Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Pharmacotherapy Residency

The University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy, in collaboration with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, offers an ASHP-accredited Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Pharmacotherapy Residency. The residency program is designed to produce pharmacy leaders and practice innovators who can advance patient care and educational opportunities in a variety of settings while serving culturally diverse populations across the life spectrum. This residency was established in November 2013 and currently offers one resident position.  Applicants must have completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program prior to beginning this residency.

Summary of Program Structure and Resident Learning Experiences

Certifications: Residents will receive the following certifications/training:  1) Teaching certificate through the UTEP School of Pharmacy; 2) Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).

Stipend/Benefits:  Competitive salary + excellent health insurance/disability/retirement benefits package, sick leave, university holidays, 12 days paid vacation, travel allowance, Spanish tutoring, lab coat/business cards, no staffing requirement

Mission Statement

Purpose: PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and 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.

Program Description: This PGY2 Pharmacotherapy Residency Program with an emphasis in Acute Care Medicine and Academia prepares pharmacy leaders and practice innovators who can advance patient care and educational opportunities in a variety of settings while serving culturally diverse populations across the life spectrum.

Residents will gain experience caring for diverse patient populations in a variety of settings (e.g., acute care, primary care,). To further diversify patient care skills across the life-spectrum and practice settings, residents will gain experience in critical care and pediatrics.  This program offers ample opportunities for teaching as a clinical instructor in multiple teaching environments (i.e., didactic, experiential, administrative) with interprofessional learners. Additionally, residents will have opportunities for professional growth in the following: research, leadership, and cultural competency.

By completing this residency program, the resident will demonstrate competency in the following:

• Patient Care
• Advancing Practice and Improving Patient Care
• Leadership and Management
• Teaching, Education, and Dissemination of Knowledge
• Management of Medical Emergencies
• Academia

Residency graduates should be able to obtain a position as a clinical faculty member or clinical pharmacy specialist. Graduates of this program will be prepared to pursue credentialing in a variety of board specialty areas (e.g., BCPS, BCACP, BCGP, CDE, CACP).

Expectations: The resident will perform at the highest ethical, moral, and legal standards and is expected to be a role model and leader within the pharmacy community. Compassion, dignity, and respect for the patient's cultural, religious, and racial/ethnic backgrounds make up the cornerstone of this residency.

Learning Experiences:

Acute Care Adult Medicine

• Round with an academic teaching team at UMC of El Paso
• Evaluate, develop, implement, and conduct patient education on pharmacotherapy treatment plans and monitoring for general medicine inpatients
• Explore continuity of care issues related to the pharmaceutical care of patients in a hospital setting

 Primary Care & Practice Management

• Develop/participate in Disease State Management (DSM) activities in a primary care clinic for several disease states including diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia
• Participate in practice management, population health, and administrative activities related to the creation and provision of clinical pharmacy services.

Pediatrics

• Round with pediatric providers at El Paso Children’s Hospital
• Provide medication education and/or in-services for pediatric patients, caregivers, and medical residents/students

Critical Care

• Round with ICU providers at UMC of El Paso
• Evaluate, develop, and implement pharmacotherapy treatment plans and monitoring for critically ill patients

Scholarship

• Develop skills in developing a pharmacy-based research project as well as skills in writing
• Complete and present on a research project based upon the needs of the clinical practice or teaching sites and resident’s interests

Teaching (Academic Pharmacy Training)

• Residents are appointed as clinical instructors with the UTEP School of Pharmacy
• Earn a teaching certificate through the completion of teaching activities including participation in workshops and contact hours in the classroom, labs, or other sites
• Participate in the education of pharmacy students, medical students, medical residents, and other health professionals

Other Learning Experiences

• Professionalism & Leadership- develop leadership and professionalism skills by participating in a local pharmacy association, a student pharmacy association, and service to the community
• Electives - Two 1-month elective blocks are required during the residency year. Options include: Academic Leadership/Administration, Emergency Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, Infectious Disease, Toxicology, others. The structure of the experience may vary depending on practice site needs and the interest of resident.

Current and Past Residents

Gabriela garcia villa, PharmD (2024-2025)

Education/Training: BS in Chemistry (Texas A&M International University, Laredo, TX), PharmD (Texas A&M Rangel College of Pharmacy, Kingsville, TX), PGY1 Pharmacy Residency (Corpus Christi Medical Center, Corpus Christi).

Practice Interests: Infectious Disease, Critical Care

Being from a Hispanic background and with the desire to pursue pharmacy practice in my hometown, I decided to apply for this program to increase my knowledge in the management of disease states seen within the Hispanic population. The PGY-2 Pharmacotherapy Residency Program at UTEP provides a variety of opportunities to explore pharmacy practice in different settings in a geographical area mostly composed of Hispanics. Not only do I have a vast amount of library database access through the School of Pharmacy and the Texas Tech Family Medicine Residency Program, I have the fortune of collaborating with faculty at both institutions, which further strengthens my professional development. Of course, the active involvement with pharmacy students as part of this residency program continuously motivates me to learn and be the best version of myself to serve as a guide for the next generation of pharmacists.

