Meet our Residents!

Site: Allina Health

Zachary Paulsen, PharmD

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Zachary Paulsen

Pharmacy School: University of Wisconsin Madison

Clinical Interests: Diabetes, cardiology, autoimmune disorders, and geriatrics

Personal Interests: I enjoy traveling, spending time with friends and family, taking walks with my golden doodle, grilling in the summer, and staying active through sports.

Career Goals: I aim to practice in ambulatory care, building meaningful patient relationships to help them reach their health goals, while also advancing the profession through involvement in professional organizations and precepting students.

Why the University of Minnesota: The U of M College of Pharmacy Residency Program offers PGY1 residents the opportunity to practice in ambulatory care, supported by state laws that expand pharmacists' roles, while also creating opportunities to connect with residents across various practice sites.

Site: Geritom Medical, Inc

Sarah Pinkley, PharmD

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Sarah Pinkley

Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota

Clinical Interests: Neurological and psychiatric conditions

Personal Interests: My animals!

Career Goals: Continue learning and make a positive impact on others

Why the University of Minnesota: Interest in ambulatory care

Site: Goodrich Pharmacy

John Kastner, PharmD

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John Kastner

Pharmacy School: North Dakota State University

Clinical Interests: Cardiology, diabetes, psych

Personal Interests: Hanging out with friends, staying current on news and politics, playing softball and broomball, camping, fishing, mushroom hunting, landscaping, learning how to fix things around my house.

Career Goals: My goal after residency is to practice medication management in a primary care clinic.

Why the University of Minnesota: I chose the University of Minnesota's residency program because of the many unique opportunities that they offered, and because I knew I would be strongly supported throughout the year. I also appreciate their commitment to advancing MTM practice in the state of Minnesota.

Site: M Health Fairview

Aubrey Bockorny, PharmD

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Aubrey Bockorny

Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Clinical Interests: Diabetes Management, Uncontrolled Hypertension, Heart Failure, and Mental Health

Personal Interests: Spending time with family and friends, ballroom dancing, traveling, and trying new restaurants!

Career Goals: My goal is to practice primarily as an ambulatory care pharmacist in a clinic setting. I would also love to continue to work some days in community pharmacy to be better equipped at bridging transition gaps between primary care and medication dispensing.

Why the University of Minnesota: I selected the UMN PGY1 program because it provides more emphasis on ambulatory care training in the clinic setting, their commitment to improving patient access to health care services, and the opportunity to precept pharmacy students.

Site: M Health Fairview

Vanessa Nasi, PharmD

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Vanessa Nasi

Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota

Clinical Interests: Diabetes, women's health, preventative care, and psych

Personal Interests: Sports, music, and food

Career Goals: To become board certified and to help address barriers to health care in my community.

Why the University of Minnesota: For the amazing support and guidance provided by preceptors and co-residents. For the ability to grow as an MTM provider and work closely with other health professionals.

Site: M Health Fairview

Emily Streit, PharmD

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Emily Streit

Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Clinical Interests: Diabetes Management and Patient Education

Personal Interests: I enjoy spending time outdoors, trying new restaurants, relaxing with my cat, Ragnar, and Taco Bell.

Career Goals: My goal is to be an MTM pharmacist and build strong relationships with my patients! I could definitely see myself building an ambulatory care practice in the future.

Why the University of Minnesota: I heard great testimonials from previous residents and watched them grow to be strong, confident pharmacists in practice. I also loved the idea of staying connected to the college!

Mille Lacs Health System - Ambulatory Care/Community Focus

Bree Bellemare, PharmD

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Bree Bellemare

Pharmacy School: North Dakota State University

Clinical Interests: Chronic disease state management, rural health, primary care

Personal Interests: I enjoy spending time with family and friends, baking, reading, drawing & painting, and spending time at the lake.

Career Goals: To practice as an ambulatory care pharmacist in the primary care or clinic setting, building relationships with my patients and help them achieve their health goals.

Why the University of Minnesota: I chose the UoM because the program had everything I was looking for! I really liked that the program focused on ambulatory care and offered a rural health emphasis and would allow me to further my education and training to provide effective patient care.

Site: Mille Lacs Health System - Ambulatory Care/Hospital Focus

Jerrel Siazon, PharmD

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Jerrel Siazon

Pharmacy School: University of South California

Medical Interests: Ambulatory Care, Mental Health, Oncology, Pediatrics, Nuclear Pharmacy

Personal Interests: Anything in the arts ~ movement & media, outdoor adventures, and quality time with friends & family!

Career Goals: I will become an ambulatory care pharmacist who can manage a wide variety of disease states in the outpatient setting, and build long-lasting relationships with the patients I serve!

