS ’48) passed away in October 2020. Even after her retirement in 1990, she continued to serve patients through pharmacy work and her community through volunteerism, including Meals on Wheels and WAFER. She loved the Badgers, her summer home near Pepin, Wis., and staying connected to family and friends.