A belated happy new year, everyone...and happy birthday to us! We are now in 2008, the 125th anniversary of the founding of pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin. Some of you were here in 1983 for the 100th and some may see the 150th, but most people only have the opportunity once in a lifetime to enjoy such a milestone. I invite you all to join me in the celebration!
Items on the "save the date" list include:
- There will be a welcome reception for the new CEO of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Donna Katen-Bahensky, on Thursday, February 7 from 4:00-5:30 in the Hospital Cafeteria Atrium. Everyone is welcome.
- The SOP's Discovery Day for college students will be held on Saturday, February 9. A corresponding program for high school students will occur on Saturday, March 29.
- The annual "Taste of MAPP"...a wonderful exploration of cuisines of the world organized by the MAPP student organization...will be held on Tuesday, February 12 from 11:00-1:00 in the Commons.
- The next Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 12 at 12:00 in room 1128. 11 members and 9 advisory members must be present to constitute a quorum for general business. The Committee will be considering a promotion to associate professor with tenure. For that action, 2/3 or 14 members must be present to constitute a quorum.
- My annual dinner with PharmD students, graduate students, and faculty attending the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) conference in San Diego is scheduled for Saturday, March 15 at Buster's Beach House. Our alumni gathering at the meeting will be held Sunday, March 16 from 5:00-7:00 at the Convention Center.
- The next major event celebrating our 125th anniversary will be the Student Spring Bash in mid-April. Various events will be held, including a Research Ethics Forum on April 14, organized by the AAPS Student Chapter; the Kremers Lecture, featuring alum and current AACP President, Cindy Raehl, on April 15; and an afternoon and evening of fun, food, and friendship (including a pig roast) also on April 15 being planned by the BS, PharmD, and grad students together. Stay tuned for additional information.
The 125th anniversary kick-off reception on January 23 was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who attended for getting our anniversary celebration off to such a great start. Visiting dignitaries included UW System President Kevin Reilly, UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley, Head of the UWHC Pharmacy Department (and alum) Steve Rough, and PSW Executive Director Chris Decker. Governor Jim Doyle could not attend due to a small conflict (the State of the State Address), but he sent a wonderful gift...a proclamation designating 2008 as the Year of the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy! Congrats again to Chad Vezina, a postdoc in the Peterson group (PharmSci). Chad submitted the winning entry for the new ice cream flavor that Babcock Hall created in honor of our anniversary...Chocolate ApotheCherry...which debuted at the reception and was incredibly good. Thanks to the "Dream Team" members Diane Stojanovich (Communications), Linda Halsey (Development), Pam French (Alumni Relations), and Madelyn Alt (formerly Dean's Office) for all the work that went into not only the reception, but getting our celebrations off the ground! Thanks also to Tom O'Connor (Business Office), Mike Pitterle, Chris Spencer, and Lauren Budden (IIT), and the student volunteers for contributing to the success of the event.
In conjunction with our 125th anniversary, I'm delighted to announce a major fund raising campaign for the School. Our Prescription for the Future: The People and Programs Campaign has a goal of adding $18M to the School's endowment by the end of 2009 in the form of outright or planned gifts to support our most precious resource...our human capital, the faculty, staff, and students...in ways never possible before. You'll be hearing lots more about the campaign as things move forward.
Pam French has designed a nice variety of clothing items in honor of the 125th anniversary. They will be on sale at various times/events throughout the year with the proceeds directly benefiting the Pharmacy Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. An order form can be accessed through http://www.pharmacy.wisc.edu/125th/ under "Order Anniversary Apparel" or see Pam for more information. No shipping fees apply if items are picked up at the School.
You've undoubtedly noticed some new additions to Rennebohm Hall, both inside and out. We've added some flags and banners to make a very public statement about our tradition of excellence. We've also found several "artifacts" from Chamberlain Hall that bring an opportunity for historical reflection and remembering, for those of you who experienced the wonder of that former home of the School. Portraits of most of the former deans have been discovered and hung in the rooms around Rennebohm Hall bearing their names. The distinctive PHARMACY letters that used to reside above the Charter Street entrance to Chamberlain Hall have been cleaned and polished and now grace the south foyer above the elevator. The colorful banners that hung in the main lecture hall in Chamberlain...to cover water stains, I'm told...now adorn the atrium. Thanks to Tom O'Connor, Greg Higby (AIHP), and the Dream Team members for making this all happen as well.
