May 2021 Vol. 10
Welcome to the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Newsletter for Experiential Partners and Preceptors! Newsletters will share updates about the School and Experiential Programs, recognize our preceptors and students, and provide teaching pearls for preceptors.
This edition highlights preceptors, sites, and students who work together to provide outstanding care.
Message from the Office of Experiential Programs
Dear Preceptors and Faculty,
As we begin a new experiential year, we want to pause and say THANK YOU for all you have done this past year for our students, for our School, and for the practice of pharmacy in health care!
It has been a year like no other. You have been flexible and resilient; you have said “yes” to schedule changes and remote learning options. You have adapted to new ways of working and caring for patients, while also creating new ways to precept students and engage them at your site. When we had to reschedule our Summer 2020 Immersions to find placement for Advanced Immersions, you responded with support and creativity.
Together in 2020-2021, you precepted approximately 1350 Advanced Immersions and 280 Immersions, representing over 1900 student months!
Please enjoy this video, compiled by Peter Tao Class of 2021, from some of our students expressing their gratitude for each of you:
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Thanks Its Preceptors!
Again – THANK YOU for supporting our School and our students through precepting! We look forward to a great 2021-2022!
Annual Preceptor Update
In preparation for the new experiential year beginning May 3, we have prepared an on-demand 30-minute module for CE credit to provide you with timely program updates including:
- Updates to our experiential attendance policy and the role of the preceptor
- Current COVID-19 precaution guidelines for learners and experiential sites
- The School’s Diversity and Inclusion initiatives to provide guidance for experiential environments
The link to the updates was provided in a message from the Office of Experiential Programs through CORE/RxPreceptor. If you need assistance accessing, please contact Christy Holland (christy_holland@unc.edu) or Charlene Williams (charlene_williams@unc.edu).
Student Spotlight
Madison Stanley, Class of 2021
Congratulations to Madison Stanley, 2021 recipient of the Jamie Gasaway Kilar Patient Care Award. This award recognizes a student who has exhibited the highest standards of knowledge, dedication, and compassion in-patient care at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. This award is made possible through the generosity of Jamie Gasaway Kilar, BSPharm ’95, PharmD ’97. Stanley has plans to complete a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the Salisbury VA Health Care System in Salisbury, NC focused on ambulatory care and mental health, and then pursue PGY2 training in ambulatory care or secure a position within an ambulatory care clinic.
Christopher Wang, Class of 2021
Congratulations to Christopher Wang for receiving the John C. Hood Sr. Award in Practice Advancement and Clinical Education. This award recognizes a graduating student who excels in clinical therapy courses and demonstrates the highest level of professionalism and exemplary patient care during their pharmacy practice experiences. The award honors John C. Hood Sr., a third-generation pharmacist whose father was a charter member of the North Carolina Pharmaceutical Association. Wang has plans to complete a PGY1 Acute Care Residency at the MD Anderson Center with the University of Texas in Houston with a career goal of becoming a hematology/oncology pharmacist.
To learn more about all UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy students recognized during the annual Awards and 50+ Pinning Ceremony that was held on April 10, 2021, click here.
Preceptor Spotlight
Master Preceptor Recognition
Ian Hollis, PharmD, BCPS AQ-Cardiology
Congratulations to Dr. Ian Hollis who was recently recognized by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) as a 2021 recipient of the Master Preceptor Recognition Program. This program recognizes preceptors for continuous commitment to excellence in experiential education and practice. Candidates are evaluated on their participation in precepting and evaluating students, residents, and learners from other healthcare professions; mentoring research; service to the pharmacy profession, the School, and the community; and recognition for teaching, practice, and service from other organizations and institutions.
Dr. Hollis is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in advanced heart failure, including left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and heart transplant, and cardiac surgery at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Medical Center. He is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Education with UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. After receiving his Pharm.D. from The Ohio State University in 2005, he completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Michigan Hospitals and a PGY2 Cardiology Residency at UNC. He has been the Program Director for the PGY2 Cardiology Residency at UNC since 2013. He routinely precepts P2 through P4 students, as well as PGY1 Pharmacy Practice, PGY2 Cardiology, PGY2 Critical Care, and PGY2 Transplant Residents at UNC Medical Center. Ian received the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Cardiology PRN’s Mentoring Award in October 2020, was named a “Preceptor of Excellence” by the students of the UNC ESOP in 2019, was advanced immersion Preceptor of the Year in the Chapel Hill region for 2018-19, and received the Claude Paoloni Health System Preceptor of the Year award in April 2016. His research interests include the medication management of heart failure, LVAD, and heart transplant patients.
Claude Paoloni Preceptors of the Year
Congratulations to three exceptional preceptors who were recipients of the 2021 Claude Paoloni Preceptor of the Year Award during the 2021 UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Awards and 50+ Pinning Ceremony on April 10, 2021: Dr. Bill Hitch, Dr. Ranan Mustafa, and Dr. Marie Tuft. The recipients of the Claude Paoloni Preceptor of the Year awards are nominated by graduating students to recognize preceptors for outstanding contributions to the educational development of future pharmacists. These individuals have demonstrated high standards of professionalism, ethics and clinical practice. These awards are given by the Paoloni family in memory of Claude Paoloni and in recognition of his many years of service to the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Claude Paoloni was instrumental in the evolution of the clinical pharmacy program and the growth and development of the AHEC system for statewide pharmacy student education.
