Student Spotlight Summer 2022: Internships, rotations and more

Elaine Marji, PharmD’24, spent her summer working as a pharmacy intern at St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, NY. While there, Marji had the opportunity to watch an open-heart surgery being performed. Marji also traveled to Santa Monica, CA with Livia Chase, PharmD’24, and Ridhi Sharma, PharmD’24, where they all participated in a competition hosted by GoodRx to address healthcare disparities.

Over the summer, Kristine Nguyen, PharmD’23, completed a public health rotation with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department in San Jose, CA. Nguyen was involved in various clinics including tuberculosis (TB), sexually transmitted infection and human immunodeficiency virus (STI/HIV) testing, travel medicine and immunization, harm reduction, needle exchange, COVID-19 mass vaccination, and directly assisted in the public health response to the monkeypox virus. Nguyen helped coordinate two mass vaccination clinics for the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine, where she and several public health pharmacists vaccinated a total of 600 people considered at high risk of contracting the virus. Nguyen also educated other health professionals and patients on the monkeypox virus and vaccine. Following her experiences, Nguyen said, "It had been a unique opportunity to interact with underserved and marginalized communities – such as the LGBTQ+ and homeless communities – I had yet to come across in prior settings."

This summer, Lucy Malkiewicz, PharmD’24, started a new ambulatory care job working in primary care at Great Lakes Integrated Network in New York. She also got a new puppy and spent time at her cottage in Canada.

During the summer, Sophia Osmond, PharmD’25, completed a rotation at Walgreens in Orchard Park, NY. She worked alongside two other students from out of state schools and enjoyed making new connections.

Victoria Lyle, PharmD’24, completed a summer internship at the American Pharmacist Association (APhA) in Washington, D.C. During her internship, she attended one-on-one meetings with staff in departments including government affairs, education, and business development and membership, which provided a greater understanding of how APhA operates across all areas. Lyle’s favorite meeting was with Ilisa Bernstein, PharmD, JD, FAPhA, the first woman appointed interim chief executive officer of APhA. During their meeting, they discussed Bernstein’s journey to her current position and leadership development opportunities for student pharmacists. Lyle also had the opportunity to go to the House of Representatives to visit her state’s representative offices where she advocated for the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacists’ Services Act, the Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, and the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act. Following her internship, Lyle said “[I am] incredibly grateful for this opportunity and [I] look forward to [my] growth as a student pharmacist leader within the organization going forward.”

On June 10-12, UB SPPS student members of the student chapter of the Pharmacists Association of Western New York (SPAWNY) attended the 2022 Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (PSSNY) Annual Convention in Rochester, NY. UB SPPS students met with pharmacists and other students from across the state to collectively discuss important issues and potential resolutions.

• Selvi Chhabra, PharmD’25
  
• Livia Chase, PharmD’24
• Gabby Leto, PharmD’23
• Rachel Romanowski, PharmD’25
• Sophia Osmond, PharmD ’25
• Alice Adachi-Bartholomay, PharmD’23
• Eric Raine, PharmD’24
• Annie Kurdziel, PharmD’23
• Nicole Siwarski, PharmD’25
• Elaine Marji, PharmD’24
• Rebecca Winski, PharmD’23