Drug Information Residency Program

The drug information residency is an unaccredited 1-year program, which provides flexibility in training a resident to pursue a career outside traditional hospital-based drug information practice.

Starting in 2025-2026, residents will choose a concentration. Within each concentration, the residency year will consist of 6 months of drug information practice and 6 months of rotations in the concentration area. For 2025-2026, the concentration area options are:

• Medication use policy and safety
• Academia

Purpose of residency

The purpose of the Drug Information residency program is to provide an individualized training opportunity for pharmacists who desire a career in clinical/hospital practice and/or academia.

Goals of the residency

The goal of the residency is to enhance the resident’s clinical skills and expertise in:

• efficient retrieval and critical evaluation of the biomedical literature
• communication of evidence-based information
• medical writing
• formulary management/prior authorization
• didactic and experiential teaching

Key components:

Drug information practice (6 months):

The resident will participate in the delivery of drug information services to various clients of the DIG (eg, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical industry, managed care organizations, medical communication companies, and others).

Teaching and learning:

The resident will contribute to didactic and experiential instruction of drug information-related materials to pharmacy students, residents, and other healthcare professionals. The resident will further develop teaching skills by precepting pharmacy students and other learners.

Publications:

The resident will have opportunities to publish articles within pharmacy journals and participate in scholarly activities.

Required elements:

• Drug information center coverage
• Completion of at least 1 formulary review
• Completion of at least 2 medical writing projects for Drug Information Group clients
• Journal club presentation
• Research project
• Completion of an ASHP certificate
• Involvement in a pharmacy professional organization

Concentration in Medication Use Policy and Safety (6 months):

The resident will complete rotations in inpatient policy, medication safety, operations and drug shortages, and formulary management. Rotation sites will include UI Health and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Longitudinal experiences will include outpatient policy, informatics, UI Health committee service, and precepting activities.

Concentration in Academia (6 months):

The resident will work with faculty members in the Retzky College of Pharmacy to complete rotations in course coordination, curricular design, assessment and accreditation, pedagogy, classroom teaching, and scholarship of teaching and learning. Longitudinal activities will include precepting, college committee service, and teaching certificate programs.

Required Experiences (all located at the UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy)

• Drug Information
• Medical Writing
• Literature Evaluation
• Advanced Drug Information
• Drug Information Management

Concentration in Medicine use policy and safety (rotation sites include UI Health and Northwestern Memorial Hospital): 

• Inpatient Policy
• Medication Safety
• Operations and Drug Shortages
• Formulary Management

Concentration in Academia (all rotations at UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy): 

• Course Coordination
• Curricular Design
• Assessment and Accreditation
• Pedagogy
• Teaching in the Classroom
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Faculty and Preceptor Information at the DIG:

Rachel Brunner, PharmD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist
Coordinator, Drug Information Residency Program

Christie Denton, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist

Jessica Elste, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist

Heather Ipema, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist
Director, Drug Information Residency Program

Honey Joseph, PharmD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist

Laura Koppen, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist

Courtney Krueger, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist

Faria Munir, PharmD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist

Jennifer Phillips, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP, FASHP
Clinical Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist
Director, Drug Information Group

Katherine Sarna, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist

Rita Soni, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist

Jackie Wasynczuk, PharmD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Drug Information Pharmacist

None for 2024-2025 residency year.

Since 1969, over 300 pharmacists successfully trained in our ASHP-accredited first-year post-graduate residency program. In addition, we have graduated over 100 individuals in our various specialized pharmacy residencies that encompass a wide range of specialties. Our diverse faculty, in combination with the numerous progressive practice sites, provides our residents with an experience like no other. Our residency alumnae hold prominent positions within pharmacy academia, industry, and professional organizations nationwide and are leaders in the world of pharmacy practice. We are proud of our tradition, our outcomes and our graduates and with the increasing expectations of the public and other health professionals to improve the lives of patients, we are confident that our residency programs will grow and develop to meet this challenge.

The drug information residency is a novel program led by DIG faculty and targeted towards pharmacists desiring to pursue a career in academia, pharmaceutical industry, medical communications, or managed care. The DIG has over 20 years of experience in training drug information residents with the majority of program graduates pursuing very successful careers in a variety of practice settings.

Past Residents

• 2000 – 2001 Huong Luu, PharmD
  Pharmacist-in-Charge and Owner
  CURA Pharmacy, Tustin, CA
• 2003 – 2004 Carissa E. Mancuso, PharmD
  Associate Director, Medical Information
  Eisai US, New York City, NY
• 2009 – 2010 Irene Reilly, PharmD, BCPS
  Clinical Assistant Professor
  University of Buffalo School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Science, Buffalo, NY
• 2009 – 2010 Heather J. Ipema, PharmD, BCPS
  Clinical Assistant Professor
  University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL
• 2010 – 2011 Sherilyn J. VanOsdol PharmD, BCPS
  Medical Information Manager
  Novo Nordisk, San Luis Obispo, CA
• 2011 – 2012 Lara K. Ellinger, PharmD, BCPS
  Medication Safety Program Manager
  Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL
• 2012 – 2013 Michelle Bryson, PharmD, BCPS
  Medical Information and Review Senior Manager
  Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Greater Detroit area, MI
• 2012 – 2013 Shadi Ghaibi, PharmD, BCPS
  Formulary and Utilization Management Coordinator
  Kaiser Permanente, Seattle, WA
• 2013 – 2014 Aparna Reddy, PharmD, BCPS
  Director of Pharmacy
  HCA Healthcare, Conroe, TX
• 2014 – 2015 Nicole Rashid, PharmD, BCPS
  Currently: maternity leave
  Previous position: Sr. Medical Information and Review Manager with Takeda Pharmaceuticals
• 2014 – 2015 Carol Poskay, PharmD
  Medical Science Liaison
  Galderma, Greater Chicago area, IL
• 2014 – 2015 Samantha Spencer, PharmD, BCPS
  Senior Medical Information Manager
  GSK, Durham, NC
• 2015 – 2016 Katherine Sarna, PharmD, BCPS
  Clinical Assistant Professor
  University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL
• 2015 – 2016 Patricia Hartke, PharmD, BCPS
  Clinical Assistant Professor
  University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL
• 2016 – 2017 Laura Koppen, PharmD, BCPS
  Clinical Assistant Professor
  University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL
• 2016 – 2017 Jasmine Shah, PharmD
  Senior Medical Director
  PRECISIONvalue, Chicago, IL
• 2017 – 2018 Kathryn (Loeser) Szostak, PharmD
  Associate Director, Medical Information
  Marinus Pharma, Greater Chicago area, IL
• 2017 – 2018 Elana Nelson, PharmD
  Laboratory Instruction Coordinator/Instructor
  University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL
• 2018 – 2019 Amanda Gerberich, PharmD
  Clinical Pharmacy Editor
  DynaMed, Philadelphia, PA
• 2019-2020 Kaitlin Miles, PharmD
  Medical Science Liaison
  AstraZeneca, southern IL region
• 2020 – 2021 Rachel Brunner, PharmD
  Clinical Assistant Professor
  University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL
• 2021 – 2022 Honey Joseph, PharmD
  Clinical Assistant Professor
  University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, Chicago IL
• 2022 – 2023 Justyna Fydrych, PharmD
  Pharmacist in Internal Medicine, Sinai, Chicago, IL
  Medical Writer, American Society of Health-System Pharmacist