Pharmacy Residents

Benjamin Arends, PharmD
PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Resident
Ben.Arends@ssmhealth.com
North Dakota State University School of Pharmacy

Ben grew up in St. Paul, MN. He attended North Dakota State University for six years earning his bachelor's and PharmD degrees. Ben became interested in inpatient pharmacy during pharmacy school while working as an intern in a hospital pharmacy and through his inpatient clinical rotations. He was drawn to SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Madison by the multitude and variety of clinical opportunities as well as the welcoming nature of the pharmacy staff. Ben is excited to grow as a clinical pharmacist and pursue his interests in emergency medicine and critical care this residency year.

Yi Kan Leung, PharmD
PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Resident
YiKan.Leung@ssmhealth.com
University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy

Yi Kan grew up in Hong Kong. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and a Master of Art in Biochemistry in Buffalo NY. Then she worked for a few years in Epic before returning to pharmacy school. She received her PharmD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Yi Kan has always been drawn to healthcare and the clinical aspects of the work. She was drawn to SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Madison after hearing about the supportive culture from past residents and local pharmacists. During her PGY-1 year, she looks forward to strengthening her foundational knowledge and professional skills, exploring new areas, and growing personally and professionally as she steps out of her comfort zone. She’s looking forward to doing this all while getting to know the wonderful team at St. Mary’s!

William Shockey, PharmD
PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Resident
William.Shockey@ssmhealth.com
University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy

Will grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, and completed his Bachelor of Science in Cell & Molecular Biology at UW-Milwaukee. His early experiences in pharmacy practice were during his undergraduate years working as a technician at Walgreens and an outpatient pharmacy in a community hospital. He moved to Madison for pharmacy school and secured a position at UW Health University Hospital's inpatient pharmacy, initially working in the sterile products area and later transitioning to the role of pharmacy intern. Alongside his studies, he continued working at UW Health and completed his fourth-year rotations through their APPE-RT program. During his rotations, Will developed an appreciation for the clinical responsibilities of pharmacists in acute care settings, their involvement in patient care decision-making, and their ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. An elective Neurology rotation at St. Mary’s solidified his decision to apply to their residency program. The supportive preceptors and the connection he made with the program director convinced him that this was the perfect place to prepare for a clinical pharmacy career. Will is eager to expand his clinical knowledge through the comprehensive curriculum and explore various areas of pharmacy practice. He also looks forward to the opportunity to teach UW's pharmacotherapy skills lab, precept students on rotation, and obtain a teaching certificate. As he embarks on this exciting journey, his aim is to positively impact the lives of patients in the community and uphold St. Mary's reputation of delivering high-quality healthcare. Outside of his professional pursuits, Will finds joy in attending concerts, exploring national parks, visiting museums, playing chess, and cheering on the Milwaukee Bucks.

Past Pharmacy Residents

Past resident Medication Use Evaluations (MUEs) and Longitudinal Projects

MUEs

Kaitlin Bruden - Evaluating the safety and efficacy of the 80 unit/kg bolus for sub-therapeutic levels of the low dose heparin protocol
Alexandra Flores - Evaluate the rate of cefepime neurotoxicity in hospitalized patients
Jack Seton - Evaluating the safety and efficacy of dual antiplatelet therapy in secondary prevention of ischemic stroke
Matthew Wiedholz - Evaluation of apixaban vs warfarin for the management of atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with severe renal impairment

Longitudinal Projects

Kaitlin Bruden - Enoxaparin protocol update at a community hospital
Alexandra Flores - Evaluating the use of tenecteplase vs. alteplase for acute ischemic stroke in a health system
Jack Seton - Evaluating oral cefprozil step-down therapy for gram negative bacteremia
Matthew Wiedholz - Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of adjunctive phenobarbital to benzodiazepine therapy for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome

MUEs

Alexandra Herman - Assessment of thromboembolic events and anticoagulant dosing in patients diagnosed with COVID-19
Lucas Grabowski - Evaluating the safety and efficacy of the new changes to the low dose heparin protocol
Sabyn Warrick - Medication use evaluation of apixaban and rivaroxaban high-intensity dosing following initial treatment with heparin/enoxaparin for pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis
Samantha Walczuk - Evaluation on the appropriate use of intravenous ciprofloxacin within an adult population at a community hospital

Longitudinal Projects

Alexandra Herman - Evaluation of the pharmacist’s role in the transitions of care process at a community hospital
Lucas Grabowski - Evaluating the effectiveness of a pharmacist-driven MRSA nasal PCR protocol for pneumonia
Sabyn Warrick - Implementation of barcode scanning for sterile compounding
Samantha Walczuk - Evaluating the safety and efficacy of tenecteplase compared to alteplase for acute ischemic stroke in a community hospital

MUEs

Alice Bae - Evaluate the utilization of synthetic angiotensin II (Giapreza®) in septic or distributive shock
Hannah Hendricks - Evaluating the effectiveness of an updated pharmacist-driven intravenous (IV) heparin protocol using adjusted body weight compared to actual body weight in obese patients
Stephanie Londre - Evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for atrial fibrillation (Afib) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment in obese patients
Jennifer Polenska - Medication use evaluation of meropenem utilization after implementation of order criteria for use

Longitudinal Projects

Alice Bae - Evaluating the inappropriateness of stress ulcer prophylaxis in hospitalized patients
Hannah Hendricks - Implementation and evaluation of placing select intravenous antibiotics in the automatic dispensing cabinets (ADC) using an adapter system to reduce cost and improve nursing and pharmacy workflow
Stephanie Londre - Implementation of a fixed dose four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) protocol for urgent warfarin reversal
Jennifer Polenska - Evaluating the safety and effectiveness of a non-severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) pharmacist pathway

MUEs

Stephanie Bishop - Evaluating the appropriateness of heparin partial thromboplastin time (PTT) goal ranges for patients on oral factor Xa inhibitors prior to admission
Tanya Haasbeek - Medication use evaluation of meropenem at St. Mary’s Hospital
Nicollette McMann - Pharmacist-driven IV acetaminophen order duration and appropriateness
Charina Ruiz - Efficacy of prothrombin complex concentrate (Kcentra®) in reversing factor Xa inhibitor-associated acute major bleeding

Longitudinal Projects

Stephanie Bishop - Retrospective, cohort study evaluating the efficacy of an elastrometic ropivicaine pain pump used postoperatively in shoulder surgery patients
Tanya Haasbeek - Risk of nephrotoxicity associated with vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam vs. vancomycin and cefepime
Nicollette McMann - Impact of implementing barcode validation of intravenous antibiotics prior to dispensing
Charina Ruiz - Evaluation of an Updated Pharmacist-Driven Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Care Pathway Process in Improving Patient Outcomes

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