Board Members

As Co-Directors of Community Outreach, Jess and Hannah oversee all events and activities related to the Operations and MEDiC. They provide support to the Operation co-chairs and step in to help when needed. Co-Directors of Community Outreach serve on the WSPS Executive Board as voting members and help provide feedback to keep WSPS running smoothly.

WSPS BOARD MEMBERS 2023 – 2024

As Fundraising Co-Chairs, McKennah and Kate help coordinate multiple fundraisers throughout the year including the Basic Life Support classes, White Coat Ceremony Rose Sales, Finals Goodie Bags, T-shirt sales/design, and PSW Toolkits. All of the proceeds from the sales and events help support various WSPS outreach events, fairs, and operations!

As Professionalism Co-Chairs, Abby, Tracy, and Davina organize the White Coat Ceremony for DPh-1 students, mock interviews for DPh-4 students, networking roundtables, and a Professional Development Mini-Series for students in the Spring.

OTC Medication Safety provides pharmacy students with opportunities to educate children and adults about safe over-the-counter medication use. Led by co-chairs Alexa and Emily, OTC Medication Safety promotes engagement in all aspects of wellness including nutrition, exercise, mental health, sleep hygiene, safe medication use, and more among individuals in the community as well as our fellow classmates.

As Operation Airways co-chairs, Lauren and Amrit promote airway health by participating in local health fairs and other events. At health fairs, they supply tobacco cessation and prevention information/resources, while assessing asthma control and using asthma and COPD devices, such as inhalers and peak flow meters. Providing education on the proper use and techniques for these devices is critical to asthma/COPD control. Lauren and Amrit also work to educate younger members of the community by presenting the dangers associated with the use of tobacco products. They have a successful middle school tobacco prevention presentation geared towards high school students and focuses on the use of electronic cigarettes, which have been growing in popularity within this patient population. Lastly, with the additional work of previous co-chairs, they oversee a pharmacist-run smoking cessation program at one of the student-run MEDiC clinics here in Madison. Along with pharmacist preceptors, they lead visits with patients regarding smoking cessation and work alongside providers to make NRT recommendations as indicated. They are working to expand the role of a pharmacist and are excited about these patient interactions and their presence within the clinic.

As Organ Donation Awareness co-chairs, Sierra and Hannah work directly with the University of Wisconsin Organ and Tissue Donation service to plan events to promote the Wisconsin Donor Registry. Organ Donation Awareness coordinates with WSPS to educate the community about pharmacist involvement in organ donation awareness and encourages people to become organ donors. ODA also holds Bone Marrow Drives with the national registry Be the Match, facilitates fundraisers throughout the year in support of the Restoring Hope Transplant House in Middleton, WI, and coordinates a class regarding the importance of medication adherence for transplant patients at UW Hospitals and Clinics.

As Personal Health Partners Co-Chairs, Jared and Michael work to form an interprofessional collaboration between pharmacy, dietetics, and physical therapy students to work with underserved, diverse populations at Port St. Vincent’s — an organization that provides emergency shelter to homeless men. Each month, pharmacy students have the opportunity to team up with dietetics and physical therapy students to educate residents about important health topics, such as smoking cessation, hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes. We also coordinate with other WSPS Community Outreach programs to provide free health screenings.

Jared and Michael are also our United Way Liaisons. The Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin has teamed up with the United Way of Dane County for the Safe and Healthy Aging Initiative. This initiative provides Dane County senior citizens with pharmacist-led comprehensive medication reviews in order to reduce the number of medication-associated falls in this population. Student pharmacists work as intake volunteers to provide an accurate list of each patient’s demographics, allergies, immunizations, and medications prior to meeting with the pharmacist.

MedDrop is a local initiative focused on safe medication disposal of unused or expired medications to decrease drug diversion, abuse, misuse, poisoning, and environmental damage. As MedDrop co-chairs, Jessa and Sawyer work to coordinate and schedule MedDrop events within Safe Communities, Oakwood Village, the UW campus, and local police stations and fire departments. Pharmacy students participate in DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days and educational events, such as high school presentations. MedDrop partners with Generation Rx and Safe Communities as appropriate to help promote safe medication storage and disposal as well as expand opportunities for community outreach.

Operation Reproductive Health is dedicated to educating individuals about a variety of health topics and empowering them to make informed decisions about their health. Outreach efforts are targeted toward providing essential resources to families in need, educating on contraception and HIV prevention as well as physical and mental health. Our main goal is to help members of the Madison community and fellow student pharmacists to become advocates for themselves and others in an inclusive environment.