Norton Children’s Hospital Pharmacy Residency Program

Thank you for your interest in the residency programs at Norton Children’s Hospital. Our pharmacy residency program offers PGY1 and PGY2 opportunities accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Our program provides residents with a comprehensive experience that focuses exclusively on the pediatric population, from newborns to young adults, across all specialties. Norton Children’s Hospital is structured as a decentralized pharmacy where residents will be embedded team members in the units.

Applicants to pharmacy residencies are graduates or candidates for graduation of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)-accredited degree program (or one in process of pursuing accreditation) or have a Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Committee (FPGEC) certificate from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).

About Norton Children’s Hospital

  • Norton Children’s Hospital is Kentucky and Southern Indiana’s only full-service, free-standing pediatric hospital with pediatric and adolescent specialists and subspecialists representing more than 35 areas of focused clinical care. Located in downtown Louisville, the 300-bed children’s hospital is the region’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and provides a complete range of services just for kids, including pediatric sedation, child life and expressive therapy, spine and orthopedic care, solid organ transplant, diagnostic and pediatric radiology and emergency psychiatric services.  Level I Pediatric Trauma Center has more than 60,000 visits annually.
  • Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has 101 beds and cares for more than 1,500 babies annually.
  • The Jennifer Lawrence Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) is the largest dedicated CICU in Kentucky, equipped with 17 private rooms and advanced technology for heart care.
  • Home to a 24-bed pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
  • Neonatal and pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) services provider recognized as an Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Gold Center of Excellence.
  • Transplant programs include heart, kidney and hematopoietic stem cell.
  • Largest Children’s Oncology Group center in Kentucky and the oldest continuously accredited children’s oncology program by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer.
  • Comprehensive suite of additional specialty services, including endocrinology, infectious diseases, nephrology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, psychiatry, pulmonology and rheumatology, among others.

PGY1 Pharmacy Residency

The pharmacy residency is a one-year experience that offers extensive exposure to all aspects of pediatric pharmaceutical care. Daily activities for all residents include, but are not limited to, participating in multidisciplinary rounds, providing drug information to other health care professionals, consulting on pharmacokinetics, conducting nutritional evaluations, medication safety management, patient and caregiver counseling, and topic and patient discussions with preceptors. Two PGY1 positions are available.

Rotations

Core and elective rotations are four weeks in length.

Core rotations

  • Orientation
  • Medicine/surgery
  • Pediatric intensive care
  • Cardiac intensive care
  • Neonatal intensive care
  • Hematology/oncology
  • Infectious diseases/antimicrobial stewardship
  • Precepting
  • Pharmacy administration and management

Elective rotations

  • Ambulatory care – cystic fibrosis/pulmonology
  • Ambulatory care – hematology/oncology
  • Cardiology
  • Emergency medicine
  • Medication safety
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Repeat core rotation

Longitudinal experiences

  • Ambulatory care (3 months)
  • Clinical practice management
  • Medication safety
  • Research
  • Service (second-shift staffing twice in four-week block and every fourth weekend)
  • Teaching and learning

Additional activities

  • PALS certification (if needed)
  • Teaching certificate
  • Formal presentations and journal clubs
  • Newsletter article
  • Drug monographs and Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee involvement
  • Platform presentation of research project at Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA) annual meeting
  • Medication use evaluation (MUE) poster presentation
  • State and national meeting attendance

Salary and Benefits

All pharmacy residents are eligible for full employee benefits through Norton Healthcare. PGY1 residents are salaried and receive a stipend of $52,000 plus benefits. Each position requires a one-calendar-year commitment. Estimated start date for residents is the last week of June.

Benefits at a glance

  • Medical insurance
  • Vision insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Office space with computer for each resident
  • Travel stipend available for various professional meetings
  • Free parking
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification

 

Program Alumni

Class of 2024

Ryan Low, Pharm.D.

Current practice: PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Resident

Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2023

Jordi Harris, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric Critical Care Clinical Pharmacist

Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Casey Cummings, Pharm.D.

Current practice: NICU Clinical Pharmacist

University of Florida Health, Jacksonville, Florida

 

Class of 2022

Kassandra D. Boyd, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Pharmacist

Children’s Health, Dallas, Texas

Tracie VanHorn, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric Critical Care Clinical Pharmacist

 

Children’s Health, Dallas, Texas

 

Class of 2021

Alexis Hamelink, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric Ambulatory Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant Clinical Specialist

Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2020

Mason Holt, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Clinical Pharmacist (PICU/NICU, Adult Oncology)

Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Wilmington, North Carolina

Amy Kennedy, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2019

Stephanie Johnson, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric CICU Clinical Specialist

Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

Charlie Johnson, Pharm.D.

Current practice: NICU Clinical Pharmacist

UAB Women & Infants Center, Birmingham, Alabama

 

Class of 2018

Alexandra Ferrante, Pharm.D.

