Graduate Assistantships and Post-Doctoral Fellowships

A Ph.D. candidate works in the lab

The School of Pharmacy's Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences offers graduate assistantships as well as post-doctoral fellowships. These highly individualized postgraduate training programs are designed to prepare the participant to become an independent researcher and a clinical scientist.

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences - Graduate Assistantships and Post Doctoral Fellowships

Admission to the graduate programs in pharmaceutical sciences is handled through the UConn Graduate School. Students are typically admitted as candidates for the Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and concentrate in one of the three disciplines – pharmacology & toxicology, pharmaceutics, and medicinal chemistry. All students applying to the graduate school, must complete and submit an application to the University of Connecticut Graduate School by December 15, not directly to the School of Pharmacy or the department. Applications received after December 15 will be considered on a rolling basis.

Selected candidates will be invited for an on-campus interview. Interviews allow applicants the opportunity to evaluate faculty research and decide if his or her research interests are a good fit. Candidates may also be invited to attend the Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Symposium in early spring for a chance to learn more about departmental research and facilities, and to visit with current and future graduate students.Contact pharmacy@uconn.edu with any Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate application questions.

Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship

For those students who are finishing undergraduate degrees at LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) Institutions you may qualify for a Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship

Apply to the Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship
Learn more at lsamp.uconn.edu

School of Pharmacy residencies are designed to foster the development of knowledge and skills in practicing pharmaceutical care. Residencies in clinical pharmacy provide experience in integrating pharmacy services with the comprehensive needs of individual practice settings and provide in-depth experiences leading to advanced practice skills and knowledge. Residencies develop the ability to conceptualize new and improved pharmacy services. Within a given residency program, there is consistency in content for each resident. In addition, accreditation standards and program guidelines produced by national pharmacy associations provide program content detail and foster consistency among programs.

A residency is typically 12 months or longer in duration, and the resident’s practice experiences are closely directed and evaluated by a qualified practitioner/preceptor. A residency may occur at any career point following an entry-level degree in pharmacy. Individuals planning practice-oriented careers are encouraged to complete all formal academic education before entry into a residency.

Department of Pharmacy Practice – Residencies and Fellowships

The Department of Pharmacy Practice offers the following graduate level training experiences. Please see the different categories below for more information. If you are interested in applying to a residency or fellowship, please contact the preceptor noted.

Outcomes Research Fellowship

The Outcomes Research Fellowship provides a 2-year experience that is peer-reviewed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). Candidates must be eligible for pharmacist licensure in the state of Connecticut and possess a strong interest in learning how to execute outcomes-based research from inception to publication in the peer-reviewed literature. Although the core preceptor team has a strong record of cardiovascular-based outcomes research, health topics vary throughout the duration of the fellowship and are not limited to cardiology. We currently have two outcomes fellows, one first-year and one second-year fellow. The fellowship begins on July 1 of each year.

As this fellowship is peer-reviewed by ACCP, the fellow will devote a minimum of 80% effort to scholarly activities. During this time, fellows will work directly with the program preceptors to learn how to execute outcomes-based research. Methodology for the execution of observational studies and systematic reviews and meta-analysis are central to the fellowship while additional experiences in economic modeling and clinical trials are often an opportunity during the 2-year period. Fellows will work with their preceptor through various components of the research studies including protocol development, IRB application, project management, data analysis, scientific writing and presentation of findings at national and international meetings. Our goal is that by the end of the 2-year fellowship, the fellow has been exposed to all study designs and study processes covering a variety of health topics so that the learned methodology can be successfully applied to pursue an independent research career. Our fellows most commonly pursue and obtain positions within academia or the pharmaceutical industry.

Outside of scholarly activities, fellows have the opportunity to participate in teaching and service-related activities associated with the academic role of their fellowship preceptors at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. Such activities include, but are not limited to, delivery of didactic lectures, small group/laboratory-based facilitation, and co-precepting experiential education (e.g. internal medicine, cardiology and research rotations).

We encourage candidates to click on the links of the program preceptors below to appreciate the variety of research interests of the group and thus potential opportunities for our fellows. Publication histories can also be accessed via these links. More information about our group can be found at the following link: HOPE Collaborative Group
Preceptors
• William L. Baker
• Diana M. Sobieraj
• Adrian Hernandez-Diaz
• C. Michael White
• Craig I. Coleman

Henry A. Palmer Fellowship in Pharmacy Practice Transformation

The Palmer Fellowship provides a unique one-year pharmacy practice transformation learning experience that allows the fellow to make practical contributions to the effective use of clinical and pharmacy practice knowledge, change management processes, and business/administrative considerations in emerging care delivery models (PCMHs, ACOs, community-based health teams).

