Over 91% of the pharmacy doctoral candidates seeking coveted residencies this year matched with a program.
That ratio is the highest among private pharmacy schools statewide, and well above the average match rate of 80% among pharmacy schools nationwide in 2024.
In addition, 11 graduates from the Class of 2023 who had residencies in their first postgraduate year (PGY-1) are moving on to a second year of postgraduate residency work (PGY-2).
“We are very excited about the results,” said Dr. Darren Grabe, chair of ACPHS’ Pharmacy Practice Department.
Residencies, which typically include a stipend, are becoming increasingly competitive and desirable credentials, especially for pharmacists who want to work in areas such as specialized medicine, academia or well-known, highly competitive hospitals. They are seen as career accelerators for leadership positions, in exchange for a reduced salary.
Pharmacy doctoral students also see residencies as a bridge, filling in gaps in their experience before they move into their career pharmacy practice.
“There’s so many areas of pharmacy that I haven’t seen, and I wanted to become a well-rounded pharmacist before I go into the field,” said Rachel Leffler (pictured above, right), who is on her way to Highland Hospital, part of the University of Rochester Medical Center in western New York.
“It opens up a lot more opportunities,” said Austin Lewerk (above, in center), who matched with a residency at William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn. “I wanted to give myself the best foot forward.”
Students learn about residency programs in myriad ways, including from ACPHS faculty, pharmacy organizations on campus and alumni. Dylan Knapp (above, left) learned about the residency at UNC Chapel Hill, where he matched, when he met someone completing it at the American Society of Health-systems Pharmacists Mid-Year Clinical Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., in December.
Like Leffler and Lewerk, he is hoping the experience will give him a leg up when he moves into pharmacy practice.
“I look forward to it making the transition to my own practice easier,” Knapp said.
2024 Graduates Matching with PGY-1 Residencies (41)
Angie Charles
Kathleen Baca
Morgan DeRiggs
Marina Duszak
Athanasia Efstathiadis
John Fattal
Gianna Franco
Haley Frechette
Elizabeth Gambacorta
Morgan Gerber
Maxwell Gifford
Natalie Hart
Yue Hu
Anjali Kota
Dylan Knapp
Lindsey Lakos
Magdalen Latif
Rachel Leffler
Austin Lewerk
Sadie Lozier
Felissa Masumbuko
Charles Middleton
Atalya Morgan
Nicholas Nicolaou
Nathalie Soriano Pereira
Jessica Pinkerton
Victoria Rathwell
Michael Redfern
Rahul Rengan
Andrea Rivera
Wioletta Rogowski
Jeffrey Schulz
Caleb Scrime
Russell Simerly III
Austin Spiridilozzi
Nicole Suker
Jack Sullivan
Megan Szesnat
Avani Topiwala
Kayla Wesley
Miranda Woosman
Class of 2023 students matching for PGY-2 residencies
Yong jun Bae
Paris Dade
Jason Fine
Lauren Inglis
Kevin Le
Avery Marcotte
Nathan Martens
Zachary Sawyer
Brittney Singramdoo
Andrew Wagner PharmD
Emily Zukosky