
The School of Pharmacy's Department of Pharmacy Practice offers a variety of residencies and research fellowships. These highly individualized postgraduate training programs are designed to prepare the participant to become an independent researcher and a clinical scientist.
Residencies versus Fellowships
In contrast to a residency, where the emphasis is on the development of practice skills, a fellowship is focused on the development of research skills. This training will prepare successful candidates to qualify for faculty positions in academic settings and research positions in the private sector, as well as numerous other opportunities that utilize the scientific and critical thinking skills obtained through this experience.
Over the term of the appointment, fellows generally devote the majority of their training efforts to scholarly activities – predominantly research and relevant coursework, and the remainder to a mixture of clinical, teaching and administrative responsibilities.
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).
Preceptors
William L. Baker, Pharm.D.
Diana M. Sobieraj, Pharm.D.
Adrian Hernandez-Diaz, Pharm.D.
C. Michael White, Pharm.D.
Craig I. Coleman, Pharm.D.
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:
Mary Mulrooney, Pharm.D.
Fellowship Director:
Marie Smith, PharmD, FNAP
Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacy Fellowship
The Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacy Fellowship is a 24-month experience to foster the fellow’s ability to lead a pediatric antimicrobial stewardship program and practice as a faculty member at a school of pharmacy. The fellow will be highly involved in creation, design, and analysis of antimicrobial stewardship related projects and clinical teaching. Please visit the Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacy Fellowship for more details on this program.
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.