News @ VCU School of Pharmacy

Postgraduate programs for class of ‘12 range from coast to coast

It’s that time of year: end-of-semester round-ups, exams, awards ceremonies and bidding our graduates a fond farewell. The class of 2012 is about to spread its wings, heading into a plethora of careers ranging from pharmacy practice to residencies and postgraduate education. They are to be congratulated!

The 2012 School of Pharmacy Hooding and Diploma Ceremony for graduates-to-be from the Pharm.D. and Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Programs takes place May 11 at St. Paul’s Baptist Church, followed on May 12 by the university-wide commencement at Richmond Coliseum.

The School of Pharmacy's class of 2012 posed for its
official White Coat Ceremony portrait on Sept. 6, 2008.
In the wake of threats made by Hurricane Hanna,
Dean Victor Yanchick remarked,
"Maybe we should call it the wet-coat ceremony!"

According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the 2012 pharmacy resident match resulted in the highest number of candidates and the highest number of positions filled since the program began in 1979. A residency is defined as an organized, directed, postgraduate training program to train pharmacists in professional practice and management activities. Residents gain in-depth experience in integrating pharmacy services with the comprehensive needs of individual practice settings, which leads to advanced practice skills and knowledge.

This year, 13 percent more Pharm.D. candidates across the country sought PGY1 residencies, and 25 percent more sought PGY2 residencies. A total of 2,268 PGY1 and 505 PGY2 positions matched, with 12 percent more PGY1 positions and 15 percent more PGY2 positions filled.

Those numbers include 30 percent of the VCU School of Pharmacy’s Pharm.D. class of 2012. The following list of students who have been accepted into postgraduate programs is provided courtesy of the Office of Admissions and Student Services:

James Adams, PGY1, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Martinsburg, W.Va.
Corinne Asakevich, PGY1, St. Francis Hospital, Tulsa, Okla.
Eleanor Bituin, PGY1, West Florida Healthcare, Pensacola, Fla.
John Bucheit, PGY1, Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center, Richmond
Che Chang, PGY1, Martha Jefferson Hospital, Charlottesville
Tonya Coles Davis, PGY1 (ambulatory care), VCU Health System, Richmond
Whitney Conroy, PGY1, Gallup Indian Medical Center, Gallup, N.M.
Lauren Cox, Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences, VCU School of Pharmacy, Richmond
Ashley Darden, PGY1, Sentara Healthcare System, Norfolk
Tamara Davidson, PGY1, Carillion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke
Marcia Fields, drug information residency, West Virginia University School of Pharmacy and Mylan, Morgantown, W.Va.
Noah Greenberg, Rutgers University and Bristol-Myers Squibb Industry Fellowship, Princeton, N.J.
Karl Hayter, PGY1 and PGY2 (administration) and M.S. in health administration, VCU Health System and VCU School of Allied Health Professions, Richmond
Golby Jalali, PGY1, Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center, Richmond
Julie Jeong, PGY1 (ambulatory care), VCU School of Pharmacy and CrossOver Clinic, Richmond
Hasan Kazmi, PGY1, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville
Drew Kirk, PGY1, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia
Gina Lee, PGY1, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Fairfax
Lindsey Madures, PGY1, Duke University Hospital, Durham, N.C.
Joyce Marshall, PGY1, Holston Valley Medical Center, Kingsport, Tenn.
Thanh-Van Nguyen, PGY1 (ambulatory care), Kaiser Mid-Atlantic States, Baltimore
Drewry Nickerson, PGY1, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas
Kristen O’Brien, PGY1, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta
Jason Quarles, PGY1, Sentara Healthcare System, Norfolk
Melissa Rees, PGY1, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle
Catherine Salvador, PGY1, RMH Healthcare, Harrisonburg
Lindsay Samuel, PGY1, Sibley Memorial Hospital, Washington
Jessica Schad, PGY1, Carillion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke
Erike Stiene, PGY1 (ambulatory care), Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, N.C.
Sara Tittermary, PGY1, Martha Jefferson Hospital, Charlottesville
Ann Upshaw, PGY1, Yuma Regional Hospital, Yuma, Ariz.
Celeste Vinluan, PGY1, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York
Jamie Waller, PGY1, Henrico Doctors Hospital, Richmond
Ryan Wong, PGY1, CJW Medical Center, Richmond
Melody Wootten, PGY1, Centra Health, Lynchburg
Michelle Zacchetti, PGY1, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville

Submitted By:
Cynthia McMullen
5/2/2012