Pharmacy Residency Program at Meriter Hospital

PGY-1 Residency

UnityPoint Health – Meriter's ASHP-accredited PGY-1 program has been training residents since 1984. This one-year program provides the opportunity to develop advanced pharmacy practice skills in a progressive community hospital setting. Upon completion of this training program, residents are prepared to successfully assume clinical pharmacy roles within health-systems practice.

Purpose of the PGY-1 Residency

Individuals who complete the PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency program at UnityPoint Health - Meriter will possess skills necessary to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care to a diverse group of patients. These skills include communication, critical thinking and education about drug-related therapy to colleagues, other healthcare professionals, pharmacy students and patients. Residents will be responsible for providing clinical pharmacy services that achieve optimal health care outcomes for their patients. They will exercise leadership in healthcare by developing protocols that promote medication safety. You will demonstrate professional maturity by following a personal philosophy of practice that promotes self-directed learning, ethical integrity, respect for others, and commitment to the pharmacy profession.

Upon completion of this training program residents are prepared to successfully assume clinical pharmacy roles within health-systems practice. This may include transitioning to advanced training in the form of PGY2 residency programs and/or fellowships. They are also prepared to assume teaching responsibilities for future practitioners.

Core Residency Rotations

Each Resident's rotation schedule is customized to meet his or her individual needs and interests. The rotations are available in the following practice areas with dedicated preceptors who have extensive clinical experience. Of note, many of the electives were originally created to meet a training desire.

Longitudinal
Block
Elective Rotations

Longitudinal

Practice management
Staffing
Medication Safety
Precepting
Psychiatry

Block

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Cardiology
Critical care
Drug Policy
Infectious diseases
Internal medicine
Nutrition support
Orientation
Pharmacotherapy lab

Elective Rotations

Ambulatory Care
Emergency medicine
Neonatology
Obstetrics
Pain Management
Perioperative Care
Psychiatry

How to Apply

Interested Applicants Must:

Be graduates of an ACPE-accredited College of Pharmacy
Participate in the ASHP Resident Matching Program
Be eligible for licensure to practice pharmacy in Wisconsin
Participate in an interview in January or February

Submit the following materials through PhORCAS:

Standard information
Basic demographics
Verified transcripts
Curriculum vitae
Extracurricular information
Three letters of reference
Personal statement/Letter of intent: please provide specific information about your practice goals and areas of interest; what interests you the most about our residency program and how doing a residency will help you accomplish your career goals.

Supplemental information

Please provide two projects that you have completed as a pharmacy student that represent your best work and will show the selection committee your capabilities as a resident.

Resources

Meet our Preceptors

The preceptors at UnityPoint Health - Meriter are top-notch and bring clinical expertise to your training. They are actively involved within our organization to advance pharmacy practice and these efforts often extend to state and national professional organizations.

Kristin Stoll

PharmD, BCPS

Kristin is the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director and a clinical pharmacist at UnityPoint Health – Meriter Hospital. She received her PharmD degree from the University of Health Sciences in St. Louis in 2018 and completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital. Following completion of her residency in 2019, Kristin continued as a staff pharmacist at Meriter Hospital. Kristin's primary practice areas are general medicine and obstetrics, though she is also a member of the cardiology, emergency medicine, critical care, and neurology teams. She is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care. Kristin is the APPE Residency Track coordinator at Meriter, and she is a member of Meriter's Drug Product Selection and Supply Committee. She is a clinical instructor for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin and precepts students in general medicine and obstetrics rotations. This will be her first year serving as program director for the residency program.

Ann Ebert

PharmD

Ann is the Perinatal Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at UnityPoint Health – Meriter. She was the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director from 1998- 2022. Ann received her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1988. She completed a Pediatric Pharmacy Practice Residency at United and Children's Hospitals in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1989. She began working at Meriter Hospital in 1989 after completion of her residency program and has been here since that time. Ann is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin. Her primary clinical responsibility at UnityPoint Health – Meriter is to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care to patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She monitors all patients admitted to the NICU, attends daily work rounds with the medical team providing input for patient care and orders all parenteral nutrition solutions for infants. The NICU is a primary rotation site for pediatric medical residents resulting in many opportunities for teaching. Ann offers a NICU rotation to pharmacy students and residents. She also teaches didactic lectures to pharmacy students at the University of Wisconsin, School of Pharmacy in both fluid and electrolytes and neonatal pharmacotherapy. Ann maintains active membership in a variety of organizations including the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group (PPAG), the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care (WAPC), the Perinatal Foundation and the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin. She is past president of WAPC and currently serves on the board of directors for both WAPC and the Perinatal Foundation as the secretary/treasurer.

