As a donor of the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, you open doors for our students every single day.

In 2012, the University of Georgia embarked on the Commit to Georgia Campaign - which ended up becoming the most successful fundraising effort in UGA’s history, raising over $1.45 billion. The College of Pharmacy targeted the lofty goal of $17 million to be raised over the next eight years. Thanks to your generosity, the College raised over $27 million that will support numerous efforts at the College of Pharmacy and beyond.

Over the next 12 months, we look forward to sharing with you the impact this support has on our students, faculty, and programs.

Giving Spotlight: Mike Wooten '93, '94

This past June, Michael Wooten reached out to the UGA College of Pharmacy Office of Development & Alumni Relations hoping to learn more about supporting a scholarship that would have an impact on current students. Mike had completed his BSPH and PharmD, at UGA, in 1993 and 1994, and then went on to complete a residency at Mission St. Joseph’s in Asheville, North Carolina.

Mike Wooten and Family

Mike described that during his pharmacy practice residency that he would attend biweekly sessions with the pharmacy director of Mission St. Joseph’s. “Of course, we discussed the operations of hospital pharmacy. In addition, we had in depth conversations on the best way to lead teams, the direction of clinical pharmacy and how to bring out the best in people you work alongside. During my residency, we were required to read books by Peter Drucker and, of course Steven Covey.”

After his residency, Mike was an oncology pharmacist, but then moved into a clinical coordinator role. He had more than 30 direct reports and chaired the institutional review board. As he shared, “I needed all the management skills I could muster!” In 2001, Mike entered the pharmaceutical industry where he quickly learned that a good clinician does not necessarily make a good leader. “In industry, I discovered a diverse set of backgrounds, perspectives, and training. Healthcare is a business with the goal of getting the right medication to the right patient at the right time. We are in a time in history when developments in medicine and the associated costs need to be balanced.”

This was when Mike realized he needed further training. He enrolled in the UGA Executive MBA program, which he described as having the perfect balance of teaching core business acumen and coaching the ‘soft’ skills of leadership that healthcare providers may not receive in clinical/didactic training. Through his career, Mike has been able to combine his pharmacy training with his business skills to have a long career in industry, where he is currently the Senior Director, Medical Affairs Oncologist, at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Mike had a conversation with Lee Snelling, the Senior Director of Development & Alumni Relations, to see where he could have an impact supporting the College. As they discussed Mike’s career, and time at UGA, it dawned on them that there was a great opportunity to support the new PharmD/MBA Double Dawg program.

This new program was developed for pharmacy students that had an interest in acquiring a master’s in business administration. For years, Dr. Matt Perri had taught the pharmaceutical marketing elective in the College of Pharmacy and offered it from time to time in the Terry College of Business MBA program as an elective. What started as an elective became a new opportunity for pharmacy students. Students can now take advantage of a streamlined process for getting one of the best MBA educations in America, in just one year. As Dr. Perri describes, “It just makes sense in today’s world to prepare our graduates with skills that will enable them to be successful and to lead pharmacy in an evolving healthcare marketplace.”

Current third year PharmD student, Kobby Amoah, was one of the first students to express interest in the new program. Kobby described how he had always helped his dad run his small business, even while in school. He shared, “The PharmD/MBA Double Dawg program presented an opportunity for me to learn more about running a business, how to apply it to my future pharmacy career, and also to help me stand out amid the job crisis in the pharmacy world.”

Kobby Amoah

Kobby shared that the MBA program challenged him to think outside the box while solving real-world problems. Kobby was able to work with several companies to help develop solutions or improve their business practices. The experience was priceless. “At the Terry College of Business, I was challenged to come up with innovative ways to identify how to improve operations at a company.” After he completes his PharmD, Kobby plans to identify a role in the pharmaceutical industry that will enable him to leverage his MBA and pharmacy education.

After a series of conversations, Mike Wooten knew exactly how he wanted to have an impact with his philanthropy. “My family and I are passionate about helping deserving students in need pursue their academic and professional dreams. When I graduated, I had debts. The debts were not insurmountable due mainly through opportunities afforded to me through scholarships, at the College of Pharmacy. We believe giving back is a response to who comes behind us.” As a result of their generosity, the Wooten Family PharmD/MBA Endowed Scholarship was created.

If you benefited from scholarship support as a student and would like to learn more about impacting a current student, please reach out to the Office of Development & Alumni Relations.