The annual PharmD and PharmTox Research Symposium showcases research by students in the Doctor of Pharmacy and Pharmacology & Toxicology programs.
Presenter Biographies
Claudia Schmitt, PharmTox-3
Claudia Schmitt is currently a third-year student in the Pharmacology and Toxicology program at UW- Madison. She works with Dr. Hayney on her research with ARI biomarkers. Claudia also works in the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. She plans to attend PharmD school after graduating from undergraduate and would like to someday work as a pharmacist in a hospital.
Rachel Geroux, PharmTox-3
As a Minnesota native, Rachel Geroux grew up with strong connections to the Mayo Clinic of Rochester. From being a patient for an ankle surgery, to shadowing a cardiologist, to publishing research in a neurobiology lab, medicine has always played a large role in her life. Building upon this foundation, Racehel’s current role as an observer cardiothoracic surgery, volunteer at Meriter Hospital, and leader in pre-medical clubs have furthered her interests in medicine. Her aspirations are to attend medical school to become a cardiothoracic surgeon. In her spare time she loves ballroom dancing and reading with a hot cup of coffee.
Aaron Rottier, PharmTox-4
Aaron Rottier, a fourth year Pharmacology and Toxicology student, has been researching Infectious Diseases with Dr. Warren Rose since August of 2015. He has worked on numerous independent projects, and is eager to share one of them here today. This fall Aaron began medical school at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. He does not have a single specialty in mind, but he does have some distinct interests that he is looking forward to learning more about.
Julia Chini, PharmTox-4
Julia Chini is a senior originally from Rochester, Minnesota. She is currently studying Pharmacology-Toxicology with certificates in Global Health and Integrated Studies in Science, Engineering, and Society. She currently conducts research studying the role of the innate immune system in auto-inflammatory diseases with Dr. Anna Huttenlocher. Following graduation, she hopes to pursue an MD/PhD degree with a focus on Pharmacology and Immunology research.
Sam Boroumand, PharmTox-4
Sam was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. As an undergraduate student in the Pharmacology-Toxicology Program, Sam has spent the last two years eagerly working in Dr. Thorne’s laboratory exploring drug delivery mechanisms/pathways to the central nervous system. In conjunction with his research projects in the lab, Sam has received the Parkinson’s Foundation Student Research Fellowship and the UW-Madison Hilldale Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Following his undergraduate career, Sam hopes to attend medical school and become a practicing surgeon. In his free time, Sam loves to go rock climbing, watch Game of Thrones, and generally workout.
Tessa Witkowsky, PharmTox-4
Tessa Witkowsky is a senior majoring in Pharmacology & Toxicology. She will be applying to medical school and will be taking a gap year prior to her attendance. During her gap year, Tessa will hopefully be working on the ski patrol team at Heavenly mountain. Throughout her time on the ski patrol staff she hopes to further her medical knowledge as well as promote a safe skiing environment. In addition to Tessa’s skiing hobbies, she also enjoys traveling and learning about other cultures. She hopes to obtain an MPH along with an MD in order to pursue these interests.
Bradley LeVesque, PharmTox-4
Bradley LeVesque is a senior in the Pharmacology and Toxicology Program. He is a member of the Bhattacharyya Research Lab, which investigates the mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders like Down syndrome and Fragile X syndrome. He has been in the Bhattacharyya Lab since freshman year and has contributed to numerous research projects on both Down syndrome and Fragile X syndrome. He will be graduating in May 2018; and after graduation, he is applying for medical school. During the summer prior to his senior year, Bradley volunteered in a health clinic in a remote area of Alaska. Because of this experience and his passion for wilderness, he is interested in a career of practicing medicine for underserved communities in remote areas like the one he visited in Alaska.
Clare Procknow, DPH-1
Clare Procknow graduated from UW-Madison in 2017 with a bachelors of science in microbiology. During her undergraduate career, she worked in David Beebe’s Microtechnology, Medicine, and Biology lab, a part of the biomedical engineering department. During this time, she was able to take a lead role in this research project, which focuses on multi-kingdom interactions within the lung. Clare hopes to pursue a residency following graduation in order to fulfill her current career interests of antibiotic stewardship and critical care pharmacy.
