Allina Health | CentraCare Paynesville | CentraCare St. Cloud | Community University Health Care Center | Geritom Medical Inc | Goodrich Pharmacy | M Health Fairview | Mille Lacs Health System | Minnesota Community Care | New Ulm Medical Center | Park Nicollet Health | St. Cloud VA Health Care | Welia Health | Year 1 Pharmaceutical Care Leadership | Year 2 Pharmaceutical Care Leadership
Site: Allina Health
Sarah Cava, PharmD
Pharmacy School: North Dakota State University
Clinical Interests: Diabetes, mental health, pharmacogenomics, and caring for medically underserved populations
Personal Interests: Living my Catholic faith, time spent with family and friends, traveling, reading, baking, fitness, and animals
Career Goals: I really see myself sticking to patient care within an ambulatory care setting, I love developing lasting relationships with patients! I hope that I will be part of pharmacy team(s) that continue to enrich pharmacy services within primary care and specialties. Professional organization involvement and academia are other aspects to my professional life that I hope to remain engaged in to keep advancing our profession!
Why the University of Minnesota: I love connecting with patients in an ambulatory care setting, and there were very unique opportunities across the different UMN sites that would fit my professional interests and goals.
Site: CentraCare Paynesville
Trista Betz, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota - Duluth
Medical Interests: Hospital & ambulatory care pharmacy, rural healthcare, geriatric populations, hospice, cardiometabolic disorders, mental health, and academia
Personal Interests: Spending quality time with friends, family, and my two golden retrievers, hiking, reading, water skiing, trying new craft breweries
Career Goals: Serve as a pharmacist for a rural or underserved community in northern Minnesota.
Why the University of Minnesota: The U of M PGY-1 program offers rural emphasis programs that afford the opportunity to continue exploring both inpatient and outpatient pharmacist roles. This program is also dedicated to ensuring residents know how to demonstrate their worth and build their own practice. Lastly, this program offers many teaching opportunities.
Site: CentraCare St. Cloud
Cara Helgeson, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Clinical Interests: I am interested in chronic disease state management, rural health, medication education, and building longitudinal relationships with patients and providers
Personal Interests: I enjoy boating, baking, traveling, concerts, and spending time with friends and family
Career Goals: I hope to become BCACP and work rurally under a broad collaborative practice agreement where I can help patients reach their healthcare related goals.
Why the University of Minnesota: I chose this prestigious program because I felt their curriculum would provide me with the clinical experiences and advanced education to become a successful ambulatory care pharmacist.
Site: Community-University Health Care Center
Sakina Walji-Bandali, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota
Clinical Interests: Mental health, chronic disease management, women's health, immigrant and refugee health, integrative care, and antimicrobial stewardship in primary care
Personal Interests: Traveling, exploring different state parks and enjoying the outdoors (when it's warm), discovering coffee shops in the Twin Cities, reading, watercolor painting, and trying new recipes
Career Goals: After residency I want to find a position in an ambulatory care clinical setting and continue working with students through precepting and teaching at the College of Pharmacy.
Why the University of Minnesota: I admire the UMN CoP program's long-standing reputation as a pioneer in the field of ambulatory care pharmacy, and its commitment to training residents to become well-rounded, adaptable pharmacists. The program also appealed to me due to its focus on a progressive practice and collaborative learning environment, as well as the opportunity to work with diverse, underserved populations.
Site: Geritom Medical
Lusi Zhang, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota
Clinical Interests: Psychiatry, neurology, pharmacogenomics
Personal Interests: Traveling the world and collecting magnets, running, cycling, and trying new sports to stay active, karaoke, and spending time with family and friends
Career Goals: My overarching career goal is to combine academia with clinical practice, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world patient care. After completing my clinical and research training, my next step is to obtain a tenure-track faculty position at a college of pharmacy or an academic health center.
Why the University of Minnesota: My nearly 7 years of experience with University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy through the PharmD/PhD pathway have given me a profound appreciation for the college’s commitment to innovating pharmaceutical care delivery in diverse ambulatory settings. Participating in the esteemed residency program is essential for career trajectory as a a pharmacist-scientist, offering invaluable clinical exposure that is crucial for my professional growth.
