Zachary Lanoue and Lauren Schmidt are two members of the Class of 2023 pursuing residencies next year.
Of the 154 Class of 2023 candidates expected to receive doctorates in pharmacy this month, 36 will pursue advanced training opportunities through residencies and industry fellowships.
Another 10 pharmacy graduates from previous years were accepted into second-year residency programs, at such prestigious institutions as Montefiore Medical Center, NYU Langone Health and Mount Sinai Hospital.
The rate of so-called residency “matches” among the ACPHS Class of 2023 Pharm.D. graduates was almost 86% of the number who applied, better than the national average of 83%. The term “match” refers to a system that puts together open residency slots with interested candidates after the institutions and the applicants rank each other for preference.
Residencies, which typically include a stipend, are becoming increasingly competitive and desirable credentials, especially for pharmacists who want to work in such areas as specialized medicine, highly competitive major hospitals or academia.
“Residencies are often the most direct route ‘up the ladder’ in these areas,” said Dr. David Butler, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.
Several students who matched with residencies said they pursued that particular career path to serve as an integral part of a medical team in a clinical setting.
When Lauren Schmidt talked to pharmacy program directors about her future options, she noted they often boasted about having “residency-trained preceptors,” which signaled the importance of that credential to her. She is interested in practicing in pediatrics, so felt a residency would be important to achieve her goal. She matched with a residency at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Soo Kang matched with a residency program at South Shore University Hospital on Long Island. She is especially interested in delving into the infectious disease field and in learning about differences in medical access among residents in neighborhoods near the hospital. She feels fortunate to have matched somewhere that suits her interests well.
“It came down to the patient population that I really wanted to serve, which was in very diverse ethnic communities with different types of health disparities,” Kang said about narrowing her residency choices.
Although the residency match process can be intimidating to some students, Pharm.D. candidate Yong jun Bae said ACPHS faculty and preceptors on his rotations steered him through a smooth experience.
“They really gave me thoughtful advice that I took to heart,” said Bae, who will participate in a residency at NYU Langone Hospital on Long Island next year.
Bae was originally uncertain whether a residency was right for him. But ACPHS Professor Jessica Farrell, who works at a Capital Region rheumatology practice, suggested he was suited to a specialized field of medicine that would likely require residency training. Bae now intends to pursue two years of residency.
Schmidt and Zachary Lanoue both said that networking was key to their residency decisions.
Like other students interviewed for this story, Schmidt said attending the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) mid-year meeting in December 2022 provided her with invaluable information about residency options. It was there that she decided to apply to the Children’s Hospital Colorado program, after talking to representatives who conveyed that pharmacists were highly respected members of the medical team there.
Lanoue decided the residency at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut would be his first choice after conversations with ACPHS alum Colin Duell ‘22, who is completing his first-year residency there and has been accepted for a second year. Lanoue knew he wanted to be at a big medical institution where he would be exposed to many facets of pharmacy practice. It was Duell’s other insights that clinched Lanoue’s decision.
“He told me, ‘The people are amazing and you’ll always have help,’” said Lanoue, who matched with Hartford Hospital’s program.
Pharm.D. candidate Alexa Nero, on the other hand, always thought she would pursue a residency, but realized through the experience of various rotations this academic year that she would be better suited for a pharmacy industry fellowship. Such fellowships, usually less oriented toward clinical practice, provide opportunities to learn about medication development, approval, safety and other issues while working for companies or the government.
Nero will train to become a medical science liaison, building relationships between industry and key decision makers, through a fellowship with the medical oncology unit of Sanofi Global in Boston.
“I’m very excited,” she said.
Class of 2023 Pharm.D. Candidates Pursuing First-Year Residencies (PGY1)
Molly Bachman
Yong jun Bae
Maximilian Bush
Ryan Child
Amber Cina
Paris Dade
Amelia Ekert
Jason Fine
Lauren Hom
Lauren Inglis
Soo Kang
Sara Kehn
Zachary Lanoue
Kevin Le
Avery Marcotte
Nathan Martens
Lauren Martinez
Gabrielle Pisciotta
Tomasello Riccio
Nickeshia Rumble
Isaac Rumpf
Bianna Sallemi
Zach Sawyer
Lauren Schmidt
Brittney Singramdoo
Sean Andredj Tan
Hoang-Van Lara Tran
Viveca Velez Negron
Andrew Wagner
Ilvana Zhaka
Emily Zukosky
ACPHS Graduates Pursuing Second-Year Residencies (PGY2)
Antoinette Acbo '22
Benjamin Colwell '22
Katrina Dean '22
Colin Duell '22
Marissa Grillo '22
Kathleen Hanrahan '22
Kathleen Hartman '22
Marina Juan '22
Emily Persson '22
Madeline Ciccone '19
Class of 2023 Pharm.D. Candidates Pursuing Industry Fellowships
Alexa Nero
Nicholas Ferri
Lauren Achenchi
Sheila Lelei
Mackenzie Quirk