PGY2: Cardiology

The ASHP Accreditation Standard for Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Pharmacy Residency Programs (hereinafter the Standard) establishes criteria for systematic training of pharmacists in advanced areas of pharmacy practice. Its contents delineate the requirements for PGY2 residencies, which build upon the foundation provided through completion of an accredited Doctor of Pharmacy degree program and an accredited postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residency program.

Program Focus and Outcomes

The PGY2 residency in cardiology is designed to transition PGY1 resident graduates from generalist practice to specialized practice that meets the needs of cardiovascular patients.  It is defined as an organized, directed, accredited program that builds upon the competencies of PGY1 pharmacy training.  This residency is focused in cardiovascular pharmacotherapy, clinical research, and academia and is meant to increase the resident’s knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities to raise the resident’s level of expertise in medication therapy management and clinical and academic leadership.  

Graduates of the residency program are prepared to assume any of the following roles: 

• Cardiovascular clinician in both inpatient and outpatient care settings
• Clinical Educator
• Clinical Researcher

ASHP Residency Goals and Objectives

The ASHP Competency areas and Goals for this program can be found below:
ASHP Residency Goals and Objectives

PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

The PGY2 residency in cardiology is designed to transition PGY1 resident graduates from generalist practice to specialized practice that meets the needs of cardiovascular patients.  It is defined as an organized, directed, accredited program that builds upon the competencies of PGY1 pharmacy training.  This residency is focused in cardiovascular pharmacotherapy, clinical research, and academia and is meant to increase the resident’s knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities to raise the resident’s level of expertise in medication therapy management and clinical and academic leadership. 

Graduates of the residency program are prepared to assume any of the following roles:

• Cardiovascular clinician in both inpatient and outpatient care settings
• Clinical educator
• Clinical researcher

Our residency program provides comprehensive training across the spectrum of cardiovascular disease.  Our institution has a particular emphasis on the management of cardiovascular critical care due to the high acuity of our patients and specialized services offered.  We are also a high volume center for heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support.  Other unique learning experiences include clinical pharmacogenomics and pulmonary hypertension.  Finally, our close affiliation with the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy provides for extensive mentorship and support for teaching, precepting, and research.

Our program has also received national recognition for precepting and teaching, including three preceptors who have received the ASHP Foundation Preceptor Award.  This recognizes excellence, service, and innovation in serving as a residency preceptor.  Several preceptors have also received precepting and teaching awards through the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy.  Our program’s commitment to residency research and scholarship is evident through approximately 25 published peer-reviewed manuscripts co-authored by our PGY2 cardiology residents. 

Duration: 52-week appointment concluding on June 30^th
Number Positions: 1
Starting Date: July 1
Salary: $53,589
Paid Time Off: 20 days
Benefits: UPMC Graduate Medical Education Benefits (public website)
Travel: Residents are expected to submit their research in-progress as an abstract for in-person presentation at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Pharmacist Poster Session in the Spring.
Training Site Type: Hospital
Owner/Affiliates: Private
Model (type): Teaching, Tertiary
Professional Staff: 48
Total Beds: 1093

Application Requirements

All residents must be eligible for pharmacist licensure in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Applications for Pharmacist License and Intern Registration are available.

Application Process

Eligible candidates will have completed an ASHP accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program and must submit the standard application requirements via PhORCAS by January 2nd. An interview is required.

This residency site agrees that no person at this site will solicit, accept, or use any ranking related information from any residency candidate.

†Electives may include a learning experience not required (i.e., academic pharmacy, post-cardiac arrest, electrophysiology, etc.) or can be a repeat of a required experience where the resident demonstrates a specific interest and the experience could be customized to a different focus and/or more advanced level of practice.

