I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. There's so much to be grateful for...like making this such an amazing place to be dean. Challenges abound, but we'll weather the storm if we work together and focus on the things that matter.
We are rapidly approaching the end of 2008 and our year-long celebration of the 125th anniversary of this great School. And what a year it's been...From the kick-off reception, to the gala Student Spring Bash, to the US-Thai Pharmacy Consortium, to the powerful and inspiring 125th Scientific Symposium, to publically launching our major fund-raising initiative--The People and Programs Campaign--to the record-breaking Pharmacy Alumni Association Reunion Weekend...I hope you all had as much fun with this as I did! We held 19 events (I think...lost count) around the state and the country for alumni and friends to celebrate our anniversary and build momentum for P&P. From anniversary banners, to fun commemorative items--I hear everyone loves the coffee mugs--to unearthing the PHARMACY letters from Chamberlain Hall, to dedicating a time capsule...what a blast! Thanks for participating in this once-in-a-lifetime (at least for me) celebration. It all began with the 125th Miscellany Committee that started thinking about things back in 2006. My thanks to this group for their wonderful ideas and continual creativity and support throughout...Theresa Brownson (DPH-4 and Chair, Student Spring Bash Planning Committee), Greeta Cherayil (alum and BOV member), Ken Connors (dean and professor emeritus, PharmSci), Linda Frei (Graduate Program Office), Greg Higby (AIHP), Russ Jensen (alum), Curt Johnson (professor emeritus, PPD, and Chair, US-Thai Pharmacy Consortium Planning Committee), Mel Weiswig (dean and professor emeritus, ESP, and Chair, 125th Anniversary Scientific Symposium Planning Committee), and George Zografi (dean and professor emeritus, PharmSci). And special thanks to the School's "Dream Team", without whom none of this would have been possible...Pam French (Alumni Relations), Linda Halsey (Development), Laurie Leininger (Dean's Office), and Diane Stojanovich (Communications). I believe we beautifully honored the long history and tradition of excellence and impact for which the School is known and set the stage for the next 125 years!
Speaking of the November PAA Reunion Weekend... It was, in a word, amazing! Record attendance at the Friday evening Dean's Reception at the School kicked off a glorious weekend of fun and festivities including a Saturday tailgate and a win over the Golden Gophers in front of 350+ SOP alumni. The UW marching band formed an Rx on the field while playing "A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down"...not my first choice...and I got to go out on the field at half time while a salute to the School and our 125th anniversary was read. Stay tuned for the next edition of DISCOVERx for more coverage and great photos. Diane Stojanovich deserves a gold star for this one...it took her 18 months working with Mike Lekrone to get it done. Anyway, that beats throwing out the first pitch at a Mallard's game any day!
Items on the "save the date" list include:
- New: The Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, December 2 has been canceled due to lack of agenda items.
- New: Another forum for the full faculty to discuss PharmD curricular revision ideas has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 2 from 3:00-4:00 in room 2002. Instructional and other staff members interested in the process/product are invited to attend as well. Your input is still needed and desired as we approach a version that will be voted on at by the faculty the December 16 meeting.
- New: Our alumni gathering at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) conference in Orlando is scheduled for Sunday, December 7 from 6:00-9:00pm in the Peabody, Plaza A. Flier attached FYI...all faculty, staff, and students are welcome.
- Please set aside Tuesday, December 16, 11:30-1:30pm for a faculty meeting to take care of year end business. Please note: 25 faculty (all tracks, all ranks) are required to constitute a quorum to hold formal votes. Food will be provided.
- New: Last call for 125th anniversary clothing items with proceeds benefiting the PAA Scholarship Fund. See www.pharmacy.wisc.edu/125th/UW_Pharmacy_Winter_09.pdf or contact Pam French for more details.
- New: For those engaged in research involving human subjects: After December 31, 2008, the IRB will not review any applications unless you have taken the new human subjects training...no exceptions. See www.grad.wisc.edu/hrpp/10223.htm or contact Sharon Vetter (Research Administration) for more information.
Thanks to everyone who attended the first faculty discussion about options for revising our PharmD curriculum. The Curriculum Committee has further ideas to discuss with the faculty on December 2. The goal remains to have a complete draft curriculum for formal faculty approval at the December 16 faculty meeting.
As mentioned previously, I'm in the process of sitting down individually with all members of the SOP faculty and staff to listen to your views about whatever aspects, features, areas you feel I need to hear about. Thanks in advance for taking the time to provide feedback to me in this way. I'm trying to get through the alphabet by the end of the year, but may not make it!
Some recent faculty highlights to mention:
- Congratulations to Barry Gidal who was recently elected Chair of the Pharmacy Practice Division for a slightly extended term running until June 30, 2012. Thanks to everyone who participated in the nomination/election process. Please join me in thanking Gordon Sacks for his service in this important role, as well as his excellence in teaching, research, and service, as he moves on to a new position at Auburn. We'll miss you, Gordon!
- A fond farewell also to Darin Furgeson (PharmSci) as he moves to his new position at Utah. We'll miss you too, Darin!
