Steve Rough
CEO
Steve Rough, MS, RPh, FASHP, is a visionary leader in health system pharmacy, dedicated to transforming healthcare through innovative pharmacy strategies. With deep expertise in optimizing financial, operational, and patient care performance, Rough has played a key role in advancing the success of healthcare organizations nationwide. His commitment to fostering innovation drives exceptional outcomes in health system pharmacy.
As the CEO of Visante, Rough sets the company's strategic direction, managing high-level operations and cultivating a collaborative and high-performing organizational culture that fosters the delivery of unmatched client results. His leadership, focused on achieving superior financial performance and extraordinary patient outcomes, is guided by a clear vision aligned with the company’s mission and the goals of the Visante Board of Directors.
Throughout his distinguished career, Rough has developed sustainable, high-value pharmacy programs that have impacted both local and national healthcare landscapes. Before joining Visante, he served as Senior Director of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Health for 16 years, where he led all aspects of the health system’s pharmacy enterprise. Under his leadership, the pharmacy program achieved remarkable success, generating $1.3 billion in annual revenue and excelling in strategic, operational, clinical, and financial performance. During his tenure, Rough cultivated a collaborative environment where interdisciplinary teams worked seamlessly, ensuring that pharmacists, technicians, researchers, and educators operated at the highest levels of their expertise, enhancing patient care across diverse settings.
In addition to his leadership at UW Health, Rough was a Clinical Associate Professor at the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy. He directed the Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Residency Program and the Master’s Program in Health System Pharmacy Administration, pivotal in shaping the next generation of pharmacy leaders.
An influential thought leader in hospital pharmacy, Rough has contributed over 40 publications and seven textbook chapters to the professional literature. He has also delivered more than 150 presentations at national conferences, sharing insights on pharmacy leadership and innovation. His contributions to the field have earned him recognition from numerous professional organizations, including the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW). His accolades include the PSW Pharmacist of the Year (2003), the ASHP Distinguished Service Award (2010), The Winston J. Durant Lecture Award (2014), and the John W. Webb Lecture Award (2016).
Rough holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW-Madison and completed his residency training in Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacy Administration at UW Hospital.