Downstate Clinical Education Center broadens student opportunities

The Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has established an affiliation with Northwell Health’s Vivo Health Pharmacy that forges a strong connection between the school and the downstate area. The affiliation includes residency program support and launching a Clinical Education Center (CEC) at Northwell to allow Binghamton P3 students to attend classes there while gaining experience in their clinical rotations in the downstate area.

The CEC will be physically located at Northwell, using space rented by the School of Pharmacy that has been outfitted with the necessary technology to conduct classes there. Nine Binghamton P3 students, selected through a competitive application process, will begin classes there in spring 2022. The partnership will serve Binghamton students well, said Sarah Spinler, chair of the Binghamton’s Department of Pharmacy Practice who is overseeing the program.

“These students are all from the downstate area,” Spinler said. “Our experiential education office does an amazing job accommodating them, and they will also have their capstone mentors downstate.

“They’re going to make more personal connections with practitioners who they are able to network with and help identify what job and career path they want,” Spinler said. “For example, at Binghamton, these students may participate in the student chapter of the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists organization, but there is a Long Island chapter and they will participate in that group. As meetings move from being all virtual, there’s a benefit to attending such professional meetings to network with employers.”

As for the residency program, two Northwell PGY2 residents will be working with the School of Pharmacy for the 2021-22 academic year, based at the CEC.

“Northwell Health is excited to strengthen its affiliation with Binghamton’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,” said Ashley Galla, AVP Pharmacy and director for the residency program. “With Binghamton support, Northwell’s Vivo Health Pharmacy has expanded its PGY2 Residency in Specialty Pharmacy Administration and Leadership. The PGY2 residents will be appointed as adjunct clinical instructors and participate in teaching/precepting Binghamton students.”

Daniela Farzadfar and Sarah Labib, both PGY2 residents who earned their Doctor of Pharmacy degrees at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, will teach and serve as preceptors or co-preceptors for Binghamton PharmD students in their introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs and APPEs). They will also teach a course at the CEC in the spring 2022 semester.

Farzadfar completed her PGY1 pharmacy residency at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and is interested in specialty pharmacy, ambulatory care, administration and academia. After completing her PGY2 residency, she hopes to practice in an administrative role involving ambulatory clinical pharmacy services or as a clinical pharmacist at a practice site affiliated with a school of pharmacy. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking and traveling.

Labib completed her PGY1 at Rutgers University/Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy in New Brunswick, N.J. Her interests include specialty pharmacy, patient education and academia. After completing her PGY2, she plans on pursuing a management position within specialty pharmacy and a position within academia. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking and traveling.

Find more information on the residency program online. https://www.vivohealthpharmacy.com/about/careers/pgy-2-residency-in-specialty-pharmacy-administration-and-leadership