Cecilia Volk, DPH-2
Cecilia Volk is from West Allis, WI. She received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Northern Michigan University in Marquette, MI. While at NMU, Cecilia performed research in organic chemistry and also worked for the chemistry department. Cecilia is a current DPH-2 at UW Madison School of Pharmacy and is a pharmacy technician at Fitchburg Hometown Pharmacy. She has been working with Dr. Warren Rose since her first year at UW-Madison and has been working on various projects in his lab. Cecilia hopes to pursue a career in pharmaceutical research.
Zach Pedretti, DPH-3
Zach is a 3rd year PharmD Candidate at the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy. He completed his undergraduate coursework at UW-Madison and received a B.S. in History in the Fall of 2014. He has past pharmacy experience working in a community setting at CVS and St. Vincent de Paul’s charitable pharmacy and currently serves as a pharmacy technician for the Madison VA’s inpatient pharmacy. His clinical interests include infectious diseases, critical care, and cardiology. He plans to pursue a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice residency upon completion of the PharmD program.
Megan Wimmer, DPH-3
Megan Wimmer is a third year pharmacy student at University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy. She completed her bachelors in Biochemistry and Biology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Megan currently holds an internship at Select Specialty Hospital where she is involved in antimicrobial stewardship and patient education opportunities. Her professional interests involve infectious disease, critical care, and academia. She aspires to further her education through obtaining a PGY1 inpatient residency following graduation.
Lindsey Hoff, DPH-3; Josh Nachreiner, DPH-3; Graham Edwardson, DPH-2; Jordan Hilsenhoff, DPH-2; Andrea Gray, DPH-2
Lindsey Hoff, Josh Nachreiner, Graham Edwardson, Jordan Hilsenhoff, and Andrea Gray are a group of 2nd and 3rd year pharmacy students who are interested in advancing pharmacy practice in rural settings. After assisting Dr.Portillo in creating a one-credit course exploring rural healthcare and identifying rural community needs, the students have decided to further explore the roles that pharmacists can play in enhancing the health of those living in rural communities.
Stephanie Dalsing, DPH-3 and Christine Garmoe, DPH-3
Stephanie’s pharmacy background includes six years working as a community pharmacy technician, two years as working as an inpatient technician, and one year as an inpatient intern. With her past work experience, she has found professional interests to include: focusing on medication adherence, bettering patient outcomes and experiences with medications, and being a medication educator. Christine’s pharmacy background includes two years of experience as an inpatient pharmacy technician and one year as an inpatient intern. Her professional interests include inpatient clinical pharmacy and transitions of care.
Olivia Fahey, DPH-4
Olivia Fahey completed her pre-pharmacy coursework at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2016 from the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. A 2018 Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate at the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, Olivia hopes to complete a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in either Critical Care or Oncology before becoming a boardcertified clinical pharmacist practicing at an academic medical center.
Daniel Bruckbauer, DPH-4
Daniel Bruckbauer is a fourth year pharmacy student at the University of Wisconsin. He has conducted research in many areas within infectious diseases, with previous works focused on novel antiviral discovery, antibiotic synthesis mechanism analysis, and microbiological drug screening. In addition to infectious diseases research, Daniel has a passion for education. For this he has spent time researching teaching techniques and how to improve the ways in which instructors facilitate learning. Daniel hopes to complete two years of residency training, followed by pursuit of a career in academia.
Andy Cannon, PharmD PGY-1
Andy Cannon grew up in La Grange Park, Illinois and obtained his undergraduate degree in Cellular and Developmental Biology with a minor in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester in New York. After working for two years in drug development, he attended pharmacy school at UW-Madison where he graduated in 2017. He is currently a PGY1 ambulatory care pharmacy resident at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital and will be staying on for a second year in ambulatory care with a focus on either heart failure, infectious disease, or transplant.
Cameron Ninos, PGY-2 Oncology Resident
Cameron attended University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy where he held leadership in several campus organizations and participated in the residency preparation program during his fourth year. He completed his PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at UW Health during which he coordinated residency recruitment and implemented outpatient neutropenic fever management for his major project. Major foci of his second year have included outpatient BeEAM administration in bone marrow transplant, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell toxicity management, and lecturing at the school of pharmacy. Professional interests include bone marrow transplant, clinical research, and pharmacist practice advancement.
Daniel Mobley, DPH-3
Daniel is happy to present the research from his VALOR internship at the Madison Veterans Hospital. He is interested in ambulatory care and aims to earn a residency after graduation. Daniel hails from the Seattle area and he has a B.S. in Biochemistry from Washington State University.