Site: Goodrich Pharmacy
Salena Yang, PharmD
Pharmacy School: Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy
Clinical Interests: Medication adherence, serving underserve communities, population and public health
Personal Interests: Watching anime, listening to Kpop music, and spending time with my family
Career Goals: Practicing in a clinic-based setting as an ambulatory care pharmacist and performing public health outreach in the community setting.
Why the University of Minnesota: I want to further my experiences in improving patient health outcomes through rational medication selection, education, and adherence.
Site: M Health Fairview
Amy Aakhus, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Clinical Interests: Pharmacogenomics
Personal Interests: Watching hockey, spending time with friends and family
Career Goals: I hope to build a strong ambulatory care practice and one day be able to implement pharmacogenomics into that practice
Why the University of Minnesota: Throughout my time at the UMN College of Pharmacy I got to see many upperclassmen go into this residency and heard great things about the ambulatory care pharmacists that the program produces. I know that I want a career in ambulatory care and wanted to stay in the area, so the College of Pharmacy program felt like a perfect fit for me
Site: M Health Fairview
Victoria Adrian, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Iowa
Clinical Interests: Diabetes Management and Treatment Resistant Hypertension
Personal Interests: I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. My first niece was recently born and I have loved becoming an auntie. I also enjoy reading and going to trivia nights.
Career Goals: Have a role where I can split my time between an ambulatory care clinic and academia
Why the University of Minnesota: I selected the U of M College of Pharmacy Residency Program because it allowed me to specialize in ambulatory care during my PGY1. I also chose this residency program because it allows me to participate in didactic teaching while gaining my teaching certificate.
Site: M Health Fairview
Bella Haake, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Clinical Interests: Transitions of care, geriatrics, polypharmacy, and patient education
Personal Interests: Cooking new dishes for friends and family, listening to alternative rock music and attending concerts, spending time outside and on the St. Croix River, relaxing with my two kitties
Career Goals: I hope to be an MTM pharmacist who betters patient education and comprehension regarding their medication therapy. I would also like to improve the transitions of care process and ensure patients have the resources they need to recover from hospital stays without further complications.
Why the University of Minnesota: I was drawn to the University of Minnesota's residency program because of their commitment to prioritizing MTM services in Minnesota, and their innovation in expanding these services to reach more patients.
Site: Minnesota Community Care
Carlos Nuñez Aguillon, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Iowa
Clinical Interests: Health equity, underserved care, PrEP/LGBTQ+ care, primary care
Personal Interests: Spending time with my family, friends, and my two cats, traveling and eating, and concerts! I also enjoy volunteering with my local mobile clinic and promoting global and public health.
Career Goals: To become a board certified clinical pharmacists in ambulatory care providing patient-centered care to underserved communities. Another goal is to become a mentor or preceptor to other students.
Why the University of Minnesota: This program has an emphasis on ambulatory care and the sites offer many services to their patients where residents get to be involved. I also wanted to further my skills and training to provide effective patient care to diverse population of patients.
Site: New Ulm Medical Center
Alyssa Rubey, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Clinical Interests: Mental Health, Women's health, Primary Care
Personal Interests: Books, Hiking and camping, gardening
Career Goals: Build my practice and be able to connect to patients to help them improve their health.
Why the University of Minnesota: I was interested in Ambulatory care and I wanted to continue my education with a residency program.
Site: Park Nicollet Health
Sunnee Thao, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
Clinical Interests: Chronic disease management such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma.
Personal Interests: Nerding out about about games, staying active such as playing tennis or hiking, and finding new foods to eat or cook.
Career Goals: My career goal is to ultimately work with patients and help them understand their health. I want to be a practitioner where I can be actively involved with my patients and help them work towards a healthy goal.
Why the University of Minnesota: I chose a residency with UoM COP because having gone through their pharmacy curriculum, I know they have a strong foundation and focus in patient centered care. This has always been a passion of mine and so it only makes sense to continue my pharmacy journey with a program that shares the same value as me.