Preceptors

James C. Coons, PharmD, FCCP, FACC, BCCP (Director)
Deanne Hall, PharmD, CDE, BCACP
Edward Horn, PharmD, BCCCP
Ryan Rivosecchi, PharmD, BCCCP
Danine Sullinger, PharmD

UPMC Presbyterian

Andrew Teletnick, PharmD
teletnicka@upmc.edu

2021 Pharmacy Residency Excellence Preceptor Award – Jim Coons – ASHP Foundation

2018-19 ACCP National Residency Advisory Committee Appointee – Lindsay Moreland

2009 Pharmacy Residency Excellence Preceptor Award - Amy Seybert
ASHP Research and Education Foundation

Grant Total: $5,000. "Clinical Outcomes Comparison of Direct Thrombin Inhibitors for the Management of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis." ASHP Foundation for the New Practitioners Resident Practice-Based Research Grant Program, 2008, Residency Director and Research Mentor

2008 Residency Preceptor of the Year - Amy Seybert
University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy

1. Foster EM*, Sullinger D, Coons JC. Management considerations for pulmonary arterial hypertension pharmacotherapy in the intensive care unit. Pharmacy (Basel) 2023;11:145. PMID: 37736917.
    
2. Foster EM*, Coons JC, Puccio E, Sullinger D, Ibrahim R, Ibrahim J, Hickey GW, Horn ET, Mosesso V, Rivosecchi R. Clinical outcomes associated with diltiazem use in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction after implementation of a clinical support system. Ann Pharmacother 2024;58:1161-69.
    
3. Horn ET, Xu Q, Dibridge JN*, Huston JH, Hickey GW, Kaczorowski DJ, Keebler ME, Zeevi A. Reduction of HLA donor specific antibodies in heart transplant patients treated with proteasome inhibitors for antibody mediated rejection. Clin Transplant 2023;37:e15132.
    
4. Bashline M, DiBridge J*, Klass WJ, Morelli B, Kaczorowski D, Schmidhofer M, Horn ET, Gomez H, Ramanan R, Hickey GW, Rivosecchi RM. Outcomes of systemic bivalirudin and sodium bicarbonate purge solution for Impella 5.5. Artif Organs 2023;47:361-69.
    
5. Fabrizio C, *Levito MN, Rivosecchi R, Bashline M, Slocum B, Kilic C, et al. Outcomes of systemic anticoagulation with bivalirudin for Impella 5.0. Int J Artif Organs 2021;doi: 10.1177/03913988211032238.


6. *Levito MN, McGinnis CB, Groetzinger LM, Durkin JB, Elmer J. Impact of benzodiazepines on time to awakening in post cardiac arrest patients. Resuscitation 2021;165:45-49.


7. Coons JC, Crisamore K, Adams S, Modany A*, Simon MA, Zhao W, et al. A pilot study of oral treprostinil pharmacogenomics and treatment persistence in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Ther Adv Respir Dis 2021;15:17534666211013688. doi: 10.1177/17534666211013688.


8. *Colvin BM, Coons JC, Beavers CJ. Guideline-directed heart failure therapy in patients after left ventricular assist device implantation. VAD J 2021;7:Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.11589/vad/e2021712


9. Moreland-Head LN*, Coons JC, Seybert AL, Gray MP, Kane-Gill SL. Use of disproportionality analysis to identify previously unknown drug-associated causes of cardiac arrhythmias using the food and drug administration adverse event reporting system (FAERS) database. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther 2021;26:341-48.


10. Levito MN*, Coons JC, Verrico MM, Kane-Gill S, Szymkowiak A, Legler B, Dueweke EJ. A system wide approach for navigating interference with unfractionated heparin anti-factor Xa concentrations in the setting of oral factor Xa inhibitor use. Ann Pharmacother 2020; doi: 10.1177/1060028020956271.


11. Chen HX*, Coons JC, Iasella CJ, Empey PE, Stevenson JM, Kane-Gill SL. Triple antithrombotic therapy with direct oral anticoagulants versus warfarin after percutaneous coronary intervention with genotyping. J Heart Vasc Dis 2019;1(1):Article ID: 100002.


12. Harris J*, Teuteberg J, Shullo M. Optimal low-density lipoprotein concentration for cardiac allograft vasculopathy prevention. Clin Transplant 2018;32:e13248.


13. Verlinden NJ*, Coons JC, Iasella C, Kane-Gill SL. Triple antithrombotic therapy with aspirin, P2Y12 inhibitor, and warfarin after percutaneous coronary intervention: an evaluation of prasugrel or ticagrelor versus clopidogrel. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther 2017;22:546-51.


14. Schwier NC*, Coons JC, Rao SK. Pharmacotherapy update of acute idiopathic pericarditis. Pharmacotherapy 2015;35(1):99-111.


