PharmD Students Share the Excitement of Entering Residencies and Fellowships

Within the Keck Graduate Institute School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ inaugural class of Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduates, there are 14 students who will be entering fellowships or residencies this year.

Fellowships:

Anthony Costy: Fellowship with Rutgers-Novartis (East Hanover, NJ)

Ashna Ramanlal: Scientific and Medical Communications Fellowship at the East Coast Institute for Research (ECIR) Jacksonville, Florida

Michael Soliman: Fellowship with GlaxoSmithKline/Rutgers University – Consumer Healthcare Medical Affairs (Warren, NJ)

Ariana Ayon Verduzco: GlaxoSmithKline Global Regulatory Affairs Fellowship (GSK and UNC Eshelman SOP funded) (Chapel Hill, NC)

Residencies:

Inet Amirian: PGY1 residency at Adventist Health (Glendale, CA)

Jason Cao: Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System PGY1 (Long Beach, CA)

Armando Cortes: University of Chicago Medicine PGY1/PGY2/MBA Health-System Pharmacy Administration (Chicago, IL)

Marina Dominguez: PGY1 at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (Arrowhead, CA)

Esha (Sukhjit) Kaur: PGY1 position with Sharp Rees Stealy (San Diego, CA)

Joana Kozeli: PGY1 residency at Palomar Medical Center (San Diego, CA)

Kim Nguyen: PGY1 Acute Care at Marshfield Clinic (Marshfield, WI)

Chandni Patel: PGY1 Acute Care at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center (Corvallis, OR)

Susan Schroeter: PGY1 residency at Kaiser Fontana Medical Center (Fontana, CA)

Rajan Vaidya: Executive Residency (1 year) with American Pharmacists Association (Washington, DC)

Several of the students described the excitement surrounding their next opportunity and how it fits with their career aspirations.

Inet Amirian: “I am excited about starting residency because I really want the opportunity to expand and strengthen my clinical knowledge and gain valuable patient care experience in a multitude of settings. I believe that through a PGY1 program I can mature both clinically and professionally. I look forward to collaborating with other healthcare professionals and become a confident practitioner and an important member of the healthcare team.”

Jason Cao: “I am beyond thrilled to begin my next chapter at VA Long Beach Healthcare System as a PGY1 Resident. This new journey represents all the efforts, commitment, and dedication I have put forth into my professional and personal development these past few years. The program will provide me with a set variety of acute and ambulatory care core rotations, and beyond those core rotations I am allowed to tailor my experiences through which I hope to focus in on ambulatory care practices.”

Armando Cortes: “Matching with the University of Chicago Medicine Health System Pharmacy Administration Residency is a dream come true. The reason I decided to embark in the path of administration goes back to my mission in life to help as many people as possible. I want to have the opportunity to impact patients’ lives through administration by creating protocols to ensure patient safety and improve outcomes all while advancing the pharmacy profession.”

Anthony Costy: “I want to get my foot in the door in the pharmaceutical industry, and a fellowship is the clearest path. This is an opportunity to increase my skills and knowledge in pharmacy and expand my career options. Long term, I’d like to work for a pharmaceutical company as a director so I can use my leadership skills and work with a team.”

Marina Dominguez: “I am extremely excited to start my residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. The next year will be difficult but also very rewarding. I am looking forward to working with co-residents to start our careers. My goal is to become an ambulatory care pharmacist. I was drawn to the Arrowhead residency because of the mix of ambulatory care and inpatient pharmacy.”

Esha (Sukhjit) Kaur: “To me, a residency was the best way I could improve my clinical knowledge, touch patient’s lives, and achieve my goal of becoming an ambulatory care pharmacist. I am excited to start my residency at Sharp Rees-Stealy and become trained in multiple diverse patient care settings.”

Joana Kozeli: “I am extremely excited and looking forward to gaining the clinical expertise as a PGY1 resident to provide the best possible care for my future patients.”

Chandni Patel: “I am excited to start this new journey of residency as I make my way back home to Oregon. I always knew that I wanted to be a clinical pharmacist but I also have a great interest in Pharmacy Informatics and this residency will allow me to combine both interests together.”

Ashna Ramanlal: “I am very excited to start my fellowship at East Coast Institute for Research in Scientific and Medical Communications. I am originally from Florida so I am looking forward to going back home. I have always been industry-driven, ever since my P1 year when I completed my industry experience at Amgen. After deciding what I wanted to do post-graduation, I made sure to align my certificate program and rotations with my goal to do a fellowship.”

Susan Schroeter: “I couldn’t be anymore elated and humbled to obtain a residency at Kaiser Fontana. Rotating through the site for my acute care and drug information APPE, I fell in love with the facility, the patients, and most importantly the people. I know the diligent staff will challenge me to become better than who I am today—professionally and personally—and allow me to effectively serve the community at large.

Michael Soliman: “The excitement is definitely surreal. Obtaining a fellowship was the ultimate goal for me after pharmacy school, and for it to actually happen is something special. The fellowship is a good fit for my career aspirations because it will provide me with the experience and skillset to succeed in the pharmaceutical industry.”

Rajan Vaidya: “The residency program is an opportunity to learn how national advocacy works. I’ll be part of an organization that not only develops leaders, but also influences policy. I want to apply my experiences and grow as an advocate for patients, so it’s a perfect fit for me and exactly where I want to be.”

Ariana Ayon Verduzco: “Starting my fellowship is the beginning of the great career I intend to forge ahead. I’m excited to surround myself with ambitious, intelligent, and driven individuals who are all working with the same goal in mind: to bring therapies to market that improve patient lives. My certificate track at KGI is undoubtedly a great stepping stone to what is otherwise a huge learning curve. The next two years will be a lot of work and I cannot wait to start!”