Alexis Gaggini received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Duquesne University, completed a Postgraduate Year One (PGY-1) residency in pharmacy practice at St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Mercy Hospital, St. Louis, and a Postgraduate Year Two Ambulatory Care residency with Mercy Health in Toledo, Ohio. Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, she provided direct patient care and chronic disease state management as a clinical specialist in ambulatory care and quality coordinator for the Diabetes Self-Management Education program at Kingman Regional Medical Center in Kingman, Arizona where she was actively engaged in PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice residency serving in a variety of roles from preceptor to program director.
Dr. Gaggini is passionate about immersing pharmacy students in the interdisciplinary team at her rural practice site with UPMC Horizon in Farrell, Pennsylvania. At her site, she is engaged with the pharmacy department, serves as faculty within the Family Medicine Residency Program, participates in regional and health system committees, and sees patients in the Shenango Valley Family Medicine clinic. Her practice focuses on increasing accessibility to healthcare resources with an emphasis on the under-represented, rural patient population. Dr. Gaggini is dedicated to leveraging lifestyle medicine to manage and prevent chronic disease states like diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension.
Dr. Gaggini believes the application of knowledge is empowering and that the process of problem solving, clinical application, and arriving at an answer unique to each patient is the most meaningful indicator of didactic success. When learners are equipped with the tools to problem solve rather than recite from memory, they are better prepared to help patients succeed in an ever-changing healthcare environment. Dr. Gaggini precepts the Community Health – Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) in the first professional year, the Health-System Direct Patient Care – IPPE in the third professional year, and Acute Care and Ambulatory Care Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) in the fourth professional year. She is the course coordinator for Professional and Career Development 1 in the first professional year, and lectures in Endocrinology in the third professional year.
Committed to authentic connection, Dr. Gaggini believes that communication, understanding, and mutual respect are essential to positive relationships with learners, patients, and other healthcare providers. She is dedicated to continued personal growth and has a wide array of practice and research interests spanning health equity, behavior change, lifestyle medicine, quality improvement, and chronic disease state prevention and management.
