Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 8

ALumni

Where	 Are	 They 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 Now?

For the past 100 years, the School of

Pharmacy has been responsible for graduating more than 4,000 pharmacists and scientists who have chosen a variety of career paths – from inventor and small business owner to informatics pharmacist to Medicaid consultant and medical liaison. In the following pages, you’ll discover the paths that some alumni have traveled.

Judy LauerSeidmeyer
Personal battle proves to be the mother of invention
After	a	30-year	career	in	pharmacy,	including	 academia	and	business	developing	computers	for	 retail	pharmacy,	most	start	thinking	of	retirement.	 Not	Judy	Lauer	Seidmeyer,	a	1973	pharmacy	 graduate. Instead,	she	co-founded	Care	Giver	Support		 Products,	LLC	with	her	husband	and	a	friend	–	 manufacturing	and	providing	portable	showers	 for	the	elderly	and	disabled.	 Judy’s	foray	into	the	world	of	inventor	and	small	 business	owner	came	when	her	sister	developed	 an	aggressive	form	of	cancer,	which	left	her	unable	to	use	traditional	bathing	facilities.	“I	took	 an	early	retirement	from	IBM	and	became	her	 full-time	care	giver.	During	my	time	taking	care	of	 my	sister,	I	discovered	that	daily	care	was	a	major	

challenge	and	bathing	alternatives	offered	 to	seniors	and	the	disabled	were	woefully	 inadequate,”	says	Judy. So	in	2003,	the	three	embarked	on		 building	a	better	bathing	alternative.	They	 designed	and	patented	a	completely	selfcontained	shower	–	FAWSsit	(Fold	Away	 Wheelchair	showers	you	sit	in)	–	which	 can	be	used	by	anyone	in	a	wheelchair.		 “It	can	be	set	up	anywhere	there’s	access	 to	a	sink	for	a	source	of	water	and	drain,	 and	an	electric	outlet	to	run	the	waste	 water	removal	pump,”	says	Judy.	 They	started	with	a	standard	model		 then	received	requests	for	larger	units	to	 Left to right: Judy Lauer with her sister, Kathy Aust accommodate	the	needs	of	larger	individuals,	including	the	morbidly	obese,	and	 Administration	and	other	hospitals	across	the	 even	those	who	are	severely	disabled	who	require	 country,	to	provide	a	safe,	effective	and	dignified	 either	a	tilt-back	wheelchair	or	even	a	gurney.	 bathing	alternative	for	seniors	and	individuals	 with	disabilities.	 This	award-winning	company	works	with	many	 of	the	major	rehabilitation	centers	including	 Craig	Hospital	in	Denver,	as	well	as	the	Veterans	

After graduating from the School of Pharmacy in 1973, Judy worked for Kaiser and National Jewish Hospital. Then, she took a faculty position with the School of Pharmacy working in the Apothecary at Wardenburg Student Health Center, where she discovered a need for better tools to keep track of patient information. Out of necessity, she began investigating the potential use of computers in pharmacy, which were almost non-existent at that time. Her research led her to write “Computers for Pharmacy: A Guide To Their Selection and Use in Retail Pharmacy,” published by the American Pharmaceutical Association. After Wardenburg, Judy went to work for IBM helping to design, develop and sell computers for healthcare until she retired and developed FAWSsit. For more information about her company, Care Give Support Products, LLC, visit www.fawssit.com or call 877-FAWSsit (329-7748).

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CU School of Pharmacy
http://www.fawssit.com
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011

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