Why the University of Minnesota: UMN offered exactly what I was looking for in a residency program which was a combination of hospital pharmacy practice and ambulatory care, and also I will be able to work with those who are as passionate in those areas as I am. This program will allow me to bridge the gap between inpatient and outpatient care and also prevent rehospitalizations. I also wanted to experience life in a drastically new environment and share my California experiences in pharmacy practice.

Site: New Ulm Medical Center

Elizabeth Wolkow, PharmD

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Elizabeth Wolkow

Pharmacy School: South Dakota State University

Clinical Interests: Hospital and ambulatory pharmacy, rural healthcare, mental health

Personal Interests: Cooking, reading, spending time at the lake, and spending time with family and friends

Career Goals: I aim to serve as a pharmacist for a rural community and develop lasting relationships with my patients.

Why the University of Minnesota: This program offers sites with a rural healthcare emphasis and allows the opportunity to continue exploring both inpatient and outpatient pharmacist roles. This program creates well-rounded pharmacists and instills confidence within their residents.

Site: Park Nicollet Health

Lauren Terp, PharmD

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Lauren Terp

Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Clinical Interests: Primary care, chronic disease management, cardiology, geriatrics, palliative and hospice care

Personal Interests: I love traveling and exploring new places, especially when it involves great food! Golf and nature walks are my go-to for relaxing and staying active. In the warmer months, you'll usually find me out on the lake soaking up the sun with family and friends.

Career Goals: My career goals center around delivering high-quality, patient-centered care with a focus on primary and geriatric populations. In addition to clinical care, I'm equally committed to advancing practice sustainability and growth‚ & finding innovative, collaborative ways to expand pharmacist-led services and improve long-term outcomes for both patients and the healthcare system.

Why the University of Minnesota: I loved the idea of having an augmented larger co-resident class though we all get the opportunity to practice at different sites! This allows a great opportunity for exposure to other practice styles as well as community building.

Site: St. Cloud VA Health Care

Margaret Mattson, PharmD

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Margaret Mattson

Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota - Duluth

Clinical Interests: Diabetes, cardiology, women's health, rural pharmacy, and working on interprofessional healthcare teams

Personal Interests: Reading, cooking, weekly bingo with my friends, and spending time with my loved ones

Career Goals: My goal is to become an ambulatory care pharmacist in a clinic setting that allows me to work with an interprofessional healthcare team and build strong relationships with patients so that I can empower them to be active participants in their own healthcare journey.

Why the University of Minnesota: I selected this program because of its commitment to training outstanding ambulatory care residents across a wide variety of sites. I felt that I could find the perfect practice site for me while still having the support of a large program. Having completed my PharmD degree at the UMN CoP, I have no doubt that the excellence with which they prepare their PharmD students will translate to their pharmacy residents.

Site: Welia Health - Ambulatory Care/Hospital Focus 

Beth Vlieger, PharmD

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Beth Vlieger

Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota

Clinical Interests: Chronic pain, Geriatrics, Rural Health

Personal Interests: Baking, Podcasts, Reading, hiking

Career Goals: Build clinical foundation and eventually work in an administrative role.

Why the University of Minnesota: I believe this program will help build my clinical foundation while also helping me develop skills working with patients.

Site: Year 1/Resident: Combined PGY1 Residency and Practice Advancement Fellowship

Rose Yang, PharmD

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Rose Yang

Pharmacy School: North Dakota State University

Clinical Interests: Serving underserved and underrepresented communities, cardiology, chronic disease state management, and preventive care.

Personal Interests: I enjoy all things creative: writing, photography, baking, fashion, you name it! I love staying active through sports like tennis, basketball, and lacrosse. Family means everything to me - I have six siblings and the cutest nephews and niece!

Career Goals: My career goals include working in an ambulatory care clinic with a focus on cardiology, serving as an adjunct faculty professor, and holding leadership positions within national pharmacy organizations. Personally, I also aspire to become a New York Times bestselling author.

Why the University of Minnesota: I chose the Pharmaceutical Care Leadership Residency/Fellowship Program because it offers a unique opportunity to strengthen my clinical skills in ambulatory care while gaining hands-on leadership experience. It truly feels like the best of both worlds—supporting my growth as both a clinician and future pharmacy leader. The interview confirmed it was the right fit; everyone was incredibly welcoming, and the environment felt supportive. Being in Minnesota, my home state, makes it all the more special!

Site: Year 2/Fellow: Combined PGY1 Residency and Practice Advancement Fellowship

Joyce Hu, PharmD

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Joyce Hu

Pharmacy School: University of Wisconsin Madison

Clinical Interests: Ambulatory care, academia, women's/reproductive health, LGBTQ+ healthcare

Personal Interests: Reading, cooking/baking, hiking/exploring nature, hanging out with my dog.

Career Goals: Clinical adjunct faculty with my practice in ambulatory care.

Why the University of Minnesota: UMN's PCLR program has allowed me to build my clinical skills as an ambulatory care pharmacist along and provides me with other great professional opportunities in academia, advocacy, and more.