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

Block

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

Elective Rotations

Anticoagulation Stewardship
Emergency medicine
Informatics
Neonatology
Obstetrics
Pain Management
Perioperative Care

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. She transitioned out of that role to focus on her clinical role and to allow for the transition to a new RPD. 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 and attends daily work rounds with the medical team providing input for patient care. 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 ASHP, the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group, 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 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.

Sarah Gnadt

PharmD, BCPS

Sarah is the lead pharmacist for obstetrics at UnityPoint Health -Meriter Hospital. She received her PharmD degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2009 and completed an ASHP-accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota in 2010. Upon completion of her residency, she accepted a Clinical Pharmacist position at UnityPoint Health - Meriter. She regularly staffs OB and NICU. Locally, she participates in many committees, including the Pregnancy & Childbirth Care Committee, the Cesarean Section Surgical Site Infection Prevention Committee, the Pharmacy Clinical Advisory Team, and the Pharmacy Residency Advisory Team. Within UnityPoint Health, she is the Women's Health Service Line pharmacist representative and is involved in many ongoing quality improvement initiatives. Additionally, Sarah is a Clinical Instructor for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin and precepts both students and residents on rotation. She is a co-founder of the Seminar in Pediatrics Course at the University of Wisconsin - School of Pharmacy and enjoys giving lectures on obstetrics annually for the course. She is board-certified as a Pharmacotherapy Specialist and maintains memberships with American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin. She is an active member of the Wisconsin Association of Perinatal Care as the committee chair for the Preconception and Prenatal Care Committee and as a Director at large on the Board of Directors.

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.

Alex Sklansky

PharmD, BCPP

Alex is a clinical pharmacist at UnityPoint Health – Meriter. She graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy with a PharmD in 2010. For the next three years she worked in retail pharmacy. Then she completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and a PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency at the James A. Lovell FHCC. Post residency, she worked in a Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin ambulatory care psychiatric clinic for two years. She started as a clinical pharmacist at UnityPoint Health-Meriter in 2017. Alex is a Board-certified Psychiatric Pharmacist who works primarily on the psychiatric unit. She precepts both students and residents in this field with goals to increase their general knowledge of psychiatry and psychiatric medications and destigmatize mental illness. She is a member of CPNP and PSW.

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, BCPS, CACP

Landon is the Lead Pharmacist in Cardiology at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2018 with a PharmD and completed his PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at UnityPoint Health-Meriter in 2019. Upon completion of his residency, he began a position as a clinical pharmacist at Meriter Hospital and the Antithrombotic Services clinic. In 2020 he also completed a certificate course in Anticoagulation Therapy Management through the University of Southern Indiana. He ultimately became the Lead Pharmacist in Cardiology in 2021. Landon is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and certified anticoagulation care provider. Landon's clinical interests include cardiology, anticoagulation and practicing evidence-based medicine. He precepts both students and residents on the cardiology rotation at Meriter. He also created a new rotation in Anticoagulation Stewardship for APPE students through the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy in 2020 that he co-precepts with the Lead Pharmacist in Anticoagulation. In addition to his precepting roles, Landon serves on the Thrombosis and Anticoagulation Advisory Committee, Cardiovascular Committee, Heart Failure Resources Workgroup, and Vascular Surgery Committee outside of the pharmacy department.

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.

Allen Baugh, PharmD

Pharmacy Education: University of Iowa

Hometown: West Des Moines, IA

Pharmacy project: Use of Droperidol in the Emergency Department for Moderate to Severe Agitation

Career interests: Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, Transplant Hobbies: Photography, baking, hiking all the national parks, Legos, and reading books.

Why UnityPoint Health-Meriter? Meriter's staff and employees are very genuine and supportive. From the first to last question of the interview process, they ultimately wanted to get to know me and invest in me. They have created such a wonderful learning environment. With that being said, Meriter offers a variety of rotations and learning opportunities. Whatever learning experience you want, the staff do their best to accommodate you. They ultimately want to see you succeed, and I see that by their words and actions. Besides the program itself, UnityPoint Health offers amazing care to their patients. Interacting with the nurses, providers, and other staff, I would trust my own health care into their hands.

Andrea Thooft, PharmD, PhD, MPH

Pharmacy Education: Concordia University Wisconsin

Hometown: Green Bay, WI

Pharmacy project: Impact of a Pharmacist-Driven Antifungal Guideline on Appropriate Utilization of Antifungal Agents

Career interests: Obstetrics, Cardiology, Infectious Disease

Hobbies: Reading, spending time with my family

Why UnityPoint Health-Meriter? One of my passions is women's health, so seeing that UnityPoint Health-Meriter offered an obstetrics rotation was very exciting. I was also happy to see the wide variety of rotations offered. I felt like having many different rotation experiences would allow me the opportunity to grow into a strong, well-rounded pharmacist. During the interview I could tell the pharmacy staff worked together, and the pharmacy department was a valued member of the health care team at UnityPoint Health-Meriter. Finally, I could tell during my interview that everyone was very welcoming and really wanted to get to know me as a person.

Brittani Weichman, PharmD

Pharmacy Education: Drake University - Des Moines, IA

Hometown: Des Moines, IA

Pharmacy project: Effect of Pharmacist Intervention on Appropriateness of Perioperative Antibiotics

Career interests: Infectious Disease

Hobbies: Relaxing with my cat and birds, watching Netflix

Why UnityPoint Health-Meriter? I initially looked at Meriter because I focused my PGY1 choices by those with PGY2s in ID and I already had a connection to UnityPoint in pharmacy school, but after interviewing I felt like the team really cared about their residents and wanted to not only teach them, but also get to know them as people. They also have a very progressive pharmacy practice; it was similar to the hospital I worked at in pharmacy school but after interviewing at other places across the country, I was excited for the high level of pharmacist practice. The whole pharmacy team has welcomed me and my co-residents and made Madison and Meriter feel more like home.

Kelsey Rox, PharmD

Pharmacy Education: University of Wisconsin- Madison

Hometown: La Crosse, WI

Pharmacy project: Guideline Development for Standardized Corticosteroid Initiation and Duration in the Neonatal ICU

Career interests: I have significant interest in NICU, Pediatric, and OB pharmacy. Overall, I find most aspects of pharmacy fun and rewarding and like being a Jack of All Trades! I also find great reward in precepting students.

Hobbies: I enjoy participating in the many activities the city of Madison has to offer including but not limited to; biking, taking my dog for a long walk by the lake, going to the farmer's market on the square, enjoying live music at the many venues, and getting a good bite to eat.

Why UnityPoint Health-Meriter? I wanted to complete my residency with UnityPoint Health-Meriter for a number of reasons. I was initially interested because they house one of the largest NICU's in the state of Wisconsin and have a clinical pharmacist in the NICU every day. After researching further, I learned that the pharmacy department offers a robust variety of clinical hospital experiences including OB, ED, ICU, Cardio, Infectious Disease, and more while not being an enormous institution. I was drawn to the fact that Meriter is a community hospital that has been serving the Madison area and surrounding community for a long time. Finally, I completed an APPE rotation here in infectious disease which allowed me to get to work with many of the preceptors and staff here. The preceptors are clearly dedicated to helping train residents to be astute, confident, and competent in their practice. On top of that dedication to students, the pharmacy department is full of fun, sociable, and considerate people who are great to work with in a team.

Meet the PGY1 Pharmacy Residents (Left to right): Allen Baugh, Kelsey Rox, Andrea Thooft, Brittani Weichman

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