Michael Nyffeler

PharmD, BCNSP

Mike is the Clinical Specialist for Nutrition Support at UnityPoint Health – Meriter. He received his B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin in 1989 and his Pharm.D. degree in 2004. Mike has been practicing in the area of nutrition support since 1990 and became a Board Certified Nutrition Support Specialist in 1995. He was appointed the Clinical Specialist for Nutrition Support in 1999. Mike's practice interests focus on the areas of nutrition support, drug-nutrient interactions, and diabetes management. Mike holds an appointment as a clinical instructor for the University of Wisconsin, School of Pharmacy. He offers a rotation in nutrition support for pharmacy students and residents. He is also a co-preceptor for an elective perioperative services rotation for residents. He maintains active involvement in the Wisconsin Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and is also a member of ASPEN and the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin.

Erik Feltz

PharmD, BCPS

Erik is a Clinical Pharmacist preceptor at UnityPoint Health – Meriter. He received his PharmD degree from Midwestern University, Chicago College of Pharmacy, in 2004 and completed a PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency at Meriter in 2005. Upon completion of his residency he accepted a position as a Clinical Pharmacist at Meriter working primarily in the areas of critical care, cardiology, and emergency medicine. Erik is currently the head of emergency pharmacy services at Meriter, having established a clinical pharmacy position in the emergency department in 2006. He is an active member of the emergency department practice committee, stroke committee, and code blue/rapid response committee representing the pharmacy department and working to advance clinical pharmacy services in the ED. Erik holds an appointment as a Clinical Instructor for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin, is a preceptor for an elective rotation in emergency medicine for pharmacy students and residents. He maintains active membership in ACCP.

Brian Moilien

PharmD, BCCCP

Brian is a clinical pharmacist and the critical care lead pharmacist at UnityPoint Health - Meriter. Brian graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy with a PharmD in 2008. He completed a pharmacy practice residency at Meriter in 2009. Upon completion of his residency he accepted a position as Clinical Pharmacist working in the areas of emergency medicine, critical care, cardiology, oncology and nutrition. Brian's primary focus is in critical care and emergency medicine. He holds an appointment as a Clinical Instructor for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin. He is an active member of the Critical Care Committee, Institutional Review Board, Sepsis Oversight Committee, Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, and co-chair of the Thrombosis and Antithrombotic Advisory Committee. He is Board-Certified as a Critical Care Specialist and maintains active memberships in ACCP and SCCM.

Kristyn Gawin

PharmD, BCPS

Kristyn is a clinical pharmacist and the General Medicine lead pharmacist at UnityPoint Health – Meriter Hospital. She received her PharmD degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015 and completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at UnityPoint Health-Meriter in 2016. Upon completion of her residency, she worked as a clinical pharmacist at the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation hospital in Bethel, Alaska before moving to her current role at Meriter in 2017. Kristyn's clinical interests include general medicine, emergency medicine, and neonatal intensive care and she enjoys participating in hospital-wide quality improvement projects. Kristyn holds an appointment as a Clinical Instructor for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin and precepts both residents and students on their general medicine rotation. She is board-certified as a Pharmacotherapy Specialist and maintains memberships with Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin and American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Brad Ludwig

RPh, MS

Brad is the Director of Pharmacy at UnityPoint Health- Meriter Hospital and the Director of Integrated Pharmacy Services at UW Health. In addition, he holds a position as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy. Brad is also the Program Director for the Medication System and Operations Residency at UW Health. He earned his BS and MS degrees from the University of Wisconsin and completed a one-year Pharmacy Practice Residency and a two-year Administrative Residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. Brad has coordinated, implemented and directed progressive clinical and dispensing pharmacy services in virtually all practice settings, including hospital, hospice, skilled nursing, and clinics. Teaching responsibilities include precepting residents in the Health-System Pharmacy Administration Residency and Master's Program as well as the Health-System Administration PharmD. clerkship. Brad has been an invited lecturer for local, state and national pharmacy audiences addressing point of care barcode technology and the impact of automation. Brad was also a 2003 ASHP Best Practices Award Recipient for the project submitted describing the impact of point of care bar code medication scanning technology on medication error reduction. Brad's practice and research interests include pharmacy administrative practice, medication use safety, work redesign, pharmacy technology, and implementation of progressive pharmacy services.