And remember... Logos and logo items have been created for various uses throughout the year. If you need electronic versions of the logos, PowerPoint templates, or whatever or have any questions about using the logos, moving them around, resizing them, etc., don't hesitate to contact Diane. Division and unit offices have received a supply of generic SOP stationery (can be personalized to the division/unit and/or individual level), envelopes, mailing labels, name tags, blank note cards, etc. with the 125th logo that everyone is encouraged to use at every opportunity throughout the year. Everything is available in the stockroom. The 125th anniversary website is live at www.pharmacy.wisc.edu/125th/ and will be updated on an on-going basis throughout the year with events and information. One new addition to the website is a short video highlighting features of the School's history. Check it out under "Quasquicentennial Video". DVDs can be readily produced if you would like one or more copies.
To other news... We always seem to have some good-byes to mention. My executive assistant, Madelyn Alt, moved to a new position in the dean's office at CALS. Thanks to everyone who attended her "Thank You" reception, and to Pam French, Jenny Hergenrother (Business Office), and Chris Bischel (Student and Academic Affairs) for organizing such a wonderful send off. Good-byes are also in order for Maureen Rollman (PPD) who held a half-time position with us in the Pharmacotherapy Labs. She took a position in a clinic devoted to developmentally challenged children, an area of great interest to her.
For the first time in a long time, there are no new staff or faculty hires to talk about. Faculty searches continue in PharmSci (both Drug Delivery and Drug Discovery) and interviews are in full swing. And the search for Madelyn's replacement is well under way. My continuing thanks to chairs and members of the search committees and to everyone who participates in one way or another in the search process. It takes so much to do this properly...thank you.
A few recent faculty highlights I'm pleased to mention...Henry Young (SAS) received an affiliate appointment with the Department of Population Health Sciences, one indication of his growing impact and recognition around campus. Ben Shen's (PharmSci) ground-breaking work in natural product biosynthetic pathways continues to receive national coverage with a second write-up in Chemical & Engineering News in the space of a couple months. See the Science & Technology Concentrates section of the January 14 edition. Jon Thorson's (PharmSci) very creative approach to the sugar chemistry of natural products also continues to generate significant interest with a wonderful article published on January 20 in the Wisconsin State Journal. (The print version is much better with the photos.) Connie Kraus (PPD) continues to expand her role in global health education and research activities of importance to the School. She was invited to serve as Resident Director of the 2008 Thailand Global Health Summer Program in Bangkok. Connie is also providing advice to the pharmacy program at Jimma University in Ethiopia as they consider evolving from BS to PharmD level training, and she will be traveling to Oman to participate in a review of the pharmacy program at the University of Nizwa. The excellent work of Ron Sorkness (PPD) and colleagues on the physiology of asthma was highlighted in the January 30 edition of ScienceDaily. The entire Extension Services in Pharmacy Department deserves a commendation for organizing and conducting five continuing education programs at the ASHP Midyear Meeting in Las Vegas in December reaching literally thousands of attendees. Art Shuna (PPD/VA) was honored at the meeting with the national ASHP Residency Preceptor of the Year Award. Mary Hayney's (PPD) role as reviewer of the sixth edition of the Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program (PSAP-VI) received special commendation from the Editorial Board. This recertification tool for pharmacotherapy specialties is considered the best of its kind. Anna Legreid Dopp (ESP) continues her fellowship in Washington, D.C. working with Senator Howard Lieberman on legislation of great importance to the NIH's Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) recipients, including UW-Madison. In her spare time, she continues to work on the Continuing Professional Development project she is leading and has been invited to present aspects of the project at upcoming APhA and AACP meetings. Weiping Tang (PharmSci) has been selected to participate in an NIH workshop in Dallas entitled "Mentoring for the Future of Academic Chemistry", a highly competitive program.
