Connecting and Celebrating with Alumni
2023 Pharmacy Awards Honor Contributions
Late last fall, members of the college community came together in recognition of the annual pharmacy awards. The evening was emceed by acting dean, Dr. Todd Sorensen and guests included alumni, faculty, staff, students, award recipients and their families.
As Dr. Sorensen noted that evening, “Recognition of our pharmacy awards is a very significant moment in our life as a college community. It’s truly an honor to gather to honor this group of remarkable people…everyone being honored tonight has had a tremendous impact on our students, our college, and our profession. We greatly value all of their contributions.”
Events Bring Alumni Together
Over the past several months, alumni have been connecting with one another and other members of the college community across the country.
In December, the college co-hosted Minnesota Night at the American Society of Health System Pharmacists midyear meeting in partnership with the Minnesota Society of Health System Pharmacists. The event took place in Las Vegas and drew a record crowd for an evening filled with great networking and fun for all.
Connections continued in late January when the college participated in the “University of Minnesota in Florida” lunch in Naples at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort. Several alumni from the Fort Myers and Naples areas joined. College leaders also spent a few days in the Fort Lauderdale area meeting alumni. Meeting up with alumni was wonderful and the warm weather never hurts!
Alumni events will continue this spring. Please save the date for events listed here and know more details will be shared as they’re available.
Other Alumni News
Dr. Dan Albrant, ‘87, is the co-host of the podcast, “The Clinic & The Person”
Dr. Linnea Forsell, ‘78, has won the 2024 Kappa Epsilon Merck/Vanguard Leadership Award. Forsell is a long-time member of the alpha chapter at the U of M and is a previous president of the alumni chapter. The award “recognizes exemplary pharmacist leaders who are members of Kappa Epsilon Professional Pharmacy Fraternity (KE).” The award will be presented at the KE breakfast on March 24 at the APhA meeting in Orlando. KE members who are attending the APhA conference are encouraged to attend the breakfast!
Dr. Sarah Hayes, ‘15, is the recipient of the 2022–2023 Hematology/Oncology PRN Emerging Member Award.
Dr. Vincent T. Idemyor, ‘85 BS in pharmacy and ‘86 PharmD, is the recipient of the ASHP Donald Francke Medal for his “sustained contributions to international pharmacy practice, particularly in improving outcomes for patients with HIV/AIDS.”
Dr. Alison Knutson, ‘10, and collaborator Dr. Alexandra Sharp, wrote the article “Pharmacists: The Underrated Change Agents for Your Clinical Practice” for the winter 2024 issue of Minnesota Family Physician.
RoundtableRx, a nonprofit startup that distributes unused medications to individuals in need, was recognized in U of M Alumni Association’s 2023 recap article. The organization was awarded $900,000 for its work over the next two years by the state of Minnesota. RoundtableRx, was co-founded by Dr. Rowan Mahon, ‘20, and Dr. Hannah Van Ochten, ‘20.
Dr. Gary Milavetz, ‘78 BS and ‘81 PharmD, was recognized as a 2023 Honorary Alumni Award Recipient, from the University of Iowa. Milavetz was recognized for his contributions to the profession and the Iowa College of Pharmacy over the years.
Dr. Kaj Thompson, ‘10, was elected to the Hopkins School Board. Thompson was the college’s first MBA dual degree graduate.
In Memoriam
James W. Alexander, ‘54, passed away on Nov. 7, 2023. Jim served both the Minnesota Pharmacists Association, American Pharmacists Association and the college’s Pharmacy Alumni Society. Bruce Benson notes, “Jim was a pharmacy giant in the state of Minnesota. He was the voice of chemical dependency awareness for pharmacists in the state…He also mentored numerous pharmacy students and provided many chemical dependency lectures at the college.”
Dr. Beth Hager, ‘08, passed away from breast cancer on December 9, 2023. Classmate Dr. Kati Dvorak contributed the following memorial for her friend: “Throughout her pharmacy career [Beth] worked at the Min No Aya Win Clinic in Cloquet and Essentia Health in Duluth with both specialty pharmacy and oncology. She was an avid traveler and lived her life with her motto of ‘Go out and do things. Don’t wait.’ She will be missed dearly by family, friends, and colleagues.”
Dr. Doug Lobdell, ‘73 BS in pharmacy and ‘98 SAPh MS, passed away February 18, 2024. Dr. Lobdell established and grew business partnerships with pharmacy companies, professional organizations and educational institutions across the U.S. and internationally. As a member and leader in the Century Mortar Club of the College of Pharmacy, he advocated for advancing educational experiences of pharmacy students.
Dr. Lemont B. (Monty) Kier, ‘58, passed away Jan. 2, 2024. Dr. Kier earned his PhD in medicinal chemistry at the college. Dr. Kier’s long and varied career is featured in this tribute from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was professor emeritus.
Dr. James Konstantin Marttila, ‘71 BS in pharmacy and ‘73 PharmD, passed away February 8, 2024. Dr. Marttila was also a faculty member at the college for 15 years and partnered in operating several pharmacies and a pharmacy consulting business. He participated in many professional organizations, holding leadership offices and serving on numerous committees at the state and national levels.