Tammy Adler

RPh

Tammy Adler, RPh is the Drug Policy Pharmacy Manager. She graduated from University of Wisconsin- Madison School of Pharmacy in 1993. She joined the Pharmacy team at UnityPoint Health - Meriter Hospital in March 2020. Her interests include formulary management, medication safety, leadership development, antibiotic stewardship, anticoagulation, as well as Neurology and Psychiatry. She is the Drug Policy rotation preceptor for the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and the PGY2 Infectious Diseases Residency programs. She is a Clinical Instructor for UW Madison School of Pharmacy. Prior to her time at Meriter, she worked at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital 2012-2020 as the Drug Information Pharmacist. While at the Madison VA, she developed an Oncology Research Study Pharmacy program and led a multimillion-dollar automated drug distribution re-design project. In addition, she worked at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison WI from 1991-2012 as the Drug Information Pharmacist and an inpatient Clinical Pharmacist in critical care. At St. Mary's she served as the Chair of the Hospital Wide Coordinating Council for Whole System Shared Decision Making committee structure which focused on the interdisciplinary approach to patient care by integrating front line clinical staff, Nursing Shared governance, and the Executive Hospital leadership into one integrated decision making structure.

Landon Neese

PharmD, BCCP, BCPS, CACP

Landon is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist, board-certified cardiology pharmacist, and certified anticoagulation care provider. Landon's clinical interests include optimizing heart failure GDMT, combination antithrombotic regimens, and arrhythmia management. He precepts both students and residents on the cardiology rotation at Meriter. He also created a new APPE rotation in Anticoagulation Stewardship for the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy in 2020. In addition to his precepting roles, Landon serves on multiple cardiology, vascular, electrophysiology, and anticoagulation-related committees at Meriter Hospital and the UnityPoint Health system and has developed multiple policies, protocols, and evidence-based guidelines to optimize cardiovascular care.

Luke Malik

PharmD, BCIDP

Luke Malik is a clinical pharmacist and the lead antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist at UnityPoint Health - Meriter. Luke graduated from Purdue University with his PharmD in 2019 and subsequently completed his PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice and PGY-2 Infectious Diseases residencies at Meriter. In addition to his clinical role, Luke enjoys implementing infectious diseases (ID)-related quality improvement projects, stewardship efforts, and education. He has had the opportunity to speak on stewardship at the APRN Pharmacology and Clinical Update conference and is the co-chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, serves on the Antimicrobial Stewardship Oversight Committee, and is involved with the CAUTI Workgroup. He is a clinical instructor for the school of pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin where he provides lectures for the ID elective and precepts pharmacy residents and students on their ID rotations at Meriter.

Becca Burnett

PharmD, BCPS

Becca is a clinical pharmacist and the Pharmacy Supervisor – Transitions of Care and Medication Safety Pharmacist at UnityPoint Health - Meriter. Becca graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy with a PharmD in 2016. She completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at UnityPoint Health-Meriter in 2017. Upon completion of her residency, she accepted a position as a clinical pharmacist working primarily in the areas of cardiology, general medicine, and nutrition. Becca maintains active involvement in the areas of anticoagulation, medication safety, and transitions of care, and she supervises UnityPoint Health - Meriter's medication reconciliation technicians. She holds an appointment as a Clinical Instructor for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin. She is an active member of the Thrombosis and Antithrombotic Committee, Medication Safety Subcommittee, and Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. She is Board-Certified as a Pharmacotherapy Specialist and maintains active membership in ASHP and PSW.

