BWFH PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program
Overview
Our program is committed to providing residents with the skills and knowledge required to become capable, well-rounded pharmacists by providing experience in:
- Provision of pharmaceutical care on teaching and non-teaching services, including internal medicine, critical care, infectious diseases, and emergency medicine.
- Development of precepting and teaching skills by co-precepting students on rotations, providing education to pharmacy staff and other members of the care team, and participating in a teaching certificate program.
- Practice management activities to increase knowledge of the role of pharmacy in the broader provision of hospital care.
Upon successful completion of the program, residents will have achieved the required educational outcomes, goals, and objectives in the required competency areas set forth by the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists:
- Patient Care
- Practice Advancement
- Leadership
- Teaching and Education
Program Overview
- Start Date: June 29, 2026
- Duration: 12 months
- Number of Positions: 2
- Application Deadline: January 5, 2026
The PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency conducted by Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital of Boston, MA is accredited by ASHP.
Program Recruitment Activities
Our current residents, preceptors, and program leadership look forward to meeting you at these upcoming recruitment events:
- New England Regional Residency and Fellowship Virtual Showcase
- Monday, October 6, 2025, 6–8 p.m.
- New England Regional Residency and Fellowship Showcase at MCPHS
- Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 9 a.m.–12 noon
- ASHP Midyear Residency Showcase
- Monday, December 8, 2025, during the 1–4 p.m. session
Contact Information
For additional information, contact:
Brenda Hoa, PharmD, BCPS Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Director - PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program, bhoa@bwh.harvard.edu
Kristina Milewski, PharmD, BCPS Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Critical Care, Coordinator - PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program, kmilewski@bwh.harvard.edu
Curriculum
The residency year consists of twelve consecutive months of required, elective, and longitudinal learning experiences. Required rotations are generally four to six weeks in duration, whereas longitudinal rotations may be as short as three months and long as twelve months.
Core Rotations
- Orientation (6 weeks)
- Critical Care (6 weeks)
- Emergency Medicine (6 weeks)
- Infectious Diseases (6 weeks)
- Internal Medicine I (6 weeks)
- Internal Medicine II – Teaching Focus (6 weeks)
- Pharmacy Administration (5 weeks)
Elective Rotations (Choose 2)
- Sterile Compounding Management (4 weeks)
- Pharmacy Informatics (4 weeks)
- Medication Safety (4 weeks)
- Drug Use Policy at the Mass General Brigham Center for Drug Policy (4 weeks)
- Infectious Diseases II (4 weeks)
- Critical Care II (4 weeks)
- Thrombosis and Hemostasis Management (4 weeks)
- Adult Psychiatry (4 weeks)
- Repeat a core rotation
- Others upon discussion (pending preceptor availability)
Longitudinal Experiences
- Pharmacy Service (48 weeks, approximately 32 hours per month): Central pharmacy staffing coverage every other weekend and holiday coverage (one major holiday, two minor holidays)
- Residency Projects (52 weeks, including one week dedicated project time)
- Teaching and Presentations (52 weeks, approximately 4 hours per month)
- Medical Emergency Response (46 weeks, alternating week coverage)
- Medication Use Evaluation (20 weeks, project-driven)
- Institutional Drug Use Policy (46 weeks, approximately 4 hours per month)
Other Activities
- IV Admixture Training
- New England Postgraduate Pharmacy Teaching and Learning Seminar with MCPHS – Worcester
Requirements
Residency Manual and Policies
Information about the residency program’s requirements and structure are provided in our Residency Program Manual. You can also find core information on pharmacist licensure, attendance and leave, disciplinary action and dismissal, and duty hours and moonlighting in our Residency Policies.
Benefits
- Stipend: $56,992
- Insurance Benefits: health, dental, vision
- Time Off: 15 days (including vacation time, sick leave, and interview days)
- Travel/Conference Allowance for ASHP Midyear and Eastern States Residency Conference
- For additional details about benefits, see Benefits at BWFH
How to Apply
Admission to the residency program is available to PharmD graduates of Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited colleges of pharmacy who are eligible for Massachusetts pharmacist licensure. International applicants are welcome to apply if they are eligible to work in the United States through the entire duration of the residency year and will be considered based on the merits of their application. BWFH is not able to sponsor H1B, OPT, or any other type of visa. If matched residents are not licensed prior to the first day of the residency year, a Massachusetts pharmacy intern license is required until pharmacist licensure is obtained. All applicants must participate in the ASHP Residency Matching Program.
