Wilkes University Student Pharmacists Matched With Post-Graduation Residencies

Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Continues to Match Graduates and Alumni at Rate Above National Average

by Vicki Mayk

Wilkes-Barre, PA (05/18/2020) — Wilkes University's Nesbitt School of Pharmacy continues to match student pharmacists seeking post-graduate residency training at a rate above the national average - with a match rate 11 percentage points higher than the national average in 2020. Seventy-four percent of students from Wilkes University's Nesbitt School of Pharmacy were successfully matched into residency training programs this year. Twenty Wilkes students receiving the doctor of pharmacy degree in May 2020 were accepted into programs.

For Wilkes pharmacy graduates from the class of 2019 currently in a residency and pursuing a second year of training, 80 percent of those who sought specialty training were successfully matched to a program.

"The number of graduates seeking postgraduate residency training continues to exceed the availability of the training programs. It's very competitive," says Scott K. Stolte, dean of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. "The fact that the graduates of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy continue to surpass the national placement average year in and year out is a testament to the quality of our program, the teaching and preparation provided by our faculty and staff, and, most importantly, to our excellent students."

The 2020 pharmacy graduates and their residency placements are:

• Kara Kooper, Geisinger Clinic Northeast, Scranton, Pa.
• Elena Denger, Geisinger Clinics West, State College, Pa.
• Antonia Gobo, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States, Hyattsville, Md.
• Emily Herron, Wilkes-Barre Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pa
• Lauren Hertzog, HS Residency, Gallup, N.M.
• Sarah Hughes, Abington Hospital - Jefferson Health, Abington, Pa.
• Nicole Jankowski, Forbes Hospital and West Penn Hospital, Monroeville, Pa.
• Katelyn Jimison, Vidant Medical Center, Greenville, N.C.
• Kimberly Jones, Bayhealth Hospital, Dover, Del.
• Vienna Jones, Moses Taylor Hospital, Scranton, Pa.
• Rachel Lazevnick, Geisinger Clinic Northeast, Scranton, Pa.,
• Mia Lussier, Fellowship, Geisinger Center for Pharmacy Innovation and Outcomes
• David Moll, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
• Alexis Nicholson, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pa.
• Nicholas Preston, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
• Casey Ritsick, Sanofi Fellowship
• Casondra Smicherko, Wilkes-Barre Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
• Hannah Whitesel, Employers Health Coalition, Dublin, Ohio
• Amber Zigmont - Moses Taylor Hospital, Scranton, Pa.

The 2019 pharmacy graduates pursuing a second-year residency include:

• Batista Quevedo (Mayi), Stratton VA Medical Center, Albany, N.Y.
• Nikko Bonavoglia, Abington Hospital - Jefferson Health, Abington, Pa.
• Eileen Friery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
• Kayla Hart, Geisinger Health System Danville - Oncology, Danville, Pa.
• Michael Hasbrouk, VCU Health System - Critical Care, Richmond, Va.
• Kayla Hiryak, Temple University School of Pharmacy - Internal Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Taylor Hodle - Early Commit - Baystate Medical Center - Critical Care, Springfield, Mass.
• Kacey Knapp, VCU Health System - Oncology, Richmond, Va.
• Abigail Nemeth, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center - Critical Care, Hershey, Pa.
• Alex Ponce, Fellowship, Indiana Poison Center, Indianapolis, Ind.
• Abby Stevens, University of Maryland - Pain Management, Baltimore, Md.
• Erika Zarfoss, West Virginia University Medicine - Critical Care, Morgantown, W.Va.

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.

For more stories about Wilkes University and its students, faculty and staff, please visit News@Wilkes.