Dana Grimm

PharmD, BCPS

Dana is a clinical pharmacist at UnityPoint Health – Meriter Hospital. She received her PharmD degree from Ohio State University in 2017 and completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at UnityPoint Health-Meriter in 2018. Upon completion of her residency, she accepted a position as a clinical pharmacist at Meriter specializing in nutrition/surgery, obstetrics, and neonatal intensive care. She is a member of Meriter’s Nursing Peer Review Committee and the Lactation Advisory Council. Dana holds an appointment as a Clinical Instructor for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin and precepts residents on the nutrition rotation and both residents and students on the obstetrics rotation. She is a board-certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and maintains membership with American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Erin Napier

PharmD, BCPS

Erin is the student coordinator and a clinical pharmacist at UnityPoint Health – Meriter Hospital. She received her PharmD degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Pharmacy in 2015 and completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Ascension All Saints Hospital in Racine, WI. Following completion of her residency in 2016, Erin worked as an overnight Emergency Medicine clinical pharmacist at Ascension All Saints for ~1 year before accepting a clinical pharmacist position at Meriter in 2017. Erin's primary practice areas include general medicine, emergency medicine, critical care, infectious disease, and surgical OR/PACU. She is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and a member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). In addition to her student coordinator role, Erin holds an appointment as a Clinical Instructor for the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy and precepts both residents and students on general medicine and emergency medicine rotations. Erin also assists with the PGY-1 longitudinal precepting rotation.

Kevin Pampuch

RPh

Kevin is a clinical pharmacist and the lead pharmacist in perioperative services at UnityPoint Health - Meriter. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy with a BSPharm in 1996. Kevin worked several ambulatory pharmacy positions in the Milwaukee area before transitioning to hospital pharmacy in 2001. He accepted a position as a night shift clinical pharmacist at Meriter, working in all areas of the hospital. After 10 years, Kevin transitioned to day shift with a primary focus in emergency medicine, general medicine, cardiology, anticoagulation, diabetes management, pain management, and neurology. He also staffed several days a week at the UnityPoint Health-Meriter Antithrombotic Services clinic from 2015 until clinic closure in 2020. In 2016 he completed a certificate course in Anticoagulation Therapy Management through the University of Southern Indiana. In 2020, Kevin was given the opportunity to create the perioperative pharmacist position at UnityPoint-Meriter developing workflow, shift role, and responsibilities. Areas of interest include patient safety, order set design/rebuild, PONV, perioperative glucose management, post-operative pain management, and integration of technology in medicine. Kevin is a member of the UnityPoint Health-Meriter P&T Committee and is the author of the UnityPoint Health-Meriter Medication Guidelines for Pre-Surgical Instruction. In his free time, Kevin enjoys travel, reading, pottery, and spending time with his wife and three children.

Melanie Sisco

PharmD, BCCCP, BCPS

Melanie Sisco is the Nutrition Lead Pharmacist at UnityPoint-Meriter. She is a Kentucky native that graduated from the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy in 2015 and completed her PGY-1 Pharmacy residency at Baptist Health Lexington in Lexington, KY (Go CATS!) in 2016. She has previously worked at a variety of practice sites, starting at Meriter in January 2022. Her areas of interest include: Nutrition, Surgery, Critical Care and Emergency Medicine. She precepts both residents and students on their nutrition and critical care rotations. Currently, she also holds a membership with ACCP and regularly participates in clinical review of materials for publication.

Madeline Gallo, PharmD, MPH

Pharmacy Education: University of Wisconsin - Madison

Hometown: Kenosha, WI

Pharmacy project: Clinical pharmacist implementation into maternal fetal medicine (MFM) clinic workflow

Career interests: Emergency Medicine, Critical Care

Hobbies: Reading, trying new restaurants and breweries

Why UnityPoint Health-Meriter? During my time in Madison, Meriter has always been known as a community hospital that provides quality health care, which is why I applied here for residency. The hospital offers care in many specialties, including obstetrics, emergency medicine, and critical care, which are all areas that I wanted to explore further. I was also looking for opportunities to use my master's in public health, and with Meriter being a community hospital, they are involved in various initiatives to improve the health of Madison residents. Lastly, all of the staff at Meriter have been extremely welcoming, kind, and make me feel like an important member of the team. I could not be more excited to begin my journey as a pharmacist at Meriter!

Lexi Biehl, PharmD

Pharmacy Education: University of Wisconsin- Madison

Hometown: Marinette, WI

Pharmacy project: Reduced dose insulin for the treatment of hyperkalemia

Career interests: I'm interested in pursuing a career that allows me to make an impact on a patient's life. Particularly, I am interested in pediatrics, critical care, and a newfound interest in OB.