Program Faculty and Collaborators

Residency Program Director (RPD):

Emily J. Christenberry, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP

Clinical Associate Professor

The UTEP School of Pharmacy

Learning Experience(s): Acute Care Adult Medicine

Education: Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (PharmD), St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services (PGY1 Pharmacy Residency), UTEP/UT Austin Cooperative Pharmacy Program (PGY2 Pharmacotherapy Residency with emphasis in Family Medicine and Academia)

Residency Program Coordinator (RPC):

Amanda M. Loya, PharmD, BCPS

Clinical Associate Professor, The UTEP School of Pharmacy Associate Dean for Community and Clinical Programs

Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Family and Community Medicine, TTUHSC-EP

Learning Experience(s): Teaching

Education: University of Texas at El Paso (BS), The University of Texas at Austin (PharmD), Scott & White/University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy (Residency in Ambulatory Care)

Preceptors:

Alaa K. Abdelhakiem, pharmd

Clinical Assistant Professor, UTEP School of Pharmacy

Learning Experience(s): Scholarship, Academic Teaching Certificate

Education: University of Missouri-Kansas City (PharmD), DHR Health/Texas A&M Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy (PGY1 Pharmacy Residency), University of Houston College of Pharmacy (Post-Doctoral Academic Fellowship)

    

Stacy evans, PharmD, BCccP

ICU Clinical Pharmacist at University Medical Center of El Paso

Learning Experience(s): Critical Care

Education: The University of Texas at Austin (PharmD), Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System (PGY1 Pharmacy Residency)

    

natalie gordon, PharmD, BCACP

Clinical Assistant Professor, The UTEP School of Pharmacy

 

Learning Experience(s): Primary Care, Teaching

Education: Drake University (PharmD), University of Wyoming Family Medicine Residency/Healthcare for the Homeless (PGY1 Pharmacy Residency), Pacific University and Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center (PGY2 Ambulatory Care and Academia)

 

christopher medlin, PharmD, CDE, BCACP

Clinical Assistant Professor, The UTEP School of Pharmacy

Learning Experience(s): Acute Care Adult Medicine, Professionalism/Leadership

Education: The University of Texas at Austin (PharmD), University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (PGY1/PGY2 Pharmacotherapy Residency)

 

 

  

margie e. padilla, PharmD, cde, BCacp

Clinical Professor, The UTEP School of Pharmacy
Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Sciences
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Family and Community Medicine, TTUHSC-EP

Learning Experience(s): Primary Care and Practice Management

Education: Our Lady of the Lake University (BA), The University of Texas at Austin (PharmD), The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy/Seton Blackstock (Residency in Ambulatory Care)

Denise I. Pinal, PharmD, BCPPS

Clinical Assistant Professor, The UTEP School of Pharmacy

Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Family and Community Medicine, TTUHSC-EP

Learning Experience(s): Pediatrics

Education: The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy (PharmD), Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center - Lubbock (Primary Practice Residency - Pediatric Focus)

Collaborators

This residency program is administered in collaboration with the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Department of Family Medicine - Transmountain, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center El Paso, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, TX.  More information about our family medicine faculty partners can be found by visiting the following webpages:

http://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/fostersom/family/faculty.aspx
https://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/transmountain/departments/family-medicine/faculty.aspx

PRACTICE SITES 

The University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy

Learning Experience(s): Teaching

The UTEP School of Pharmacy was established in 2015, and the first class of PharmD students was enrolled in the fall of 2017.  The mission of the UTEP School of Pharmacy is to bridge borders to achieve access and excellence by transforming pharmacy education, patient care, community engagement, research, and leadership for a 21st century demographic. UTEP’s School of Pharmacy will be a pioneer in the advancement of pharmacy education for “Innovation, Diversity, Engagement, Access, and Leadership (IDEAL)”. The UTEP School of Pharmacy was granted Full Accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Board of Directors in June 2021. The UTEP School of Pharmacy is the first pharmacy school/college on the Texas – Mexico border that is not a cooperative program, and one of only a handful of pharmacy school/colleges at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) nationwide.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso: Dept. of Family Medicine - Transmountain

Learning Experience(s): Primary Care/Practice Management

The mission of the Department of Family Medicine- Transmountain is to elevate the quality of life for patients through the discovery of best-case practices and implementation of care by their physicians and staff. The uniquely diverse patient population, the state-of-the-art Medical School are a few of the assets that support this department.

University Medical Center (UMC) of El Paso

Learning Experience(s): Acute Care Adult Medicine, Critical Care

UMC is a non-profit, community, and academic hospital. It has 396 beds including a level 1 trauma center ER, and affiliations with El Paso Children’s Hospital, El Paso Psychiatric Center, the West Texas Regional Poison Center, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine.

El Paso Children’s Hospital

Learning Experience(s): Pediatrics

El Paso Children's Hospital is a non-profit children's hospital in the El Paso region and is the only dedicated Pediatric Hospital within a 200-mile radius of El Paso, Texas. El Paso Children's Hospital elevates the quality and scope of medical care in the El Paso region by providing unmatched excellence in specialized pediatric patient care, research, and education. Its’ partnerships with the Medical Center of the Americas, the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and University Medical Center of El Paso enhances the lives of children from the greater El Paso area and surrounding region through its innovative pediatric research and education and serves as a teaching institution.