New director to guide hands-on learning at pharmacy school

The Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science has a new — but familiar — face in charge of its Office of Experiential Education (OEE). 

“In order to ensure a seamless transition, Dr. Caroline Jensen has kindly agreed to serve as the next executive director of OEE,” said Dean Kanneboyina Nagaraju. “She will be supported by an outstanding team, consisting of Associate Director Marissa Langett, Coordinator Eric Richards, and Administrative Assistant Lori Haun. Dr. Emily Leppien will continue to work with OEE to streamline policies and procedures, and to help with the transition.”

Jensen, the new executive director of experiential education and clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at SOPPS, joined the school in 2025 as a clinical assistant professor and experiential education coordinator. 

She is also an alumna of the University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in integrative neuroscience in 2018. She went on to complete both her Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Public Health degrees at the University at Buffalo in 2023.

“I have a lot of love and pride being an alumna. This school brings up a lot of nostalgia for me; those were some of the best times in my life. Whenever I think of Binghamton, I think of growth, innovation, and somewhere where learners get to build lifelong memories,” Jensen said. “Being able to pass on that pride is a big driver for me personally, to be able to give to those next generation of learners. These are the future caregivers of America, so being able to be a part of that development is extremely rewarding.”

Before transitioning to academia, Jensen served as a lieutenant in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one of the nation’s uniformed services, a branch committed to the service of health. During her service, she worked as a clinical staff pharmacist with the Indian Health Service in New Mexico, providing care in the Navajo Nation. 

Serving the Navajo Nation, Jensen worked in several interesting subfields, including the emergency department, the inpatient ward, the ambulatory care services, and the outpatient pharmacy. She also served as an Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee chair and a hazardous drug officer. Now, she works to provide similar varied experiential education opportunities to her students. 

“This role felt like an opportunity to give students richer, more diverse clinical experiences,” she said. “Early in my career, I found myself serving diverse patient populations, and I quickly realized how much culturally sensitive care matters in practice, especially when caring for communities that carry historical trauma or face systemic barriers to healthcare. I wanted to help students develop those skills during their training, so they're prepared to care for patients where they are, wherever their careers take them.”

Jensen is passionate about pursuing research in health policy and underserved patient populations, exploring how these focus areas can be integrated into experiential education to better prepare the next generation of pharmacists.

"Experiential Education accounts for a significant portion of the curriculum, taking the skills and knowledge students acquire and applying that to real-world pharmacy practice. Here on Binghamton’s campus, we can simulate cases involving patient counseling and potential scenarios students might run into,” Jensen added. “It's very different when you suddenly have a real person in front of you, and you are put in a position where you're the trusted expert, and you are asked to make a clinical decision. That’s where ‘experiential’ comes in, allowing students to build upon those skills outside of the classroom.”

Jensen is already diving into the new role. As part of the transition plan, the OEE is focused on continued quality improvement for students and preceptors, which includes feedback directly from students and preceptors, and site visits to see first hand the opportunities students have with Binghamton partners while on rotation. The team aims to expand the wellness component and aid in preceptor development; maintaining and strengthening their current partnerships are top of mind.

She has also worked directly with students and organizations, co-advising the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society with Associate Professor Leon Cosler, and serving as president-elect of the Southern Tier Society of Health-System Pharmacists chapter. She looks forward to building on the work of previous directors while engaging thoughtfully with students, preceptors, key stakeholders, and other members of the SOPPS community.

“The most rewarding part has been sitting down with students, learning about their interests, and seeing their excitement when an experiential opportunity aligns with their career aspirations,” Jensen said. “Those moments with students where I can make a positive impact on their experience with the program is always fulfilling."