Hobbies: My hobbies include baking sweet treats for my co-residents and staff as well as exploring new foods throughout Madison.

Why UnityPoint Health-Meriter? With my interest in pediatrics and critical, Meriter was the perfect option for me due to having one of the largest NICU’s in Wisconsin. Pharmacists are an integral part of the care in the NICU (as well as the rest of the hospital), and I was excited to help the infants be the healthiest they could be to get home with their families. Another reason I chose Meriter was due to their wide range of hospital experiences ranging from ICU, ED, cardiovascular, ID, and OB. These experiences are allowing me to delve into patient care areas I have never been able to experience, opening the door to so many more opportunities.

Emily Erpenbach, PharmD

Pharmacy Education: University of Wisconsin- Madison

Hometown: DeForest, WI

Pharmacy project: Reduction of Override Rates of Medications from Automated Dispensing Cabinets

Career interests: NICU, Emergency Medicine, Medication Safety

Hobbies: Attending live music events, discovering new music, playing recreational volleyball, line dancing

Why UnityPoint Health-Meriter: One of my goals is to be a confident, well-rounded pharmacist. Meriter offers a wide variety of rotations and experiences to help me achieve that goal. The obstetrics elective rotation specifically grabbed my attention as an intriguing experience to explore the impact of a pharmacist for this unique patient population. In addition to rotation, I am excited for the many extracurricular opportunities for residents including being the primary pharmacist responder in medical emergencies. I am also eager to work with pharmacy students in different stages of their education to strengthen my own precepting skills. The preceptors’ dedication to teaching was apparent as early as the interview, and I knew I would look forward to rotation and the endless learning opportunities each day. Teamwork and collaboration are not only observed but heavily encouraged, and it is great to be part of a team that pitches in to help each other. I have felt completely supported in my training and I believe this program is the perfect environment to expand clinical skills while emphasizing patient-centered care for the Madison community and beyond.

Jacky Lor, PharmD

Pharmacy Education: University of Wisconsin - Madison

Hometown: Sheboygan, WI

Pharmacy Project: Impact of a Pharmacist-Driven Aminoglycoside Dosing Protocol

Career Interests: Infectious Disease, Critical Care, Psychology

Hobbies: cooking, fishing, house plants, and spending time with my sisters' dogs!

Why UnityPoint Health - Meriter: I knew I wanted to do a residency with UnityPoint Health-Meriter after completing an APPE rotation here. I saw first hand how dedicated the preceptors were to fostering a supportive learning environment. You can tell that everyone here genuinely wants to help you learn. Additionally, Meriter offers a diverse selection of rotations. I have a lot of clinical interests so this was something that really appealed to me. Lastly, I knew I wanted to do a residency at a community hospital in Wisconsin so this program felt like the perfect fit for me!

Brittani Weichman, PharmD

Pharmacy Education: Drake University – Des Moines, IA

Hometown: Des Moines, IA

Pharmacy Project: Retrospective Analysis of Long-Acting Lipoglycopeptides to Treat Serious Gram-Positive Infections in Patients Who Inject Drugs

Career Interest: Antimicrobial stewardship in a community hospital or outpatient antimicrobial stewardship

Hobbies: relaxing with my cat and birds, watching Netflix

Why the multi-site PGY-2 with UnityPoint Health - Meriter and UW Health: The multisite program provides diverse experiences that includes exposure to a wide variety of infection types and unique patient populations that can differ between institutions. I am also able to experience and actively participate in the antimicrobial stewardship programs at both an academic medical center and a community hospital, which is a unique experience for PGY2 ID programs. I feel that the broad exposure will help prepare me to be a well-rounded ID pharmacist that can thrive in a variety of clinical settings.

Meriter Pharmacy Resident Group Photo 2023.jpeg — Meet the PGY1 Pharmacy Residents (Left to right): Madeline Gallo, Lexi Biehl, Emily Erpenbach, Jacky Lor

Department Information

Department of Pharmacy
UnityPoint Health - Meriter
202 S. Park Street
Madison, WI 53715
(608) 417-6160

For more information, please contact:

PGY-1 Residency
Kristin Stoll, PharmD
Program Director
Department of Pharmacy
202 S. Park Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53715
Email: kristin.stoll@unitypoint.org
608-417-6169