Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) Residency Program

Pharmacy Residency

In conjunction with the ONU HealthWise program, Ohio Northern University offers a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency. The residency program provides pharmacy graduates that match into the programs with the unique opportunity to work in an extremely innovative health care setting. In the program, residents work with an interdisciplinary team of pharmacists, nurses, exercise physiologists and nutritionists that serve Hardin County citizens and employees and students of Ohio Northern University. For more information on Healthwise, click below.

ONU HealthWise

Rotation experiences include:

Orientation

Mary Rutan Hospital DSM Clinic

Longitudinal experiences include:

Drug Information and Research

ONU HealthWise Clinical Practice Sites

ONU HealthWise Pharmacy

Pharmacy Services Center (PSC)

Teaching

Leadership

Orientation/Training - 4-6 weeks

Residency Learning Experiences - 44-46 weeks

Required Experiences
Experience	Format	Length	Typical Schedule
Orientation	Block	40 hrs/wk; 4-6wks	9a-5p M-F
Drug Information and Research	Longitudinal	4hrs/wk; 48wks	Unstructured
Internal Medicine	Block	8hrs/wk; 8-10 wks	1 day/wk
ONU HealthWise Clinics	Longitudinal	16hrs/wk;48wks	Variable; 3-4 4hr blocks/week and by appt
ONU HealthWise Pharmacy	Longitudinal	8 hrs/wk; 48wks	10a-6p M or T
Pharmacy Services Center (PSC)	Longitudinal	8 hrs/wk; 48wks	1-6p M, W or Th
Teaching Certificate	Longitudinal	4hrs/wk; 48wks	Variable; not every week
Elective Experiences*
Leadership	Longitudinal	2-4hrs/mo; 52 wks	4-6pm on 4th T
Mary Rutan Hospital DSM Clinic	Block	8hrs/wk	1 day/wk

*With the exception of Leadership, elective rotations are available after January 1st. Additional elective experiences can be developed based on resident interest and availability of experience.

AS A CLINICAL PHARMACIST ON THE TEAM, RESIDENTS PROVIDE DIRECT PATIENT CARE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

CAMPUS HEALTH AND WELLNESS:

• Student and employee wellness

• Disease state management

• Health education

ONU HEALTHWISE COMMUNITY PHARMACY:

• Full-service pharmacy with clinical services

• Medication therapy management

• Pharmacy administrative and management

HEALTH-SYSTEM AMBULATORY CARE:

• Anticoagulation services

• Outpatient pharmacy and medication reconciliation

• Pharmacy administration (P&T)

DRUG AND HEALTH INFORMATION CENTER:

• Call center for professionals and consumers

• Patient Services Center provides medication therapy management

RURAL PREVENTIVE HEALTH SERVICE:

• Health and wellness services for medically underserved

• Care coordination

• Collaboration with community

OTHER EXPERIENCES:

• Teaching certificate program

• Leadership rotation

• Collaborative practice in family medicine

Opportunities for clinical expansion also exist, including supervising activities in the Drug and Health Information Center. The resident is required to complete a residency project, provide a poster presentation at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, and present results at the annual Ohio Pharmacy Residency Conference.
Candidates interested in the Pharmacy Residency should apply by Jan. 8, through Phorcas. If you have additional questions, please contact m-rush@onu.edu.

Michael J. Rush, PharmD, BCACP, CDE, TTS
Residency Program Director
m-rush@onu.edu | 419-772-7399

