MCW Alumni Association Recognizes First Pharmacy School Alumnus of the Year and Names Founding Dean as Honorary Alumnus

William Krombholz, PharmD received the 2025 Pharmacy School Alumnus or Alumna of the Year award from the MCW/Marquette Medical Alumni Association during a banquet in September. As the inaugural PharmD Class of 2020 celebrated its five-year reunion, this was the first time a pharmacy alumnus was recognized during MCW Alumni Weekend.

Dr. Krombholz is a specialty infusion pharmacist at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, part of a team of nurses and pharmacists who help patients receive infusion treatments from the comfort of their own home or at one of four infusion suites. He ensures medications are appropriate, monitors labs and works closely with physicians.

“Through collaborative practice agreements, we are managing some anemia and endocrine patients, so I enjoy having my own independent practice and patients I follow up with weekly and get to know pretty well,” said Dr. Krombholz. “Seeing the gradual progression in either how the patient is feeling or how their labs are improving, with our help, is the most rewarding part of my job.”

“Dr. Krombholz has helped define the newly developed specialty infusion pharmacist position as the patient census has grown from a couple hundred when he started working in the area to now over 1,000 patients,” Diane Oddis, BPharm, BCPS, Froedtert home infusion pharmacist, wrote in the award nomination statement. “It is a constantly changing and expanding service line, with additional infusion suites due to open in the next year and new medications approved constantly, requiring the pharmacist to develop safe medication administration guidelines for nursing staff along with other operational and clinical workflows.”

Dr. Krombholz was recognized for leading many other initiatives, including the 340B process which allows hospitals to access discounted prescriptions from manufacturers and pass the savings on to patients. He developed written workflows to ensure correct qualification of patients for 340B.

He is also part of the operational coordination for the specialty pharmacy team and participates in the safety committee, facilitating locked storage and proper tracking of controlled substances at infusion sites.

“It is amazing to see where Dr. Krombholz has taken his career in just five years,” wrote Oddis. “He is proud to be a pharmacist, passionate about the profession, and we are lucky to have him representing us.”

Pharmacy School founding dean George E. MacKinnon III, PhD, DMSc (Hon.), MS, RPh received the Honorary Alumnus award at the banquet. The award is presented to an individual who did not graduate from MCW but whose commitment and contributions to MCW have been exceptional.

Dr. MacKinnon was recognized for his impact on pharmacy education spanning more than 30 years, including establishing four academic pharmacy programs across three states. He was appointed Founding Dean of the MCW School of Pharmacy in 2015, and the School launched in record time, enrolling its first class in 2017 and achieving full accreditation in 2020.

“Thanks to Dr. MacKinnon’s leadership, MCW’s pharmacy program quickly became known for its forward-thinking, patient-centered curriculum and commitment to interprofessional care,” said Thomas E. Palmer, MD ‘71, GME ‘76, FEL ‘85, president of the MCW/Marquette Medical Alumni Association.

“I am honored to accept the Honorary Alumnus award, as it recognizes the growth of MCW to now include the School of Pharmacy as the third academic program of MCW,” said Dr. MacKinnon. “I follow in the footsteps of many worthy past recipients who have embodied the spirit of MCW excellence in all that we do across all our missions. To be in attendance with representatives of our inaugural class was a true delight.”