The fellowship scholarly opportunities include health services research in the topics listed below, with the ultimate goal of disseminating research findings to inform sustainable, evidence-based, medication management practices.

• Integrating pharmacists within primary care health care teams.
• Advancing practical workflows for medication use and safety processes.
• Evaluating the impact of medication management services at the patient and practice-level.
Other scholarly activities include grant writing, protocol management, data collection and analysis, manuscript preparations, as well as formal and informal presentations. In addition to research and scholarship, the fellow is also actively engaged in the following:
• Didactic, application-based, and experiential teaching within the school of pharmacy.
• Providing clinical pharmacy services within an outpatient primary care medical office affiliated with the university teaching hospital.
Examples of longitudinal experiences include attendance at the CT Healthcare Cabinet meetings and other local state organizations, including the Connecticut Institute for Primary Care Innovation (CIPCI) and the Primary Care Coalition of Connecticut (PCCC).
The fellowship spans 12 months starting in a June/July timeframe and is primarily based in Storrs, CT.

Current fellow:
• Erika Vuernick, PharmD
Fellowship Director:
• Marie Smith, PharmD, FNAP

Infectious Disease Residency - Pediatrics

The Infectious Diseases Residency.pdf is a Post-Graduate Year 2 (PGY-2) experience to foster the resident’s ability to function as an independent clinical pharmacist in the pediatric infectious disease setting. The residency takes place at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The Residency Handbook.pdf contains additional information.
Residents
• Betool Al-Mazraawy, Pharm.D. and Lauren Pucket, Pharm.D.
Residency Program Director
• Jennifer Girotto, Pharm.D.

Pharmacy Practice Residency

The Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY-1) Pharmacy Residency Program at John Dempsey Hospital at UConn Health was re-established in 2012. The residency earned full accreditation status in 2013 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

The purpose of this program is to develop the resident into a clinical practitioner who will contribute to positive patient outcomes. The residency program develops competency in the areas of acute patient care, ambulatory/primary care, drug information and management.

The program has a strong affiliation with the UConn School of Pharmacy through its many preceptors located at UConn Health, its teaching certificate program for residents and preceptors, and much more. More detailed information, as well as profiles of current residents and their projects, can be found on the UConn Health residency website.
Residency Program Director
• Kevin W. Chamberlin, Pharm.D.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy website provides information for pharmacy students on a variety of additional internship and residency opportunities.

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Fellowships

Admission to the graduate programs in pharmaceutical sciences are handled through the University of Connecticut Graduate School. Students are typically admitted as candidates for the Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and concentrate in one of the three disciplines – pharmacology & toxicology, pharmaceutics, and medicinal chemistry. All students applying to the graduate school, must complete and submit an application to the University of Connecticut Graduate School, not directly to the School of Pharmacy or the department. Current information and application instructions may be found on the graduate school website

Applicants should submit required materials to the graduate school by December 15. Applications received after December 15 will be considered on a rolling basis. Ph.D. application checklist

Selected candidates will be invited for an on-campus interview. Interviews allow applicants the opportunity to evaluate faculty research and decide if his or her research interests are a good fit. Candidates may also be invited to attend the Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Symposium in early spring for a chance to learn more about departmental research and facilities, and to visit with current and future graduate students.Contact Leslie Lebel at leslie.lebel@uconn.edu with any Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate application questions.

Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship

For those students who are finishing undergraduate degrees at LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) Institutions you may qualify for a Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship; The application form is found here: http://www.lsamp.uconn.edu

School of Pharmacy residencies are designed to foster the development of knowledge and skills in practicing pharmaceutical care. Residencies in clinical pharmacy provide experience in integrating pharmacy services with the comprehensive needs of individual practice settings and provide in-depth experiences leading to advanced practice skills and knowledge. Residencies develop the ability to conceptualize new and improved pharmacy services. Within a given residency program, there is consistency in content for each resident. In addition, accreditation standards and program guidelines produced by national pharmacy associations provide program content detail and foster consistency among programs.

A residency is typically 12 months or longer in duration, and the resident’s practice experiences are closely directed and evaluated by a qualified practitioner/preceptor. A residency may occur at any career point following an entry-level degree in pharmacy. Individuals planning practice-oriented careers are encouraged to complete all formal academic education before entry into a residency.

Department of Pharmacy Practice – Residencies and Fellowships

Department of Pharmacy Practice - Residencies and Fellowships

The Department of Pharmacy Practice offers the following graduate level training experiences. Please see the different categories below for more information. If you are interested in applying to a residency or fellowship, please contact the preceptor noted.

