Ohler In Charge

With Dr. Kirsten Ohler enters at the helm, the College’s flagship PGY1 residency program a new era and looks to build on nearly 50 years of success

Dr. Kirsten Ohler

For Dr. Kirsten Ohler, this July 1 carries added emotion.

That’s the day Ohler, the new director of the UIC College of Pharmacy’s PGY1 (year-one) residency program, will stand before the College’s latest crop of 12 residents for the first time and welcome them into the fold during the heralded program’s annual orientation.

“It’s the beginning of a new journey for all of us,” says Ohler, a clinical associate professor in the Department Pharmacy Practice now in her 13th year at UIC. “For me, it’s an opportunity to lead a program that does so much to help individuals grow into independent, autonomous practitioners who do good things for patient care. For the trainees, it’s an opportunity to mature in the profession and set their career on a positive trajectory.”

Coveted spots

For students, the PGY1 residency matching process is competitive and tension filled. At UIC, some 200 candidates annually compete for a dozen spots and, nationally, only two out of every three talented candidates seeking a residency position at universities, medical centers and other healthcare institutions secure a spot. Landing a residency, meanwhile, can spur a cross-country move, push individuals well outside their comfort zone and steer the early trajectory of one’s professional career.

“A PGY1 residency is a serious commitment and shouldn’t be Plan B,” Ohler says.

Appointed to replace Dr. Frank Paloucek, who had led the College’s PGY1 residency program for the last 20 years, Ohler began recruiting UIC’s current collection of incoming residents – her first such batch – last December. She traveled to the recruiting forum at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting in Anaheim, California, reviewed applications, conducted on-site interviews and ranked her top candidates.

This year, on March 15 – so-called “Match Day” and a day burned into the minds of all prospective residents – an AHSP computer algorithm released its pairings, matching program leaders’ preferences with those of students.

“There’s always a lot of anxiety leading up to Match Day,” says Ohler, who holds previous experience with Match Day having served as the College’s PGY2 (second-year) pediatric residency director since 2016. “Though that’s for one resident, not 12, so nothing to this PGY1 level.”

With the names of her inaugural class in hand, Ohler’s attention has since turned to integrating trainees into the UIC program and, specifically, how she might best honor each individual’s interests and career goals.

“Putting students in positions to learn and gain valuable clinical skills has been central to our program’s success over the years,” Ohler says.

Building upon a legacy

Running for more than four decades, UIC’s residency program stands among the nation’s most prominent and distinguished. Alumni routinely land prized PGY2 opportunities in specialty areas such as pediatrics, transplant, oncology and intensive care before embarking on careers that bring them into visible roles and leading institutions such as Memorial Sloan- Kettering, MD Anderson and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“The success of our past residents leaves an impression on people and shows what we can shape and develop,” Ohler says.

A former resident in the program herself, Ohler knows the coming year for trainees will be intellectually taxing and stressful, yet critical to developing their clinical skills and confidence. Ohler looks to help the residents navigate the intense one-year learning adventure that is equated to approximately three years of clinical experience.

“My role is to best serve these 12 different personalities and their respective needs in a way that drives their careers,” Ohler says.

To accomplish that, Ohler will focus on tailoring the program to each resident’s individual goals, particularly for those interested in a specialty area, and transitioning all students from passive learners in the classroom into responsible pharmacists in the clinical setting.

“We give residents independent experiences so they can practice autonomously and develop a sense of responsibility as clinical professionals,” Ohler says.

That singular focus, a hallmark of the UIC program, not only equips trainees with robust and relevant clinical skills, but also ensures the College’s residency program retains its standing as a cutting-edge effort that prepares pharmacy leaders.

“Others before me have laid a great foundation and established this program’s core tenets,” Ohler says. “For me, it’s about building upon that momentum, while growing the program with the residents and alongside the profession.”

Mark Jao

MARK JAO, PHARMD ’19

THE NEW BEGINNING Jao is staying on the University of Illinois at Chicago campus having received one of the College’s competitive PGY1 residency slots, which include performing pharmacy duties in a rotating array of practice areas ranging from pediatrics to critical care.

THE APPEAL “I felt like a residency would allow me to experience varied opportunities and push me to become an expert pharmacist in any field I might pursue. Plus, I built wonderful connections throughout my time as a UIC student and I wanted to become a colleague to all the faculty that have taught me. I take great pride in continuing my career at an institution I take such pride in.”

THE HOPE “I am excited at the many amazing patientcare experiences that lie ahead and hope to perform at the top of my licensing and learn from experts in different fields. I spent many years and made sacrifices to get where I am today and am ecstatic to be a pharmacist.”

THE LONG-TERM GOAL Jao hopes to someday become a clinical pharmacist at a teaching institution, perhaps UIC. “I hope to work in an area that provides continuous learning opportunities and gives the University of Illinois at Chicago a fantastic name.”

Jacquelyn Punches

JACQUELYN PUNCHES, PHARMD ’19

THE NEW BEGINNING Punches is off to the Kingman Regional Medical Center (KRMC) in northwestern Arizona, where her one-year PGY1 residency will carry an ambulatory care focus. KRMC, which is located about 110 miles south of Las Vegas and 70 miles south of the Grand Canyon, is a 235-bed teaching hospital and a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

THE APPEAL With KRMC’s emphasis on ambulatory care, interprofessional training, teaching opportunities and community involvement, Punches calls the PGY1 residency “a great fit.” Plus, she adds, KRMC “has an excellent program with a reputation for serving patients with exceptional care.”

THE HOPE Punches looks forward to an experience that will allow her to work at the top of her profession and foster the development of new clinical skills, which will ultimately translate into improved patient care. “I have a deep compassion for patients and am motivated by the chance to serve as an advocate for patients.”

THE LONG-TERM GOAL Punches would like to provide top-level care as an ambulatory care pharmacist at an academic center and hopes her experience at

KRMC propels her development as “a confident leader in pharmacy practice.”

Michelle Yu

MICHELLE YU, PHARMD ’19

THE NEW BEGINNING Yu received the lone spot in Johns Hopkins Hospital’s combined PGY1/2 residency in Investigational Drugs and Research. The two-year program includes the typical PGY1 experience followed by a second year that pairs experiences in various clinical and research settings with pharmacy operations and a focus on investigational drugs.

THE APPEAL Yu earned her undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering, worked at a startup biopharmaceutical company in pre-clinical drug development and happily discovered the worlds of clinical pharmacy and investigational drugs while a PharmD student. “The [Johns Hopkins] residency program allows me to be at the cutting-edge of drug development at a first-rate institution and represents the perfect combination of my interests in pharmacy, drug development and research.”

THE HOPE “I want to broaden and deepen my clinical pharmacy knowledge and hope the experiences I have at Johns Hopkins combined with moving to a new city allow me to grow both professionally and personally.”

THE LONG-TERM GOAL Though Yu anticipates her career with likely involve clinical pharmacy and drug development and research, she remains open to the possibilities. “This residency program will expose to me to career opportunities that I never knew existed and I am very excited to explore those options.”

More residency stories can be found at go.uic.edu/ ResidencyStories.