YEAR	RESIDENT	PROJECT	Position obtained
2023-24	Megan Gusrowski	Impact of a Pharmacist-Led Employee Wellness Hypertension Program Utilizing Remote Monitoring Devices	PGY2 Community Health Network
2023-24	Natalie Hall	Implementation of a Pharmacist-Led Employer-Based Weight Management Program in a Rural, Ambulatory Care Setting	PGY2 West Virginia University School of Pharmacy
2022-23	Merna Tawadrous	Assessing The Impact of a Pharmacist-driven Remote Patient Monitoring Program Utilizing Smart Devices for Adult Patients with Hypertension or Diabetes	PGY2 Memorial Regional Hospital (Hollywood, FL)
2022-23	Daniel Reyes	Bridging Gaps in Health Disparities and Improving Health Outcomes: Implementation of a Spanish speaking Team and Implications on Patient Care Within a Pharmacist-driven Ambulatory Care Clinic	PGY2 Indiana University Health System
2021-22	Olivia Welch	Utilizing Pharmacogenomic Data to Identify Actionable Drug Therapy for Improving Outcomes in the Ambulatory Care Setting	Outpatient Pharmacist, Lima Memorial Hospital
2021-22	Chase Kirazis	Assessing Hepatitis B Immunity in Pharmacy Students	PGY2 Mercy St. Vincent’s
2020-21	Makayla Wells	Integration of an ambulatory care pharmacist into a university’s mental health management program	PGY2 Mercy St. Vincent’s
2020-21	Eric Dierkes	Impact of pharmacy students integrated in a university-based Covid-19 task force	Assistant Professor- University of Charleston
2019-20	Megan Stephan	Expanding services of a pharmacist-led rural mobile health clinic to school-aged children and working class parents	Adjunct Faculty- University of Findlay; MTM Clinical Pharmacist- AdhereHealth
2019-20	Clay Miller	Implementation of a Pharmacist-Driven Prescription Delivery and Home Visitation Service in a Rural Community	Director of Clinical Operations, MedSmart Manager
2018-19	Morgan Borders	Evaluating the efficacy of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training on student pharmacists’ knowledge	Ambulatory Care Pharmacist, OhioHealth
2018-19	Ashley Zupancic	Assess Health Literacy in a Rural Setting to Adapt Mobile Clinic Services to an Underserved Patient Population	PGY-2 Southwest General Health Center (Ambulatory Care)
2017-18	Zach Woods	Pilot Study of a Pharmacist-Driven Diabetes Prevention Program through Ohio Northern University’s HealthWise, a University Worksite Wellness Service	Assistant Professor, Ohio State University
2017-18	Joe Barnhart	Evaluating the impact screening for hepatitis c through a pharmacist-led mobile clinic has on screening rates in a rural, underserved populatio	Assistant Professor, Marshall University
2016-17	Bree Meinzer	Effectiveness of a pharmacist-directed Tdap immunization program for a university campus.	Clinical Pharmacist, Ohio Health
2016-17	Colin Frank	Effectiveness of a pharmacist-led tobacco cessation mobile health clinic in a rural setting	Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist, Indiana University Health
2015-16	Brittany Long	Effectiveness of a university on-campus pharmacist directed tobacco cessation program	Clinical Pharmacist, Lima Memorial Hospital
2014-15	Pucel, Rachel	Development and implementation of a transitions of care service in an ambulatory care setting in collaboration with a primary care physician	Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice; Manchester University
2013-14	Timperman, Kristen	Evaluation of the impact of a pharmacist-directed bone mineral density screening and educational intervention on modifiable risk factors related to bone health	Pharmacy Manager; Health Partners of Western Ohio New Carlisle, OH
2012-13	Fanous, Amy	Implementation of a 12-week pharmacist-directed, multidisciplinary walking program into an established employee preventive care clinic	Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist; Memorial Hospital of Union County
2011-12	Hoffine, Ericka	Perceived Benefit of Overall Health and Wellness Through the Dissemination of Nutritional Information for University-Provided Dining Services	Clinical Pharmacist; Ohio Health
2010-11	Murphy, Bethany	Design and implementation of a pharmacist-directed preventive care clinic	Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice; Union University

Residency Program Director:
Michael Rush, PharmD, MBA. BCACP, CDCES, NCTTP
-Director, ONU HealthWise

Dr. Michael Rush is a board-certified clinical pharmacist, educator and administrator specializing in the areas of ambulatory care, diabetes, heart disease and preventive health. He currently serves as the Director of ONU HealthWise and the Director of Pharmacy Residency Programs at Ohio Northern University as well as the Chair of the Ohio Pharmacy Residency Conference. Rush earned his PharmD from Ohio Northern University in 2005 and completed a post-graduate pharmacy practice residency with emphasis in ambulatory care in 2006, and in 2020 earned his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Administration from the University of Findlay. Rush has a strong background in ambulatory care and has developed multiple interdisciplinary care teams and services. Under Rush’s leadership, the ONU HealthWise program has expanded to offer: employee and student wellness services, a community pharmacy, a drug and health information center, a telehealth center, student service-learning opportunities within the college, contracted health services for area employers and an interdisciplinary rural mobile health clinic offering primary care to all.

