Residents completing the ASHP-accredited Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy Residency Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center will acquire expertise in medication therapy management and clinical leadership while developing the necessary skillset to become a leader in transplant.

Note: The Solid Organ Transplant Residency Program has early committed one position but is still recruiting for the second.

 

Group photo of the UMMC transplant preceptors in 2023.

Program preceptors (from left): Top: Sarah Bova, Kenneth Saunders, Ian Booth, Kaitlyn Legg, Karen Huang; Bottom: Tracy Sparkes, Chelsey Song, Sari Freedman, Bethany Lane

Pharmacists have had an integral role in the multidisciplinary transplant team at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) for over 20 years, providing care to both abdominal and cardiothoracic transplant recipients through a robust collaborative practice agreement.

The solid organ transplant program at UMMC performs approximately 400 transplants annually, and has 9 transplant clinical specialists dedicated to the care of transplant recipients.

The resident will be accountable for promoting safe and effective drug usage and achieving optimal drug therapy outcomes through an established collaborative practice agreement that allows for independent management of immunosuppression, infection prophylaxis, and other specified agents.

Transplant Pharmacy Residency Program – University of Maryland Medical Center

Watch this two-minute video for a detailed overview of the PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy Residency Program from the 2020-2021 residency leadership.

Attend a virtual recruitment event to learn more about our transplant pharmacy residency program.

These online events offer a great way for prospective trainees to learn more about our program. Please note that registration is required to attend the Zoom Open Houses and Zoom Showcases hosted by the UM Residency and Fellowship Program.

Additionally, we will be participating in virtual PPS. Request an interview here. We look forward to meeting you!

Pharmacists have had an integral role in the multidisciplinary transplant team for over 20 years, providing care to both abdominal and cardiothoracic transplant recipients.

As part of its accreditation by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), this program is committed to the following general purpose:

Postgraduate Year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and Postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

Additionally, our program adheres to the Goals and Objectives for a Post-Graduate Year Two Program in Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy set forth by ASHP. These Goals and Objectives can be found in the ASHP Residency Accreditation Regulations and Standards.

Description of Site:

The University of Maryland Medical Center will serve as the primary site for pharmacy practice experiences. Located in downtown Baltimore, UMMC was one of the nation's first academic medical centers. Today it provides a diverse array of health care services to patients throughout Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region including a large solid organ transplant program completing approximately 400 transplants annually, a comprehensive cancer center with a bone marrow transplant unit, a dedicated HIV medicine service and the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. The integrated approach to patient care, research, and education at UMMC and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy provides a unique opportunity to engage in an innovative training experience that may be individually tailored to the interests and goals of the resident.

Learning Experiences:

Core Rotations Experiences:

Rotation Length
Orientation 4 weeks
Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Surgery I 4 weeks
Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Surgery II 4 weeks
Liver Transplant Surgery I 4 weeks
Liver Transplant Surgery II 4 weeks
Transplant Internal Medicine I 4 weeks
Transplant Internal Medicine II 4 weeks
Cardiothoracic Transplant Surgery I 4 weeks
Cardiothoracic Transplant Surgery II 4 weeks
Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Ambulatory Care Clinic 4 weeks
Transplant Transitions of Care Ambulatory Clinic 4 weeks

Core Longitudinal Experiences

Rotation Length
Transplant Literature/Topic Curriculum 12 months
Transplant Clinical Weekend Staffing/Pager Coverage 12 months (approximately every 3rd weekend)

Elective Practice Experiences (1 month)

Rotation Length
Surgical ICU 4 weeks
Cardiac Surgery ICU 4 weeks
Advanced Heart Failure Service 4 weeks
Rotational Transplant Elective 4 weeks
Transplant Infectious Diseases 4 weeks
Organ Procurement Organization (Infinite Legacy) 1-2 days
Transplant Pathology 1 day
Transplant HLA Lab 1 day

Each resident will have the opportunity to customize his or her residency experience with the residency director and program coordinator.

Other Learning Experiences:

In addition to the pharmacy practice experiences outlined above, the resident will also have the opportunity to participate in the following longitudinal learning experiences:

Teaching
The resident will earn an appointment as a clinical instructor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and will complete a total of 20 hours of teaching activities per semester. Teaching activities may include didactic lectures, small group discussions, skills laboratories, and assisting in the preceptorship of student pharmacists and first-year pharmacy practice residents. An elective teaching certificate program is available for interested residents. Residents will additionally have the opportunity to participate in the P3 transplant pharmacy elective at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.

Residents will also deliver the following professional presentations:

  • Pharmacotherapy Rounds
  • UMMC Case Conference

For more information about these specific activities, please visit the Residency and Fellowship Requirements webpage.

Research/Scholarship Experiences
The resident will be expected to conduct a longitudinal research project over the course of the training experience. A final manuscript suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal is required for residency graduation. Presentation of interim or final results at a professional meeting is strongly encouraged.

Finally, the resident will be required to complete a medication use evaluation at UMMC in the area of solid organ transplant.

Leadership & Professional Development Experiences
The resident will also participate in the following longitudinal activities:

  • UMMC Committee Participation, including Transplant Selection and Transplant Quality Improvement Committees
  • Professional Development Series
  • Public Health/Community Service Activity

Preceptors

All preceptors have completed specialized PGY2 training in solid organ transplant at various institutions across the country. Preceptors are involved in transplant and pharmacy professional organizations and have active roles in multiple research projects. Please review a list of our preceptor publications.