Outcomes Research Fellowship

The Outcomes Research Fellowship provides a 2-year experience that is peer-reviewed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). Candidates must be eligible for pharmacist licensure in the state of Connecticut and possess a strong interest in learning how to execute outcomes-based research from inception to publication in the peer-reviewed literature. Although the core preceptor team has a strong record of cardiovascular-based outcomes research, health topics vary throughout the duration of the fellowship and are not limited to cardiology. We currently have two outcomes fellows, one first-year and one second-year fellow. The fellowship begins on July 1 of each year.
As this fellowship is peer-reviewed by ACCP, the fellow will devote a minimum of 80% effort to scholarly activities. During this time, fellows will work directly with the program preceptors to learn how to execute outcomes-based research. Methodology for the execution of observational studies and systematic reviews and meta-analysis are central to the fellowship while additional experiences in economic modeling and clinical trials are often an opportunity during the 2-year period. Fellows will work with their preceptor through various components of the research studies including protocol development, IRB application, project management, data analysis, scientific writing and presentation of findings at national and international meetings. Our goal is that by the end of the 2-year fellowship, the fellow has been exposed to all study designs and study processes covering a variety of health topics so that the learned methodology can be successfully applied to pursue an independent research career. Our fellows most commonly pursue and obtain positions within academia or the pharmaceutical industry.
Outside of scholarly activities, fellows have the opportunity to participate in teaching and service-related activities associated with the academic role of their fellowship preceptors at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. Such activities include, but are not limited to, delivery of didactic lectures, small group/laboratory-based facilitation, and co-precepting experiential education (e.g. internal medicine, cardiology and research rotations).
We encourage candidates to click on the links of the program preceptors below to appreciate the variety of research interests of the group and thus potential opportunities for our fellows. Publication histories can also be accessed via these links. More information about our group can be found at the following link: HOPE Collaborative Group
Preceptors
• William L. Baker
• Diana M. Sobieraj
• Adrian Hernandez-Diaz
• C. Michael White
• Craig I. Coleman

Henry A. Palmer Fellowship in Pharmacy Practice Transformation

The Palmer Fellowship provides a unique one-year pharmacy practice transformation learning experience that allows the fellow to make practical contributions to the effective use of clinical and pharmacy practice knowledge, change management processes, and business/administrative considerations in emerging care delivery models (PCMHs, ACOs, community-based health teams).

The fellowship scholarly opportunities include health services research in the topics listed below, with the ultimate goal of disseminating research findings to inform sustainable, evidence-based, medication management practices.

• Integrating pharmacists within primary care health care teams.
• Advancing practical workflows for medication use and safety processes.
• Evaluating the impact of medication management services at the patient and practice-level.
Other scholarly activities include grant writing, protocol management, data collection and analysis, manuscript preparations, as well as formal and informal presentations. In addition to research and scholarship, the fellow is also actively engaged in the following:
• Didactic, application-based, and experiential teaching within the school of pharmacy.
• Providing clinical pharmacy services within an outpatient primary care medical office affiliated with the university teaching hospital.
Examples of longitudinal experiences include attendance at the CT Healthcare Cabinet meetings and other local state organizations, including the Connecticut Institute for Primary Care Innovation (CIPCI) and the Primary Care Coalition of Connecticut (PCCC).
The fellowship spans 12 months starting in a June/July timeframe and is primarily based in Storrs, CT.

Current fellow:
• Erika Vuernick, PharmD
Fellowship Director:
• Marie Smith, PharmD, FNAP

Infectious Disease Residency - Pediatrics

The Infectious Diseases Residency.pdf is a Post-Graduate Year 2 (PGY-2) experience to foster the resident’s ability to function as an independent clinical pharmacist in the pediatric infectious disease setting. The residency takes place at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The Residency Handbook.pdf contains additional information.
Residents
• Betool Al-Mazraawy, Pharm.D. and Lauren Pucket, Pharm.D.
Residency Program Director
• Jennifer Girotto, Pharm.D.

Pharmacy Practice Residency

The Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY-1) Pharmacy Residency Program at John Dempsey Hospital at UConn Health was re-established in 2012. The residency earned full accreditation status in 2013 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
The purpose of this program is to develop the resident into a clinical practitioner who will contribute to positive patient outcomes. The residency program develops competency in the areas of acute patient care, ambulatory/primary care, drug information and management.
The program has a strong affiliation with the UConn School of Pharmacy through its many preceptors located at UConn Health, its teaching certificate program for residents and preceptors, and much more. More detailed information, as well as profiles of current residents and their projects, can be found on the UConn Health residency website.
Residency Program Director
• Kevin W. Chamberlin, Pharm.D.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy website provides information for pharmacy students on a variety of additional internship and residency opportunities.