15. Verlinden NV*, Coons JC. Disopyramide for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a pragmatic reappraisal of an old drug.  Pharmacotherapy 2015;35(12):1164-72.


16. Harris JR*, Coons JC. Ticagrelor use in a patient with a documented clopidogrel hypersensitivity. Ann Pharmacother 2014;48(9):1230-33.


17. Coons JC, Miller T*. Strategies to reduce bleeding risk in acute coronary syndromes and percutaneous coronary intervention: new and emerging pharmacotherapeutic considerations. Pharmacotherapy 2014;34(9):973-90.


18. Coons JC, Schwier N*, Harris J*, Seybert AL. Pharmacokinetic evaluation of prasugrel for the treatment of myocardial infarction. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2014;10(4):609-20.


19. Abel EE*, Kane-Gill SL, Seybert AL, Kellum JK. A clinical outcomes comparison between direct thrombin inhibitors for the management of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in patients receiving renal replacement therapy. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2012;69(18):1559-67.


20. Gokhman R*, Seybert AL, Phrampus P, Darby J, Kane-Gill SL. Medication errors during medical emergencies in a large, tertiary care, academic medical center. Resuscitation 2012;83(4):482-7.


21. Devabhakthuni S* and Seybert AL. Oral Antiplatelet Therapy for the Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes: Defining the Role of Prasugrel. Crit Care Nurse 2011;31(1):51-63.


22. Gokhman R*, Smithburger PL*, Kane-Gill SL, Seybert AL. Pharmacokinetic rationale for combination therapy of pulmonary arterial hypertension. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2010;56:686-695.


23. Zerumsky (Watson) K*, Seybert AL, Saul MI, Lee JS, Kane-Gill SL. Bivalirudin versus unfractionated heparin in percutaneous coronary intervention: determining outcomes and glycoprotein inhibitor use. Pharmacotherapy 2007;27(5):647-656.


24. Seybert AL, Coons JC, Zerumsky K*. Treatment of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: Is there a role for bivalirudin? Pharmacotherapy 2006;26(2):229-41.


25. Coons JC*, Seybert AL, Saul MI, Kirisci L, Kane-Gill SL. Outcomes and costs of abciximab versus eptifibatide for percutaneous coronary intervention. Ann Pharmacother 2005;39(10):1621-6.

Patient Care and Pharmacy Experiences

Cardiac ICU – Required

Advanced Cardiac ICU – Required

Cardiothoracic ICU – Required

Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension – Required

Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support – Required

General Cardiology – Required

Pharmacogenomics – Required

Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension Discharge Clinic – Required

Teaching Experiences 
 

Precepting – Required

Academic Pharmacy - Elective

Research/Quality Improvement Experiences
 

Longitudinal Research and Clinical Outcomes Research

Professional Development/Leadership Experiences
 

Anticoagulation Committee

Requirements for Program Completion

1. Pharmacist licensure obtained in the state of Pennsylvania by September 30^th
2. Successfully complete all learning experiences and associated evaluations.
   1. Successful completion is defined as attainment of “Achieved for Residency” on at least 80% of program objectives, including 100% of program objectives related to patient care. The resident also cannot have any objectives outstanding that “need improvement.”
3. Residents must also complete the following required projects/experiences:
   1. PULSE presentation (Pharmacotherapy Updates: Lecture Series & Continuing Education) presentation
   2. Case Conference Presentation
   3. Research Project with abstract submission to the American College of Cardiology Pharmacist poster session and presentation at the UPMC Residency Research Day
   4. Research project manuscript draft suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed pharmacy or medical journal
   5. Present at least one didactic lecture and facilitate at least one practicum in either the Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Disease or the Acute Care Simulation course curriculum.
   6. Engage in at least one professional organization, such as becoming an active member of the ACCP Cardiology PRN.
4. Additionally, the resident must complete and submit documentation of the following items in order to obtain the residency certificate: projects and presentations as described above, evaluations in PharmAcademic®, updated Academic and Professional Record, curriculum vitae, tentative research project publication title/journal/submission date, and forwarding address/phone/email.

Residency Manual

Key Policies

Teams Meeting by Appointment

Email Jim Coons (coonsjc@upmc.edu) to schedule

UPMC PGY2 Cardiology Residency Program Virtual Open House

Thursday, November 21^st from 6:00 - 7:00pm EST

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 967 9324 8575