  • Sari Freedman, PharmD (Residency Program Director)
    School of Pharmacy: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC)
    PGY1: University of Colorado Hospital (Aurora, CO)
    PGY2: University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
  • Ian Booth, PharmD (Residency Program Coordinator) 
    School of Pharmacy: Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)
    PGY1 & PGY2: University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
  • Sarah Bova, PharmD, BCPS, BCTXP
    School of Pharmacy: Ohio Northern University (Ada, OH)
    PGY1 & PGY2: The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
  • Karen Huang, PharmD
    School of Pharmacy: University of Maryland (Baltimore, MD)
    PGY1: Penn State Hershey Medical Center (Hershey, PA)
    PGY2: University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
  • Bethany Lane, PharmD, BCTXP
    School of Pharmacy: St. John Fisher University (Rochester, NY)
    PGY1: Cleveland Clinic (Akron, OH)
    PGY2: Ochsner Medical Center (Jefferson, LA)
  • Kaitlyn Legg, PharmD
    School of Pharmacy: West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV)
    PGY1: University of Illinois Chicago (Chicago, IL)
    PGY2: University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
  • Kenneth Saunders, PharmD
    School of Pharmacy: University of Maryland (Baltimore, MD)
    PGY1: MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (Washington, DC)
    PGY2: University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
  • Chelsey (Chenxi) Song, PharmD, BCPS
    School of Pharmacy: University of Maryland (Baltimore, MD)
    PGY1 & PGY2: The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
  • Tracy Sparkes, PharmD, BCPS, BCTXP
    School of Pharmacy: University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA)
    PGY1 & PGY2: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)

Number of Available Positions: 2

Qualifications: The resident must possess a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree and be a graduate of an accredited college of pharmacy with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (requirement waived if completed a pass/fail curriculum). The PharmD degree and Maryland Pharmacy licensure are required. Residents must complete an ASHP-accredited PGY1 residency prior to starting.

Application Process:

Applications for this program will only be accepted through PhORCAS. Reference writers should use the standard reference template in PhORCAS.

Application requirements:

  • Letter of intent
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Letters of recommendation (3)
  • Official transcripts

International students and permanent residents should contact P-SHORResidencyandAdministrativeSupport@rx.umaryland.edu before applying.

The application deadline is January 2.

Program Director:

Sari Freedman, PharmD
Clinical Specialist, Transplant
Residency Program Director — PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
University of Maryland Medical Center Department of Pharmacy
22 South Greene Street, Room S8A05C
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: (410) 328-4261
Email: sari.freedman@umm.edu

Program Coordinator:

Ian Booth, PharmD
Clinical Specialist, Transplant
Residency Program Coordinator — PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
University of Maryland Medical Center Department of Pharmacy
22 South Greene Street, Room S8A05C
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: (410) 328-7297
Email: ian.booth@umm.edu

Past Residents:

2022-2023: Kaitlyn Legg

  • Residency Research Project: Short Term Alcohol Abstinence Prior to Liver Transplantation and Impact on Rejection
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, University of Maryland Medical Center

2022-2023: Kenneth Saunders

  • Residency Research Project: Impact of Calcineurin Inhibitor Use after Graft Failure on Sensitization in Repeat Kidney Transplant Recipients
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, University of Maryland Medical Center

2021-2022: Karen Huang

  • Residency Research Project: 3-Year Major Adverse Cardiovascular Event in Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney vs Deceased-Donor Renal Transplantation: A Single Center Experience
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, University of Maryland Medical Center

2021-2022: Emily Garcia

  • Residency Research Project: Outcomes of Elderly Black Renal Transplant Recipients Receiving Basiliximab Induction and Early Steroid Withdrawal
  • Position Upon Graduation: Thoracic Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, University of Wisconsin Health

2020-2021: Sara Farghaly

  • Residency Research Project: Rejection Outcomes of Liver Transplant Recipients Requiring Renal Replacement Therapy
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Montefiore Medical Center

2020-2021: Dawn Pluckrose

  • Residency Research Project: BK Viremia in Living versus Deceased Donor Renal Transplant Recipients receiving Alemtuzumab Induction
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, NYU Langone Health

2019-2020: Ian Booth

  • Residency Research Project: A Multivariate Analysis of the Impact of Induction Immunosuppression on Pancreas Transplant Outcomes
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, University of Maryland Medical Center

2018-2019: RoseMerrie Lynn

  • Residency Research Project: Long-term Outcomes of Early Steroid Withdrawal in African American Deceased Donor Renal Transplant Recipients Receiving Alemtuzumab Induction
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville

2017-2018: Sari Freedman

  • Residency Research Project: Clinical Outcomes of Valganciclovir Prophylaxis in High‐risk (D+/R−) Renal Transplant Recipients Experiencing Delayed Graft Function
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, University of Maryland Medical Center

2016-2017: Jacqueline Clark

  • Residency Research Project: Risk Factors for Rejection in Elderly Kidney Transplant Recipients Receiving Basiliximab Induction
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, University of Maryland Medical Center

2015-2016: Idris Yakubu

  • Residency Research Project: Comparison of Alemtuzumab Versus Basiliximab Induction Therapy in Elderly Kidney Transplant Recipients
  • Position Upon Graduation: Solid Organ Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System