Pharmacy, Athletics Excellence Celebrated

No One Knows School Spirit Like Pat

If you ask Patrick Doherty (PHARM '24) what he did during his time at UConn's School of Pharmacy, you might want to first ask what he didn't do – because the list of what Pat didn't do at UConn is quite short.

From energizing crowds at basketball games as Jonathan the Mascot, to hurdling teammates through the air as a cheerleader, to working long nights as a bartender at Huskies – all while pursuing his passion for pharmacy – Pat took on every role he could.

As a lifelong Husky fan, Pat had his eye on UConn growing up, but it wasn't until high school that he knew he belonged at UConn's School of Pharmacy. Interested in science and accessible healthcare during high school, Pat felt compelled to make a difference in his community and be part of something bigger than himself: "Pharmacy is constantly driving innovation in healthcare through new treatments." With this newfound passion for pharmacy, which he knew would grow stronger at UConn, Pat realized he couldn't continue to just root for the Huskies – he had to be a Husky!

Once a pharmacy student at UConn, Pat took his new title as a Husky very seriously. During his freshman year, while getting acclimated to a demanding schedule at the School, he decided to take on the exciting role of being Jonathan the Mascot, trading in his lab coat for a ten-pound Husky head when he needed to de-stress.

Although he gave out endless high-fives and took picture after picture with fans at action-packed basketball and football games, Pat longed for the sense of camaraderie he had felt while on his high school basketball and golf teams. This was around the time when a friend of his suggested he try cheerleading, to which he was hesitant: "I'll admit, I didn't think cheerleading was a sport before coming to UConn." But Pat, having never said no to an opportunity before, took a risk and tried out for the cheerleading team.

Once a pharmacy student and a cheerleader at UConn, Pat began to feel like UConn was truly his home. "It was almost like having two families – a cheer family and a pharmacy family."

His cheer family took him to the NCA Championships in December (a national cheerleading competition), the 2022 Women's Final Four, the 2022 Men's Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, and countless football games – his favorite being UConn vs. West Point.

On the other hand, Pat's pharmacy family provided many academic and professional opportunities: a proud member of Alpha Zeta Omega Pharmaceutical Fraternity (AZO) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacy, he fostered connections and grew his curiosity. As a Pharmacy Leaders' Track Scholar and part of No Friends Left Naloxone (a club focused on opioid overdose awareness), Pat also cultivated new interests in the medical field. These involvements, along with the opportunity to create customized dosage forms for patients during an advanced compounding class and his internship at Hartford Hospital – he knew he was destined to work in a hospital setting, helping patients throughout their lives.

While Pat enjoyed both his cheer and pharmacy families at UConn, he also made sure to find opportunities outside of these groups, becoming an active member of the Paint Club and intramural basketball. During his sophomore year, Pat decided to pick up a job working as a bouncer at Huskies. The bar quickly realized, however, that Pat was too nice to be cut out for the job, so he was moved behind the bar and worked as a bartender for two years.

So, at this point, you might be asking yourself how Pat managed to fit so much into his schedule. To that, Pat emphasizes time management skills and the connections he fostered during his time at UConn. Adhering to a rigid schedule, Pat made sure to keep calendars, to-do lists, and timetables while taking advantage of any downtime he had to study. "Scheduling time to study in between workouts, practice, and class helped me retain the information better and improve my exam scores." Pat even studied for exams on buses and planes going to games!

But while strict schedules and calendars helped Pat find the time, it was really the friends and connections he made at UConn that gave him the motivation to pursue his passions. Frequenting the School's library, Pat would find time to talk to friends between classes and form study groups with close friends. Pat's first year in the Pharm.D. program year was especially rough, as this was the first year of the pandemic, but his classmates and professors helped him tremendously. "With School of Pharmacy professors, I never felt like just a number."

Now a Yale Health System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Resident while pursuing a Master's in Healthcare Administration, Pat manages his time and thrives in his new roles thanks to the lessons he learned at UConn.

