Alumni News
Connecting and Celebrating with Alumni
Alum brings pharmacy and spirituality together to improve communal health
Dan Albrant, PharmD, ‘87, was a licensed pharmacist for 30 years. At the age of 50, he decided to go to seminary. Now, he’s a pastor at two United Methodist churches in rural Virginia and co-host of the podcast The Clinic & The Person. Read more about Dan’s evolution of caring.
Celebrating Our Alumni series shares voices across all programs
The college community is fortunate to have alumni who engage to support students and advance the science and professions of medical laboratory science, occupational therapy, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. Throughout the year, alumni voices are highlighted through the Celebrating Our Alumni series.
- “I think the lab has an interesting role with the other health care providers,” says Terry Sarpong, MLS (ASCP)cm, ‘18. “Our role in being able to explain what results even mean sometimes. There’s a lot of people who still don’t know what goes on in the lab. So, something I’m proud about is being that educator and being that kind of connection for them.” Hear more from Terry.
- “...It’s not just that we get people jobs, anything the person wants to do, OT can have its role in helping that person be able to reach that goal,” says Katelyn Marthaler, OTD, OTR/L, ‘22. “...I love working with people, getting to know them, meeting them where they’re at and then just working together as a team - me and the person to figure out their goals.” Hear more from Katelyn.
Visit z.umn.edu/CoPCelebratingAlumni for more.
Other Alumni News
Rick Lalonde, PharmD, ‘80, is the recipient of the American Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics’ Henry W. Elliott Distinguished Service Award. Lalonde will be formally recognized at the ASCPT 2025 Annual Meeting in May.
Anthony Olson, PharmD, ‘15, PhD, ‘20, has been named an APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science (APhA-APRS) Fellow.
Molly Schoephoerster, MMLS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ‘23, presented her capstone project "Rh-D alloimmunization rates of Rh-D negative females whole blood on medical flights", at the 2024 Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) Annual Meeting. Sponsored by Dr. Jed Gorlin from Memorial Blood Center and Dr. Tami Alpaugh served as Capstone advisor.
Norrie Thomas, BS ‘76, MS ‘80, PhD, ‘83, has been elected as the Chair of the Board of Directors for RoundtableRx, the nonprofit operating the Minnesota Medication Repository Program, effective October 16, 2024. Read the full press release.
In Memoriam
Paul Christianson, ‘54, passed away Nov. 9, 2024. Paul was a community pharmacist alumnus who was known for his early use of computers in his pharmacy. He was a Life Member of the college’s Century Mortar Club. He was also a life member of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, which he joined in 1976. As indicated in Paul’s obituary, memorials to the college’s Century Mortar Club are preferred in lieu of flowers. Visit z.umn.edu/CenturyMortarClub.
Giving In Support of the College
Thank your for giving to the max!
Each November, the U of M hosts Give to the Max Day. Donations received on this day of giving go toward funds that directly support students. Again this year, the pharmacy, medical laboratory science, and occupational therapy programs all participated.
“The College of Pharmacy’s medical laboratory science, occupational therapy, and pharmacy programs are fortunate to have so many incredible donors who support students. We are grateful for their participation in our Give to the Max Day fundraising and beyond,” said Amy Polski Larson, chief development officer.
Research & Innovation
Free education on the possibilities of pharmacogenomics
Through the College of Pharmacy’s PGx ECHO group, health care professionals can receive free education on pharmacogenomics (PGx)— genetic testing used to understand how an individual’s unique makeup may affect their body’s reaction to specific medications. Read more about ProjectECHO.
Education
Annual Medical Laboratory Sciences poster fair features students’ work
This year’s Medical Laboratory Sciences Poster Fair featured nine graduate students who presented their capstone projects and ten groups of MLS students (totalling 42 MLS students) who presented their case study projects. Read more about this year’s poster fair and about details for next year’s event.
Infectious disease course in its Taylor Swift era
Dr. Elizabeth Hirsch and Dr. Ann Philbrick are instructors of a Taylor Swift-themed infectious disease course designed to help students learn, build community, and have a little fun along the way. Learn more about this one-time course offering.
Pharmacy Practice
Residential pharmacists provide medication optimization in Duluth’s Center for Alcohol & Drug Treatment
Dr. Lucas Kosobuski, adjunct assistant professor, and Dr. Keri Hager, professor and associate dean for clinical affairs at the College of Pharmacy are implementing a medication support team at the Center for Alcohol & Drug Treatment (CADT) thanks to a two-year grant from the Victory Fund.
College News
Department, Center & Program News
Rare Disease Day 2025
The Center for Orphan Drug Research encourages you to mark your calendars for the U of M Rare Disease Day event, Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. Visit z.umn.edu/RARE2025 for more information about the event and registration details. This event is presented by the U of M College of Pharmacy and the Medical School.
Student News
Anu Bompelli, SAPh graduate student, received the Best Research Project in Social and Administrative Pharmacy at the 2024 International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Congress earlier this fall.
Congratulations to the graduate student recipients of the 2024-2025 Bighley, Rowell, Olsteins Awards and a special Honorable Mention Travel Award.
BIGHLEY GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS
Moataz Mohamed, Department of Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology, advisee of Pamala Jacobson, PharmD, FCCP.
Mohamed Dabour, Department of Experimental & Clinical, advisee of Beshay Zordoky, BSc, MSc, PhD
Lusi Zhang, PharmD, MHI, Department of Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology, advisee of Jeffrey Bishop, PharmD, MS, BCPP, FCCP
Laura Hirsch, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, advisee of Daniel Harki, PhD
ROWELL GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS
Zijian Wang, Department of Pharmaceutics, advisee of Changquan Calvin Sun, PhD
Rui Shi, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, advisee of Gunda Georg, PhD
OLSTEINS GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT
Jessica Barry, Department of Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology, advisee of Angela Birnbaum, PhD, FAES, MLS(ASCP)
HONORABLE MENTION TRAVEL AWARD RECIPIENT
Omolayo Umaru, Social & Administrative Pharmacy, advisee of Olihe Okoro, PhD, MPH, MPharm
Faculty and Staff News
Occupational Therapy Program
Dr. Corey McGee, was named to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Roster of Fellows. He was honored for his remarkable contributions to the profession, particularly his extensive contributions to research, education, program development, and service.
Pharmacy Program
Dr. Pamala Jacobson has received one of the American Society of Pharmacovigilance's inaugural STRIPE Double Helix Awards.
Dr. Ann Philbrick has been appointed to the State of Minnesota’s Cannabis Advisory Council by Governor Tim Walz, effective Dec. 2, 2024.
Dr. Jared Van Hooser is part of a study emphasizing the essential role of electronic health records (EHRs) in pharmacy education. Read more about the study: "Charting a course: Use of Electronic Health Records in skills-based pharmacy education."