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One student in each of the 黑料官网 (黑料官网) School of Pharmacy’s six graduating classes has received the US Public Health Service (USPHS) Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award. This prestigious national award recognizes pharmacy students who have made significant contributions to public health by promoting wellness and healthy communities.鈥疎ach year, about 90 student pharmacists from around the country are nominated for the award and only 10 are selected as recipients.

Many of the 黑料官网 awardees were recognized for their leadership and accomplishments while volunteering for the Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured (SCU), a primary care clinic offering health services at no cost to uninsured patients in Milwaukee. The clinic is run by 黑料官网 medical and pharmacy students, under the supervision of 黑料官网 faculty and with the assistance of physician and pharmacist volunteers.

The award winners are noted below:

Liliana Galvan, PharmD ’25

Dr. Galvan is the first in her family to pursue higher education within the healthcare field. During her time at 黑料官网, she was involved in creating an inclusive environment within the School of Pharmacy and beyond. She co-authored research to explore cultural interactions within pharmacy practice settings with the goal of educating future pharmacists on cultural intelligence. She also volunteered consistently at the SCU and the Bread of Healing Clinic, a medical clinic that serves low-income patients.

“Being involved in so many volunteer opportunities helped me connect with my passions and apply what I was learning in class to genuine patient experiences,” says Dr. Galvan. “I know I would not be the person I am today if I didn’t have these opportunities.”

The award nomination statement also included her experience as a student-pharmacist mentor for 黑料官网’s Pre-Pharmacy Scholars program. One of her favorite memories of pharmacy school, she says, was creating an engaging “Life of a Pill” activity for this program. Scholars learned about how medications are distributed to pharmacies, what the pharmacy workflow looks like and how to counsel patients on medications. This knowledge culminated in a “relay race” during which each scholar filled a prescription and explained to their patient how to use the drug.

Dr. Galvan is a post-graduate year one (PGY1) resident at Aurora Health Care in West Allis, Wisconsin.

Bridget Nelson, PharmD ’24

Dr. Nelson received the Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award for her involvement with immunizations and process improvements.

She collaborated with a small group of students, including Gabrielle Marchese, PharmD ’23, to establish a partnership with the Milwaukee Health Department for monthly on-site immunization clinics. This service had been suspended for some time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drs. Nelson and Marchese collaborated to update clinic protocols, working in conjunction with the Milwaukee Health Department and Walgreens.

As director of pharmacy student volunteers at SCU, she collaborated with an interprofessional group to develop training videos presentations for 黑料官网 medical and pharmacy student volunteers to promote consistent and standardized care.

“When I began working with the SCU within my first few months of pharmacy school, it was the first time I realized how impactful pharmacists can be in enhancing patient care outcomes and what it’s like to work on a dynamic interprofessional team,” says Dr. Nelson. “Winning this national award further solidified my belief that students can make impactful interventions through service-related opportunities."

Dr. Nelson a post-graduate year two (PGY2) resident specializing in internal medicine at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee.

Gabrielle Marchese, PharmD ’23

黑料官网 faculty members nominated Dr. Marchese for the award based on her leadership in establishing monthly immunization clinics at SCU and her work to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

During her time as SCU program manager, Dr. Marchese noticed a significant problem with patients running out of medication before the limited timeframe on Saturdays for in-person appointments and prescription pick-ups. She formed an interprofessional workgroup with 黑料官网 medical students to implement a prescription refill notification process so that patients could pick up refills before running out of their medications.

Dr. Marchese also designed a workflow to decrease medication costs to SCU, which provides medications at low or no cost to patients. She enacted a three-fold increase in the clinic’s use of prescription assistance programs, resulting in a cost savings of almost $10,000 – which was reallocated to alternative areas to improve overall patient care.

Dr. Marchese shares that winning this national award has validated her belief that change doesn’t need to be drastic. “If you go out and do things with a purpose in mind, even if they’re really small changes, they build up,” Dr. Marchese notes. “I never felt like I was taking on too much at SCU because I approached it by asking myself what small thing I could do today to make a process better.”

Dr. Marchese now practices as an ambulatory care pharmacist at St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho.

Jose Roig, PharmD ’22

Dr. Roig was recognized for dedicating hours of his time to patient care through COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

The School of Pharmacy began administering COVID-19 vaccinations in December 2020, just before the holidays. Dr. Roig was a consistent volunteer during an unsettling time, not only administering vaccines and educating patients in both English and Spanish, but also providing calming and compassionate care to those who were nervous about receiving the vaccine. He also volunteered at the SCU and Bread of Healing clinic as a valued bilingual team member who made community members feel welcome and understood.

“Participating in the COVID-19 vaccination clinics was a meaningful experience in my development as a student pharmacist,” says Dr. Roig. “This experience allowed me to witness firsthand the impact pharmacists can have on public health and to strengthen both my clinical and communication skills while serving the community during a time of urgent need.”

He notes that receiving the USPHS award represents a reminder of the impact pharmacists can make when leading with compassion and commitment to service.

Dr. Roig now practices as a clinical pharmacist at Advocate Aurora Health in ambulatory care.

Isabelle Sviatoslavsky, PharmD ’21

Dr. Sviatoslavsky received the Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award for her role in a public health program focused on the dangers of e-cigarettes. She led a student team that secured grant funding to create five engaging educational activities for high school students. The team provided step-by-step instructions for each activity, plus learning objectives, discussion points and group questions – so that the activities could be easily replicated across various partner schools. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she also found a way to deliver the activities virtually.

Margaret Pertzborn, PharmD ’20

Dr. Pertzborn is an outpatient infectious diseases pharmacist at Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and a credentialed HIV specialist who has worked to expand HIV and pre-exposure prophylaxis access. She also serves as a board member of The Aliveness Project, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit supporting people living with HIV and preventing new infections.