"The School's curriculum set me up for success, and I learned how to manage my time." – Pat

Pat also credits the School and his cheerleading team for teaching him hard work, determination, and the skill of managing interpersonal relationships. In line with all his roles at UConn and now, Pat's biggest piece of advice for current students at the School is to set unreasonable goals and work on them until they become reasonable. But while transforming unreasonable goals into reasonable ones and inspiring others to do the same, Pat encourages himself and current students to "never take anything too seriously and always find time to laugh."

Being a Husky Isn't a Title, It's a Lifestyle: Cathy's Legacy

Just one conversation with Cathy Bouchain (BS PHARM '85), and you'll quickly see how much she is a true testament to 'Once a Husky, Always a Husky.' An excellent athlete and scholar in high school, Cathy turned down acceptance to prestigious schools, including Yale, to become one of the founding pioneers of the UConn Basketball legacy while also finding her passion for pharmacy. Forty years later, UConn is grateful Cathy chose to be a Husky - not a bulldog!

Growing up in Plainfield and graduating third in her class, Cathy balanced schoolwork and athletics with ease. Excelling in science and math but knowing very little about pharmacy, she decided to challenge herself by attending UConn's School of Pharmacy: "You know, I like challenges, and I heard that pharmacy school was hard." Although Cathy didn't have the easiest time adjusting to the academic rigor of the program, she worked hard her first two semesters at UConn, even earning a 4.0 GPA in her first professional year. Over time, she developed the time management skills and support system that allowed her to thrive, ultimately graduating 8th in her class and as the all-time leader in scoring and steals in university history for women's basketball.

For Cathy, her success on the court and in the classroom was interdependent: "I was a jock in my classes and a nerd on the court." Because of her busy basketball schedule, Cathy learned to tailor her studying to what mattered, going to professors for advice on the most important material. When she knew the key material, she would form study groups with her classmates and act as a teacher, strengthening her learning through teaching.

As President of The Rho Chi Society (a National Honor Society for Pharmacy), she grew to be even stronger leader, both for her classmates and teammates. While her classmates sat at the front of the class, furiously jotting down notes, Cathy knew to sit in the back where she could take focused notes and easily come in late or leave early for practice without distracting anyone. This mutual relationship helped Cathy achieve better grades during her basketball season, as she was so determined to find that perfect balance.

It wasn't always balancing the two settings that made success possible, Cathy explained, but the people within the environments. During basketball games, her classmates would form their own cheer section with decorated signs. Cathy's professors even let her join their basketball pickup games, where she grew closer to them and became more comfortable asking for help.

"I think everybody was rooting for me." – Cathy

And when it came to her team, everyone strived for academic success. From studying on buses to grabbing a bite to eat and studying for a few hours after practice, Cathy's teammates leaned on each other for support, both as teammates and students of the University. And all this studying paid off: "I remember that during my senior year, our team had the highest GPA in the Big East."

After graduating from the School, where she spent her last two years as a grad assistant to the team while completing rotations and internships, Cathy received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and became a registered pharmacist. Her passions for basketball and pharmacy have been lifelong, creating a successful career in retail pharmacy while playing on a women's basketball league in Manchester and local travel teams for many years. Aside from playing, Cathy has found adventure in restoring historic homes and hiking the Appalachian trail, and she plans to coach a youth basketball league called Frog Rock after she retires. She has also found adventure in her own family, raising three children with her partner Anne - all of whom are successful in their own endeavors.

Cathy remains strongly connected to UConn's basketball program, staying close with Chris Dailey, Peggy Walsh Myers, and other basketball greats that remain etched in the Huskies' basketball legacy. She is grateful for every opportunity to connect with the program and is especially fond of a recent memory-a basketball alumni dinner at Geno Auriemma's house. Geno is also fond of Cathy, having been picked up from the airport by her for his initial interview for head coach in 1985.

Looking back on all her years of service and leadership within and outside of the UConn community, Cathy remains appreciative of the lessons she learned and the people she met while at the School. Having worked with college-aged pharmacy students throughout her career, and having been one herself, Cathy understands how overwhelming balancing everything can feel. Her biggest message? "One day at a time." If you take college one day at a time, Cathy advises, you don't have to look at the whole picture. And when needed, always ask for help!