To be considered, the electronic residency application should be completed using ASHP PhORCAS, including:
- Letter of intent stating goals and interests
- Official pharmacy school transcripts
- Curriculum vitae
- Three completed standard references (at least one from a direct patient care clinical preceptor is preferred)
- Interview by invitation
All application materials must be received via PhORCAS by January 5, 2026 to be considered for an interview.
No person at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant.
Meet the Preceptors
-
Brenda Hoa, PharmD, BCPS Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Residency Program Director
-
Education and Training:
- Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Worcester, MA
- PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency: Massachusetts State Office of Pharmacy Services, Tewksbury, MA
-
Rotations Offered: Internal Medicine I and II, Teaching and Presentations
Ann Katznelson, PharmD, CPPS Clinical Pharmacy and Medication Safety Manager
- Education and Training: Doctor of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
- Rotations Offered: Institutional Drug Use Policy, Medication Safety (Elective), Pharmacy Administration
Connie Lio, PharmD, BCPS Clinical Pharmacy Specialist
-
Education and Training:
- Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA
- PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency: Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
-
Rotations Offered: Internal Medicine I and II, Orientation
Michael Lowry, PharmD IV Coordinator
- Education and Training: Doctor of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
- Rotations Offered: Orientation, Sterile Compounding Management (Elective)
Angela Martoccia Grabazs, PharmD, CACP Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Antithrombosis Stewardship
-
Education and Training:
- Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA
- PGY1 Pharmacy Residency: Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Boston, MA
- PGY2 Thrombosis and Hemostasis Management Pharmacy Residency: University of New Mexico Hospital, Albuquerque, NM
-
Rotations Offered: Internal Medicine I and II, Thrombosis and Hemostasis Management (Elective)
Kristina Milewski, PharmD, BCPS Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Critical Care, Residency Program Coordinator
-
Education and Training:
- Doctor of Pharmacy, University of Missouri — Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
- PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency: Research Medical Center, Kansas City, MO
-
Rotations Offered: Critical Care, Critical Care II (Elective), Medical Emergency Response, Teaching and Presentations
John Morgan, PharmD, MBA, BCPS Pharmacy Informatics Coordinator
- Education and Training: Doctor of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
- Rotations Offered: Pharmacy Administration, Pharmacy Informatics (Elective)
Peter Nguyen, PharmD Assistant Director of Pharmacy Services
-
Education and Training:
- Doctor of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
- PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency: Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA
-
Rotations Offered: Pharmacy Administration
Gabriella Torres, PharmD Clinical Pharmacy Specialist
-
Education and Training:
- Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA
- PGY1 Pharmacy Residency: Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Boston, MA
-
Rotations Offered: Internal Medicine I and II
Yuliya Sergeyeva, PharmD Senior Pharmacist
- Education and Training: Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA
- Rotations Offered: Concentrated Pharmacy Services, Orientation
Ian Zhao, PharmD, BCIDP Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Infectious Diseases
-
Education and Training:
- Doctor of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
- PGY1 Pharmacy Residency: Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo, NY
- PGY2 Infectious Disease Pharmacy Residency: Buffalo General Medical Center, Buffalo, NY
-
Rotations Offered: Infectious Diseases I, Infectious Diseases II (Elective)
Jessica Zheng, PharmD, BCPS
- Education and Training: Doctor of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
- Rotations Offered: Pharmacy Service
-
Residents
2025–2026
Valeria Garcia, PharmD
- Hometown: Bridgeport, CT
- Education: Doctor of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
- Clinical Interests: Critical Care, Emergency Medicine
- Contact: vgarcia3@mgh.harvard.edu
Songyun (Leo) Liu, PharmD
- Hometown: Tianjin, China
- Education: Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Worcester, MA
- Clinical Interests: Infectious Diseases, Oncology
- Contact: sliu62@bwh.harvard.edu
Previous Residents
2024–2025
Desiree Nieves Adorno, PharmD
- Initial Position: Senior Pharmacist, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital
- Education: Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Worcester, MA
2023–2024
Melanie Nguyen, PharmD
- Initial Position: Ambulatory Oncology Clinical Pharmacist, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Education: Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA
Gabriella Torres, PharmD, BCPS
- Initial Position: Clinical Pharmacist, Encompass Health
- Education: Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA
2022–2023
Mary Eibye, PharmD
- Initial Position: PGY-2 Pharmacy Resident, Critical Care, University of Vermont Medical Center
- Education: Doctor of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Angela Martoccia Grabazs, PharmD
- Initial Position: PGY-2 Pharmacy Resident, Thrombosis and Hemostasis Management, University of New Mexico Hospital
- Education: Doctor of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA
How to reach us
Email: bhoa@bwh.harvard.edu
bhoa@bwh.harvard.edu
bhoa@bwh.harvard.edu