Wilkes University Has 16th Highest Residency Match Rate Among Over 130 Pharmacy Programs Nationwide

The match rate in the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy surpasses the national average

Wilkes-Barre, PA (04/02/2018) — Media contact for this release: Gabrielle D'Amico, Director of Communications gabrielle.damico@wilkes.edu (570) 408-4510

Wilkes University's Nesbitt School of Pharmacy continues to match pharmacy students seeking residency training at a rate above the national average. Eighty-one percent of students and alumni from Wilkes University's Nesbitt School of Pharmacy were successfully matched into residency training programs in 2018.

Fifteen Wilkes students receiving the doctor of pharmacy degree in May 2018 were accepted into programs, reflecting a 79 percent match rate that surpasses the national average of 64 percent. This is the 16th highest match rate among over 130 pharmacy programs in the country. For graduates from the class of 2017 currently in a residency and pursuing a second year of training, 86 percent of those who sought specialty training were successfully matched to a program. The national average for this group is 70 percent. Their specialties will include internal medicine, pediatrics, infectious diseases, emergency medicine and critical-care pharmacy practice.

"The achievements of our students, notably represented in job-placement and residency-match rates, continue to position the school for continued success," said Scott Stolte, dean of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. "Our objective is to be the best in all that we do. This is a great result that serves as a testament to the outstanding student pharmacists, faculty and staff we have at the school."

The 2018 pharmacy graduates and their residency placements are:

Dana Achenbach, Lebanon Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lebanon, Pa.

Kayla Bardzel, St. Luke's University Hospital, Bethlehem, Pa.

Katie Bressler, St. Luke's University Hospital, Bethlehem, Pa.

Megan Ciborowski, New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Wilmington, N.C.

Keri Diehl, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pa.

Amber Dietrich, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pa.

Danielle Distefano, Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Erie, Pa.

Alesha Falzone, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Terra Landis, Frederick Memorial Hospital, Frederick, Md.

Haylie Phillips, Wilkes-Barre Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Collin Strunk, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke, Va.

Bryan Waters, Atlanticare Regional Medical Center, Pomona, N.J.

Mara Wilson, Lancaster General Health - Penn Medicine, Lancaster, Pa.

Phil Scavo, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Marisa Perrella, Abington Hospital - Jefferson Health, Abington, Pa.

Founded in 1996, the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy is the region's only school of pharmacy. The school develops pharmacists who will provide high quality health care and make meaningful contributions to the science and practice of pharmacy. The school awards the doctor of pharmacy degree, the primary, entry-level pharmacy practice degree in the United States.

About Wilkes University:

Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence through mentoring in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. Founded in 1933, the university is on a mission to create one of the great small universities, offering all of the programs, activities and opportunities of a large, research university in the intimate, caring and mentoring environment of a small, liberal arts college, at a cost that is increasingly competitive with public universities. The Economist named Wilkes 25th in the nation for the value of its education for graduates. In addition to 43 bachelor's degree programs, Wilkes offers 25 master's degree programs and five doctoral/terminal degree programs, including the doctor of philosophy in nursing, doctor of nursing practice, doctor of education, doctor of pharmacy, and master of fine arts in creative writing. Learn more at www.wilkes.edu.

###