Ben: From a UConn Family, Creating a UConn Family

For Ben Gottsche (PHARM '28), being a Husky wasn't just a choice - it was destiny. Growing up in a small Connecticut town with parents who both attended UConn, blue was in his blood even before he was born. Ben was confident that UConn would be a perfect combination of "academics, athletics, and personal connection." As a junior, actively involved in the School of Pharmacy and UConn's Men's Club Lacrosse Team, he's a testament of this ideal combination.

Not only was UConn part of Ben's family legacy - pharmacy was, too. Growing up, Ben saw firsthand how his dad thrived as a pharmacist and his mom as a nurse. With both parents in healthcare, Ben gradually became interested in the mix of science, problem-solving, and patient care the field of pharmacy offers. While looking at pharmacy programs in high school (with a little help from his dad, who graduated in 1997 from UConn's School of Pharmacy, ), Ben picked UConn - or more accurately, UConn picked Ben.

Now, as a junior at the School, Ben is proving why UConn picked him. An active member of AZO and the Dean's Student Liaison Committee (DLSC), he prides himself on his connections with alumni, professors, and classmates while also coordinating communication between Dean Hritcko and fellow classmates. Most proud of the relationships he's built during his time at UConn, Ben also serves as a peer advisor for pre-professional students, mentoring students first starting out in the program who are eager to build connections of their own.

Ben isn't just a leader in the School - he's a leader on the field. A lifelong lacrosse player, Ben was initially drawn to the sport because of its sense of family. "What initially drew me to the sport was the camaraderie - there's something about the way a team comes together and relies on each other that really interests me." When Ben started playing lacrosse at six years old, he had no idea where it would take him. But now, as president of the Men's Club Lacrosse Team, he's making his six-year-old self proud. From managing league regulations to navigating brand deals, Ben handles all the logistical components of the team. His favorite memory with the team has been their trip to New Orleans, where they had the opportunity to play against LSU, Texas Tech, and Tulane, all while finding time to explore Bourbon Street and the city's culture and food.

Ben can't pick just one favorite memory when it comes to the School of Pharmacy, though many of his best memories revolve around attending class and studying with a small, dedicated group of classmates and friends. It's this close-knit community that provided him with support during his first semester in the Pharm.D. program. During this challenging transition, Ben leaned on his AZO community, connecting with older students and learning time management skills.

When asked about balancing his time between academics and athletics, Ben emphasizes the connections he's made above all else: "Everyone is interconnected in ways that you wouldn't imagine." Through these connections, Ben has formed two families – referring to his lacrosse family as "mom and dad" and his pharmacy family as "brother and sister." Whether it's pushing each other at practice, traveling for games, or spending time together off the field, Ben finds the friendships with his lacrosse team to be a huge source of support. This support, in turn, has helped him connect to his pharmacy family. With his class consisting of only around 70 students, Ben has forged meaningful relationships with his classmates who share similar goals. And when he does face difficulties, he takes advantage of the School's support system, including the Student Educational Assistance (SEA) study resources, which have helped him stay on top of coursework while managing his commitments and participating in various study groups within the School.

Because Ben still has three more years as a Husky, he's looking forward to more opportunities to expand his passions. He plans to use his knowledge and network to establish a presence in the pharmacy industry by seeking out internships and opportunities that will help him gain hands-on experience.

He's also excited about broadening his interests by taking a sign language class: "I've had an interest in it and thought it would be a fun and useful skill to learn." Currently, Ben works for Hartford Healthcare in the emergency department, helping with patient medications and deliveries. In the future, he plans to explore the pharmacy industry's manufacturing side.

As a leader in his many roles, Ben is no stranger to giving advice. When talking about the students in the School of Pharmacy and student-athletes, he emphasizes the importance of time management and building strong social networks: "Plan ahead, set priorities, and don't be afraid to ask for help when needed." Whether it's teammates, classmates, or mentors, having a solid support system can make all the difference in staying motivated and feeling connected. To be successful, Ben surrounds himself with people who inspire and challenge him.

"Surround yourself with people who push you to succeed both on and off the field." – Ben

From energizing the crowds at Gampel to setting records and shooting high, to being both a player and president of a team, these students - past, present, and future - continue to make UConn's School of Pharmacy proud, truly embodying their blue blood in academics and athletics