Site: St. Cloud VA Medical Center
Jaden Gossen, PharmD
Pharmacy School: South Dakota State University
Clinical Interests: Primary care, cardiology, geriatrics
Personal Interests: Reading, playing card/board games, golf, spending time at the lake, spending time with friends and family
Career Goals: Be an ambulatory care pharmacist with my own clinic and patients, creating relationships with them and helping them achieve their health goals.
Why the University of Minnesota: This program was everything I was looking for. I wanted the chance to grow and learn as a new pharmacist from experienced mentors in a supportive environment. This program creates well-rounded, ambulatory care pharmacy practitioners that are ready to provide patient care as part of the medical team.
Site: Welia Health - Ambulatory Care/Community Focus
Kaylee Deutsch, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Georgia
Clinical Interests: Practice in the ambulatory care setting in order to expand access to mental healthcare/psychiatry services, public health initiatives, substance use disorder treatment, and maintenance of chronic disease states for underserved populations.
Personal Interests: I enjoy reading, watching movies and TV series, trying new restaurants, traveling new places, and connecting with others with similar as well as diverse interests. I also enjoy relaxing with my cat, Tom, after work. One of my biggest passions is learning about other cultures and current events in order to advocate for human rights.
Career Goals: I aim to become and ambulatory care pharmacist in the primary care or clinic setting. I hope to develop programs to expand access to those facing health disparities, with a focus on mental healthcare. One day, I may assist in developing legislation and policies for widespread change in terms of access and affordability of healthcare services.
Why the University of Minnesota: I chose the University of Minnesota's residency program due to the kind and supportive professionals I encountered during my interview and the opportunity to gain additional experience in ambulatory care practice. I am excited to work with Welia Health to expand healthcare access to individuals living in rural areas and the opportunity to develop mental health initiatives in the community setting.
Site: Welia Health - Ambulatory Care/Hospital Focus
Sierrah Althaus, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of MN College of Pharmacy
Clinical Interests: Chronic disease state management, geriatrics, and women's health.
Personal Interests: Anything outdoors! Hiking, camping, fishing, and skiing are big ones :-)
Career Goals: I enjoy rural pharmacy practice, so my long-term goals are to live and work in a rural community where I can support my patients both in and out of the pharmacy!
Why the University of Minnesota: I was excited about the opportunity to work with and learn from a large cohort of residents who are each practicing at a variety of different sites, as well as the wide-range of ambulatory care experiences offered.
Site: Year 1 Pharmaceutical Care Leadership/M Health Fairview - Smiley's
Joyce Hu, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Clinical Interests: Ambulatory care, women’s/reproductive health, LGBTQ+ healthcare
Personal Interests: Cooking, art projects (painting, embroidery, really anything!), exploring third wave coffee shops
Career Goals: My dream job would be an ambulatory care pharmacist who practices in primary care half the time and women’s/LGTBQ+ healthcare the other half! Eventually, I can see myself transitioning into academia and becoming a teacher and mentor to future pharmacists.
Why the University of Minnesota: I really loved everything that the PCLR has to offer, from the focus on ambulatory care, ability to complete a teaching certificate, and all of the opportunities for me to develop my leadership and pharmacy service-building skills!
Site: Year 1 Pharmaceutical Care Leadership/M Physicians - Broadway
Jenna Knutson, PharmD
Pharmacy School: University of Minnesota
Clinical Interests: Comprehensive medication management, practicing in an interdisciplinary team environment, underserved communities and immigrant/refugee health, women's health
Personal Interests: Crossfit, crafting, reading, and playing board games
Career Goals: Practice as an ambulatory care pharmacist and work as an adjunct clinical faculty member.
Why the University of Minnesota: The University of Minnesota's ambulatory care pharmacy residency program allows for me to provide comprehensive medication management to underserved populations, advance the profession, and precept students.
Site: Year 2 Pharmaceutical Care Leadership - M Health Fairview
Ameer El-Afandi, PharmD
Pharmacy School: Purdue
Clinical Interests: Ambulatory care
Personal Interests: Serving underserved populations and addressing the barriers they face.
Career Goals: Practice in ambulatory care as well as work as a pharmacy faculty affiliate.
Why the University of Minnesota: Minnesota is a highly regarded state for the practice of pharmacy as well as the university. After making connections I felt as if I would be able to succeed in this program.