Below are the nominees for this year's annual board member elections. Please place your vote by November 13th.![]()
President-Elect:
Julie Schmidt graduated from Ferris State University and completed a PGY-1 residency at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Following residency, she stayed on at Bronson working on the Neurovascular Unit until she transitioned to her current position in cardiology approximately one year ago. She has been actively involved in WMSHP having served as a board member for the past two years. During these two years she has enjoyed planning monthly meetings, the annual Whitecaps Summer Outing, and most recently presenting at the September 2019 monthly meeting. She is excited to lead the organization. Julie is also the current co-chair for the MPA/MSHP Public Affairs Committee and has been since 2017. She is also a member of ASHP and enjoys precepting both students and residents on their cardiology rotation.
Technician:
Marie Mitchell has been a Certified Pharmacy Technician since 2005, working in community pharmacy, technician education, and most recently in hospital pharmacy. Marie has worked at Bronson Methodist Hospital for the past 6 years as a decentralized pharmacy technician in the orthopedic surgery and trauma/burn units. She enjoys performing patient education, aiding the pharmacist in code situations, and she has a special interest in pharmacy process improvement initiatives. Marie has been a member of WMSHP for the past 2 years, and she would love the opportunity to serve the organization as their technician board member
Alecia Penning started her pharmacy career in 2008 as a wonderful accident. Fresh out of high school, working as a grocery store cashier and eager to learn something new, she anxiously accepted a position as a retail pharmacy technician. Seven years later, she started working at Ascension Borgess. Today, she works as the Lead Technician for Ascension Borgess in their inpatient pharmacy. As a technician, she has experience in general inpatient and outpatient settings and an OR satellite. Her current employment allows her to really stretch her mind, participating in the pharmacy decentralization team and assisting with the implementation of the new chapters of USP 795, 797 and 800.
Treasurer:
Jordan Posey has been serving as Treasurer for WMSHP since 2017. After completing his residency at Spectrum Health in 2010, Jordan worked as an ED and ICU pharmacist for adult and pediatric patients. In the past few years, he completed his MBA and started working in project and leadership roles. He is the inpatient pharmacy manager for Mercy Health in Muskegon.
Board Members (2020-2021):
Thomas Beuschel is a 2016 graduate of Ferris State University's College of Pharmacy. After graduation, he completed his PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Mercy Health Saint Mary's hospital in downtown Grand Rapids. Thomas currently practices at Mercy Health Saint Mary's as a clinical pharmacy specialist and created a clinical pharmacy practice at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation hospital in 2017. His professional interest areas include infectious diseases, the opioid crisis, and harm reduction strategies in substance use. Outside of pharmacy, Thomas enjoys black coffee, Jeopardy, a game of cribbage, and world travel.
Andrea Borst (Incumbent), born and raised in Denver, Colorado, attended Hope College from 2008-2012 where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry. From 2012-2016, she attended Ferris State University and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy. Following pharmacy school, Andrea successfully completed a PGY-1 residency at Spectrum Health and a PGY-2 pediatric residency at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Andrea currently works as a clinical pharmacist at Helen DeVos and her primary interest area is General Pediatrics. In her free time, Andrea enjoys running, reading, and taking care of her 6 month old Labrador puppy. Andrea has been a member of WMSHP since 2017 and is excited to continue her role on the board.
Caitlin Durkin is a 2015 graduate of Ferris State University’s College of Pharmacy. Following pharmacy school, she completed a PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. She currently practices at Bronson, often “pinch hitting” on the general surgery, cardiology, neurovascular and adult medical care units. She has enjoyed her time as a member of WMSHP and is excited to further increase her involvement within the organization. Outside of pharmacy, Caitlin is a chips and salsa eating, nap seeking, gardening golfer, who will gladly talk your ear off about her dog, Jerry.
Tara McAlpine (Incumbent) has been an active member of WMSHP since 2015 and has served on the Board since 2018. Her current role on the Board includes chair of the membership committee, where her duties have included facilitating member spotlights and organizing WMSHP’s first Mock Residency Interview and CV Review Event for pharmacy students, which took place this fall. If reappointed, she looks forward to continuing to serve on the Board in these, and other, capacities. Tara’s pharmacist role is in ambulatory care for Bronson Healthcare Group, with primary care offices in Vicksburg and Portage.
Natalie Washburn (Incumbent) is a Clinical Pharmacist for the Medical and Neurointerventional Intensive Care Units at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, MI. She is a graduate of Ferris State University’s College of Pharmacy, and completed a PGY1 and PGY2 Critical Care residency at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis, IN. In addition to serving as a current WMSHP Board Member, her other professional appointments include serving as an active committee member for the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology Section Membership and Practice Advancement Committees. She have served as a member of the board for the last two years, and recently became the co-chairperson for WMSHP’s Community Outreach Committee. If selected to remain a board member, she hopes to continue bringing in speakers from outside our immediate area to broaden our organization’s networking reach and explore other practice patterns.