A couple student items to definitely mention as well... Congratulations to Matt Slattery (Heideman group, PharmSci) for defending his PhD dissertation and to Jeanine Porter Abron (Mott group, SAS) for completing her MS thesis and defense...and for her recent marriage...and for her new faculty position at the Albany College of Pharmacy. To Jing Tao (Yu group, PharmSci) for being chosen as the SOP's 2008 Pfizer Fellow. And to Amanda Sweet and Amy Kennedy (PharmD students) for placing in the top 10...out of over 90 entries...in the ASHP Clinical Skills Competition held at the Midyear Meeting in Las Vegas.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Partners in Giving Campaign last semester to benefit a variety of charities and non-profit organizations in the Madison community. As of the latest report, 36 SOP employees participated at a level very similar to last year. Much appreciated! At the December Faculty/Staff Meeting, we held a drawing for the "thank you" gifts provided by the Athletics Department. Lian Yu (PharmSci) won the football autographed by Coach Bret Bielema, and Mary Hayney and Bob Breslow (PPD) won tickets to a UW hockey game. Contributions are still being accepted, if anyone else would like to participate. See Tim Gossens (Business Office) for more information. And thanks to Tim for serving as the SOP coordinator again this year.
In the alumni, donor, and friend category... We had an absolutely full house at the UW SOP reception at the ASHP Midyear Meeting in Las Vegas. In addition to hundreds of alums from all over the country, many students and faculty attended, along with colleagues from the Pharmacy Department at UWHC and the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW). Thanks to the Pharmacy Alumni Association and Pam French for organizing such a wonderful gathering. Two new scholarships for PharmD students were recently set up: Alum Shirley Miller established the Gerald E. Miller Scholarship in honor of her late husband (also an alum). Alum Martin Yunker established a named scholarship fund as well. Sadly, Aya Higuchi, wife of former PharmSci faculty legend, Tak Higuchi, died in mid-December. In addition, Lucille Apple, wife for former SAS faculty giant, Bill Apple, died in early January. The Apple family has very thoughtfully directed memorial gifts to the William Apple Distinguished Chair here at the SOP. Alum Arlyn Kinkel also passed away in January. Like the Apple family, the Kinkel family has directed memorial gifts in Arlyn's honor here to the SOP. Linda Halsey and I had the pleasure of lunch with our incredible alum, Lenor Zeeh, in early December. Unfortunately, Zeeh has been facing some health challenges recently, but is holding his own at the moment. Wal-Mart provides generous scholarship support to the SOP each year. Our relationship with them continues to grow with recent connections with their regional recruiter, Chad Overman, and a visit to the pharmacy at the new Monona store. The Chancellor is sponsoring a suite at the Kohl Center for development purposes this year. Alum Dave Hamacher and his wife Marge joined Linda and I at the Marquette game in December, and alums Tom Rosanske, Phil Lindsay, and Don Lindsay ventured out in the sub-zero temperatures for the Northwestern game in January. Alum Rocky Ladien and many other alumni and friends from Walgreens visited the SOP to discuss the growing range of common interests and some new opportunities for collaboration. Among her many other responsibilities with Abbott, alum Azita Gerhardt has taken on a new role as corporate liaison to UW-Madison. She visited in January to explore opportunities to enhance Abbott's relationships with many parts of campus, including, of course, the SOP. In conjunction with the annual meeting of the deans of the research-intensive schools in Tucson in January, Linda and I hosted the first of many 125th anniversary alumni gatherings there to expand the celebration and to build momentum for the People and Programs Campaign. Thanks to alum Susie Kies Bazzell and her husband Mark for opening their beautiful home for the event. We also visited one of our very best friends, Leona Sonderegger, and alum Jim and Phyllis Tingstad in Green Valley, as well as alums Dave Sanders and Dennis and Ruth Dziczkowski in Phoenix.
I wish you all a productive, exciting, and rewarding 2008! Jeanette