Bill Hitch, PharmD, BCPS, CPP
Dr. Bill Hitch is the Director of Pharmacotherapy at Mountain Area Health Education Center and Assistant Professor of Clinical Education at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. He received his PharmD degree from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and completed a specialty residency in Ambulatory Care through Mission Hospitals and MAHEC. He is a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, and his practice area is in inpatient family medicine where he rounds with the Family Practice Service at Mission Hospitals.
Some nominating comments include: “It is more than evident that Dr. Hitch has a genuine passion for both precepting pharmacy students at all skill levels and for providing the best quality of care to his patients. This immersion was an excellent month for discovering new perspectives and making meaningful interventions in patients’ lives. I actually felt like a pharmacist on my immersion with Dr. Hitch.” “He is a very thoughtful and helpful mentor….He formulates a baseline assessment of your clinical knowledge and then works on improving it in a way that you find manageable while still challenging. It was an excellent rotation because of him, and I will undoubtedly be a better pharmacist due to it.”
Ranan Mustafa, PharmD, BS
Dr. Ranan Mustafa is a native of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. She earned her BS in Biology at the St. Thomas Campus of the University of the Virgin Islands. She then stayed at the University to serve as an assistant professor and lab coordinator for the Biology department after graduation in 2004. Dr. Mustafa then went on to earn her Doctor of Pharmacy from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2010. She is currently the Pharmacy Manager and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy PGY1 Community-based Residency Site Coordinator at Walgreens in Chapel Hill, NC.
Excerpts from student nominations include: “Ranan was extremely welcoming from my very first day on rotation. We set goals, and she pushed me to strive to complete them and so much more while being supportive along the way. Although she was very busy, she was always willing to lend a helping hand and have a discussion about any questions that came up… Ranan encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and take the lead…. The supportive team-dynamic and warm environment speaks a lot about Ranan’s character not only as a pharmacist but also as a leader.”
Marie Tuft, PharmD, BCACP
Dr. Marie Tuft is the current Ambulatory Care, Clinical Specialist, at WakeMed Health & Hospitals and serves as the Raleigh Region Director and as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Dr. Tuft is a proud graduate of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She completed her PGY1 residency in Ambulatory Pharmacy Practice at Virginia Commonwealth University Health followed by a PGY2 Ambulatory Care residency at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Nominating comments include: “Dr. Tuft is a great preceptor. She [allows students] to run patient visits and to be active participants in-patient medication recommendations. She always makes sure that students have meaningful work throughout the day and is able to adjust the work per the student’s level of competency. In addition, Dr. Tuft takes the time to offer feedback on documented patient encounters and helps to guide students in the direction of evidence-based literature to include in-patient assessments. I was able to see her interactions with other members of the healthcare team and the patients and it was encouraging to me to see such a positive attitude towards the recommendations of pharmacy.”
Preceptor Pearl
Managing Absence Requests
Jordan Masterson, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Pharmacist Faculty, Mission Hospital
Assistant Professor of Clinical Education, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Preceptor Well-Being Minute
Exercise Snack
Maulik Patel (Class of 2021)
Suzanne Harris, PharmD, BCPP, Director of Well-Being and Resilience
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Newsletter Suggestion Box
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Office of Experiential Programs Contact Information
Office Leadership:
Nicki Pinelli Reitter, PharmD, MS, FCCP, CDE
Assistant Dean of Experiential Programs
Leads the strategic vision and assessment of the experiential curriculum and strengthens partnerships with sites and preceptors.
Abbey Kruse, M.Ed.
Interim Director, Office of Curricular and Student Affairs
Assistant Director, Office of Curricular and Student Affairs – Experiential Programs
Primary contact for student academic, well-being, professionalism, or discrimination/harassment concerns. Assists with AHEC housing inquiries.
Christy Holland, PharmD, BCACP
Director of Experiential Programs
Provides oversight of Immersion and Advanced Immersion experiences and serves as the primary point of contact for guidance regarding experiential policies and procedures. Provides assistance with setting student expectations, structuring learning activities to meet learning experience requirements and guidance with student evaluations. Assists preceptors with RxPreceptor inquiries and new preceptor onboarding.
Student On-boarding and School Requirements:
Billy Justus, MS
Compliance Specialist
Ensures student completion of site-specific onboarding and school requirements (e.g. immunizations, drug screenings, criminal background checks, CPR, HIPAA Training, OSHA Training, TB Status, and other onboarding as required by sites).
Preceptor Training, Development, and Recognition:
Charlene Williams, PharmD, BCACP, CDE
Director of Preceptor Development
Develops and oversees preceptor onboarding, training, development, and recognition. Point of contact for preceptor training and development needs and preceptor newsletter content.
Newsletter Content Editor:
Charlene Williams, PharmD, BCACP CDE
Content Marketing Manager:
Erica McCready
ericamccready@unc.edu