Welcome New UMN College of Pharmacy Students
This fall the college welcomed 109 first year students into the Doctor of Pharmacy Program and 10 new MS and 22 PhD students into our graduate programs in medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, experimental and clinical pharmacology, and social and administrative pharmacy. Orientation programs for both groups of students focused on welcoming the students to the college and creating a sense of belonging. For the first-year PharmD students, the student retreat, which is part of their three-day orientation program, brought creativity and fun. At the same time, they were building strong connections and learning how to work together in teams. The diversity of both student bodies adds to the richness of the college community. As an example, the new graduate (MS and PhD) students have come from all over the world including Albania, Bangladesh, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Iran, Libya, Nepal, Nigeria, Taiwan, and the United States.
Welcome UMN Pharmacy Residents
The college welcomed 24 new postgraduate year 1 pharmacy residents in July and welcomed back two second-year leadership residents.
- Dr. Calvin Berg at Goodrich (‘22)
- Dr. Kendra Buettner at Essentia (‘22)
- Dr. Lucas Cannon at CUHCC
- Dr. Toua Chang at MN Community Care
- Dr. Anne Ciaschini Marmol at Fairview
- Dr. Madeleine Davies (Leadership Year 2) at FUHN/Open Cities
- Dr. Danica Grover at Essentia (‘22)
- Dr. Erika Harvey (Leadership Year 1) at Broadway (‘22)
- Dr. Taylor Kaiser at MN Community Care (‘22)
- Dr. Connie Khong (Leadership Year 1) at Smiley’s (‘22)
- Dr. Casey LaBelle at New Ulm
- Dr. Britain Lehrer at Park Nicollet
- Dr. Mikaela Leifeld at Fairview (‘22)
- Dr. Lauren Ostlund (Leadership Year 2) at North Memorial (‘21)
- Dr. Kwonneung Park at CentraCare Health St. Cloud
- Dr. Drew Paszotta at Geritom (‘22)
- Dr. Erin Salo at CentraCare Health Paynesville (‘22)
- Dr. Rebecca Sauter at St. Cloud VA (‘22)
- Dr. McKenzie Skurat at Fairview (‘22)
- Dr. Megan Traxler at Allina Health (‘22)
- Dr. Annie Wenzel at Cash Wise Pharmacy
- Dr. Feier (Joy) Xie at CUHCC (‘22)
- Dr. Songyi (Josie) Xu at Welia - Ambulatory Care/Community
White Coat Ceremony
The annual White Coat Ceremony serves as the opportunity for student pharmacists to thoughtfully and publicly express their commitment to professionalism in the company of peers, family, partners, friends, pharmacy practitioners, staff and faculty members. This year, the Class of 2025 and the Class of 2026 stated their commitment to the profession. While the second year students had a hybrid white coat ceremony in 2021, they reaffirmed their commitment to the profession by participating in the in-person 2022 ceremony. By accepting their white coats, students joined a community of providers who share a commitment to improving the health and quality of life of others. The Century Mortar Club provided the white coats for the students and sent words of encouragement. Kirsten Olsen, from the class of 2024 and College Board president, welcomed the students to the college’s “pharmily” and Dr. Anjoli Punjabi (‘17) gave an inspiring keynote speech focused on what the white coat means to her in practice as a medication expert who uses innovative approaches to add value and takes time to learn the context in which her patients live. Following the ceremony, students, faculty, family and friends connected during a luncheon. Please join the college in welcoming the newest student pharmacists to the profession.