ONU Preceptors:
Jessica Hinson, PharmD, BCACP, NCTTP
-Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Jessica Hinson, PharmD, BCACP, NCTTP is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy in Ada, Ohio. She serves as Director of the Wheeler Pharmacy Services Center which provides student-directed, national telehealth services. She also works with the ONU HealthWise Mobile Clinic that cares for the medically underserved population of Hardin County, Ohio. She earned her PharmD from the University of Cincinnati; and completed a PGY-1 Community Practice Residency with the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy and the independent practice site, Waterfront Family Pharmacy. Her professional background includes community practice, ambulatory care practice, and provision of telehealth services. She has experience with providing pharmacy services based on quality care measures in both the community practice and telehealth settings. Personal interests include empowerment of women and girls, engagement of grade school students in STEM education, and domestic animal welfare.

Karen Kier, R.Ph, M.S., Ph.D.,BCPS,BCACP, FASHP, CTTS
-Director of Drug and Health Information, ONU HealthWise

Michelle Musser, PharmD, BCPS, CTTS
-Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Ohio Northern University

Michelle Musser is currently an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy. She also serves as the Director of Outreach Programming and chair of the Interprofessional Education Committee at the College. Her practice area is in ambulatory patient care, including practice in disease state management within a local physician's office and FQHC. She also has a contingent position at a critical access hospital.Recently she has worked closely with the clinical services at ONU through ONU Healthwise, offering clinical services through the mobile rural health clinic and being involved with COVID testing and vaccine efforts. A native of the rural community where ONU is located, Michelle along with her colleague, Emily Eddy, developed and founded a rural scholars program at the College aimed at preparing health professional students for a career in rural health and developing community-based projects aiming at meeting local health care needs.

Katie Westgerdes, Pharm.D.
-Pharmacy Manager, ONU HealthWise Pharmacy

Current Residents

Alaina Kortokrax, PGY1 Resident

Getting to focus on ambulatory care right out of pharmacy school is what drew Alaina Kortokrax, PharmD ’24 to ONU’s PGY1 program.

“I love the personal and clinical aspects of ambulatory care. It allows me to connect to my patients and their health, rather than standing behind a wall. Doing so gives me purpose. Helping patients better understand their care and watching as they take control of their health is truly empowering.”

From nearby Delphos, Ohio, Alaina was drawn to ONU as a high school student. She completed her PharmD at the Raabe College of Pharmacy where she was involved in the Rural and Underserved Health Scholars Program.

“I know what it is like living in a rural community; being far away from care is one of the biggest social determinants of health around here and in my hometown. Pharmacists are so unique when it comes to healthcare. You can see us whenever you come into the pharmacy and we can be that bridge. With ambulatory care pharmacy, we are able to perform basic screenings and evaluate your medications to improve your health. We can possibly find or address problems before they worsen, which is critical when major healthcare centers that treat late-stage problems are so far away.”

She enjoys the variety the residency brings; no day is exactly like another. She dispenses medications in the HealthWise pharmacy, assesses patients’ mediations in the call center, precepts and teaches ONU students, and connects with the surrounding communities on the Mobile Clinic.

“Jumping right into making a difference is what this residency is all about.”

Lena Salameh, PGY1 Resident

ONU Healthwise Mobile Health Clinic attracted Lena Salameh to the ONU Healthwise PGY1 Residency program. ONU Healthwise’s mission is to educate and improve the health of underserved populations within the community. The clinic is not only pharmacist-led but free of charge to the community and Lena knew it was a perfect fit.

“Getting to be a part of a team of different clinicians to serve the people of Hardin County while also becoming the clinician yourself allows you to learn and grow within the pharmacy profession.”

Alongside the clinical aspect of ONU Healthwise, the ability to precept students was a large determining factor as to why Lena chose ONU. “I was so grateful to have amazing advisors and mentors who guided me to get to the point where I am today, and I hope to be the same influence for the future pharmacists at ONU, whether it is as a preceptor or a friend.”

From Huntington, W.Va., Lena earned her Bachelor’s in Chemical Sciences and then continued to receive her PharmD from Marshall University. After working in the outpatient setting and having her APPE rotations ambulatory care-based, Lena was encouraged by her peers and preceptors to pursue a PGY1 residency.

Lena knew she wanted to help others in a more personal but clinical setting. “HealthWise is changing lives and truly bringing help to the community. Regardless of whether they see one patient or ten, someone’s life is impacted for the better. The pharmacists are passionate about making change and are determined to make an impact.”

Lena’s PGY1 research project is enabling her to explore this interest by creating a pharmacist-led clinic for sexual and reproductive health services to provide resources and safe space for students.