- Thanks from the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) to Barry Gidal and Chris Sorkness (both PPD) who served as reviewers for applicants to the KL2 Scholars Program. And congratulations from the same Program for another year of funding for Orly Vardeny and Jeremy Johnson (both PPD). John Dopp (PPD) has reached the maximum time in the KL2 Program and will be returning to real life as of May 31, 2009.
- Thanks also from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) to Mel de Villiers (PharmSci) and Michelle Chui and Dave Kreling (both SAS) for serving as reviewers for the 2008-09 New Investigators Program. And congrats once again to Warren Rose (PPD) for receiving one of the 15 NIP grants awarded nationwide.
- Jeff Johnson (PharmSci) was featured in the November 17 Wisconsin State Journal for his role as mentor with the Edgewood Middle School Students Modeling a Research Topic (SMART) Team.
- Lee Vermeulen (UWHC/PPD) was quoted extensively in several articles about generic drugs and drug pricing.
- Alum and Clinical Instructor Nora Stieglitz (VAMC) received a travel fellowship from the UW Center of Global Health to establish a relationship with practitioners in Tequillila, Mexico. Among many goals, she plans to lay the groundwork for setting up an advanced pharmacy practice experience for PharmD students at the site.
- Glen Kwon (PharmSci) was honored at the recent American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists meeting for his publication in the Journal of Controlled Release that received recognition as the Highest Cited Original Research 2006 Award.
- Kudos to the entire Pharmaceutical Sciences Division for ranking among the best PharmSci programs in the US according to Academic Analytics. Nice!
In terms of staff news:
- Thanks to Chris Bischel and others in the Student and Academic Affairs Office for the second edition of the SAA eNewsletter. Great information for students, staff, and faculty alike.
- Thanks also to Melanie Schneider (SAA) for continuing to make progress with the Career Development Services web pages that are now live.
Relating to students:
- Congratulations to three PharmSci graduate students who will defend their work in December...Jing Chen (Heideman/Peterson group), Mingming Ma (Li group), and Joe Su (Burnette group). Best wishes on your next steps!
- Amy Chung (PharmSci, Kao group) was recently selected to receive the 2009 Student Award for Outstanding Research in the PhD Candidate category from the Society for Biomaterials. Way to go, Amy!
- Congratulations also to Yushi Li (DPH-4) and the Pharmacy Global Health Interest Group (PGHIG) for receiving a mini-grant from University Health Services for a collaborative project with "Engineers without Borders" on the Red Cliff Reservation near Bayfield, WI. This was the only proposal university-wide that received full funding.
- Thanks to Kajua Lor (DPH-4) for serving as this year's UW representative to the ASHP Pharmacy Student Forum Executive Committee.
In the alumni, donor, and friend category:
- The People & Programs Campaign continues to gain momentum. Linda Halsey (Development) will give her annual "Development Report Card" at the December 16 faculty/staff meeting. To date, we have gifts, pledges, and planned gifts exceeding an amazing $19M with only more progress to come!
- We hosted our annual breakfast at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) for WI alumni and friends. A good group, but, unfortunately, AAPS failed to include the time and place for the breakfast in the final program as promised, so a number of people missed the event.
- 125th Anniversary/P&P alumni events organized by Linda took a short hiatus in November with more to come in December and early next year.
- The School's Board of Visitors, consisting of some 24 alumni in all walks of pharmacy life met in November to continue to advise me on an array of issues of importance to the School and to continue their work on the P&P Campaign.
- Linda and I had the pleasure of hosting alum Jerry Sveum and his wife Connie, alum and PAA Past President Phil Berce and his son (and aspiring pharmacy student) Phil, and alums Don, Phil, and Sharon Lindsay in the Chancellor's Box for the CalPoly game, which did not lack for drama.
- Linda and Russ Howes (UW Foundation) visited with many alums of the Milwaukee Veteran Pharmacists Association in Milwaukee to discuss P&P and planned giving options.
- The Drug Delivery core of PharmSci hosted alum Kinam Park from Purdue University for the 2008 Busse Lectures.
- Linda and I had the honor of representing the School at the 150th anniversary celebration of the F. Dohmen Company in Milwaukee. Alum Erv Dohmen led the company for years, recently passing the reigns to the fifth generation of Dohmen's. The Dohmen Company Foundation made an incredible $500,000 gift to the School as part of their celebration, half to establish the Dohmen Dean's Scholarship (full tuition for a PharmD student) and half to support graduate students and research in PharmSci.
- On the way to visit husband Dave's parents in Mt. Pleasant, MI, for Thanksgiving, we had the pleasure of stopping in Kalamazoo to see alum Tony Sinkula and his wife Micki who are changing the world with his growing support for scholarships for Native American pharmacy students, as well as support for travel and expenses for pharmacy students doing a rotation on Indian reservations. We also stopped to see alum Jerry Sveum in Beloit on the way back. Jerry and Connie's continual support for the School, most recently in the form of a new endowed scholarship, continues to amaze!
- Alum Lynnae Mahaney, Director of Pharmacy at the Madison VAMC, was recently elected President of the American Association of Health-System Pharmacists... Congratulations!
Happy Holidays, everyone! No First of the Month on January 1...Jeanette