Current practice: NICU Clinical Pharmacist

Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

Lisa M. Infanti, Pharm.D., BCCCP

Current practice: Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist

Dell Children’s Medical Center, Austin, Texas

 

Class of 2017

Kendra Hays, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: Pediatric Pharmacist (PRN)

Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, Indiana

Savannah Ishee, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: Pediatric Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Specialist

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tennessee

 

Class of 2016

Hillary Calderon, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Assistant Director of Clinical Services and Outcomes

Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas

Deni Trone, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee

 

Class of 2015

Sarah Shields, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Clinical Specialist – Informatics

Parkview Regional Medical Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Bethany Wattles, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Clinical Pharmacist – Child and Adolescent Health Research Design Support Unit

University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2014

Christy Fisher, Pharm.D.

 

Class of 2013

Jordan Klein, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric Pharmacist

St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri

Anthony K. Zacheretti, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: Pediatric Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2012

Ashley A. Casper, Pharm.D.

Current Practice: Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinical Specialist

Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

Lindsay Cunningham, Pharm.D.     

Current practice: Clinical Pharmacist

Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri

 

Class of 2011

Jordan Anderson, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCPPS

Current practice: Pediatric Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

University of Missouri Women’s & Children’s Hospital, Columbia, Missouri

Sarah Jacobson, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: NICU Clinical Pharmacist

Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2010

Hannah Dyk, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: Pediatric Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Banner Desert Medical Center, Mesa, Arizona

Rachel Mathews, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: Pediatric Clinical Specialist

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

Class of 2009

Andrea Chamberlain, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCPPS

Current practice: PICU Pharmacy Clinical Specialist

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

Courtney Edwards, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Clinical pharmacist

Medical University of South Carolina Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, Charleston, South Carolina

 

Class of 2008

Madeline F. O’Bryan, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: NICU Clinical Specialist

Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2007

Sarah Sobotik, Pharm.D., BCPS

Current practice: Clinical Pharmacist

Methodist Children’s Hospital, San Antonio, Texas

 

Class of 2006

Melissa Hunt, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist

Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, Huntsville, Alabama

 

Class of 2005

Kendra Bosley, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric Pharmacy Coordinator

TriStar Centennial Children’s Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee

 

Norton Children’s Hospital Pharmacy offers one of only a few specialized pediatric critical care pharmacy residencies available in the country. The one-year experience offers extensive exposure to all aspects of pediatric critical care. The resident will be responsible for providing direct patient care through daily participation in multidisciplinary rounds, will carry a code pager and will participate in trauma resuscitations.

Rotations

Core and elective rotations are four weeks in length.

Core rotations

  • Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)
  • Cardiac intensive care unit (CICU)
  • Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
  • Adult medical intensive care unit (MICU) – neurology or cardiac focus
  • Pediatric emergency medicine
  • Precepting

Elective rotations

  • Administration
  • Sedation/transport
  • Adult emergency medicine
  • Pediatric advanced heart failure/cardiac transplant
  • Infectious diseases
  • Repeat core rotations

Longitudinal rotations (12 months)

  • Clinical practice management
  • Research
  • Service (second-shift staffing twice in four-week blocks and every fourth weekend)
  • Teaching
  • Toxicology

Additional activities

  • PALS certification (if needed)
  • Teaching certificate (if not already completed in PGY1)
  • Formal presentations and journal clubs
  • Newsletter article
  • Drug monographs and Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee involvement
  • Platform presentation of research project at Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA) annual meeting
  • Medication use evaluation (MUE) platform presentation at Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Critical Care Congress
  • State and national meeting attendance

Salary and Benefits

All pharmacy residents are eligible for full employee benefits through Norton Healthcare. PGY2 residents are salaried and receive a stipend of $56,160 plus benefits. Each position requires a one-calendar-year commitment. Estimated start date for residents is the last week of June.

Benefits at a glance

  • Medical insurance
  • Vision insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Office space with computer for each resident
  • Travel stipend available for various professional meetings
  • Free parking
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification

 

Program Alumni

Class of 2024

Jordi Harris, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric critical care clinical pharmacist

Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

 

Class of 2023

Tracie VanHorn, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric critical care clinical pharmacist

Children’s Health, Dallas, Texas

 

Class of 2022

Shannon Ramsden, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric critical care clinical pharmacist

Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado

 

Class of 2021

Katie Farris, Pharm.D., MPH, BCCCP

Current practice: Neonatal clinical pharmacist

Baptist Health – Central Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama

 

Class of 2020

Stephanie Johnson, Pharm.D., BCCCP

Current practice: Pediatric CICU clinical specialist

Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2019

Lisa Infanti, Pharm.D., BCCCP

Current practice: Pediatric clinical pharmacist

Dell Children’s Medical Center, Austin, Texas

 

Class of 2018

Kendra Hays, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: Pediatric pharmacist (PRN)

Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, Indiana

 

Class of 2017

Hillary Calderon, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Assistant director of clinical services and outcomes

Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas

 

Class of 2016

Bethany Wattles, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Clinical pharmacist – child and adolescent health research design support unit

University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2015

Cindy McCune, Pharm.D., MBA, BCCCP

Current practice: Clinical operations manager

Dell Children’s Medical Center, Austin, Texas

 

Class of 2014

Jordan Klein, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric pharmacist

St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri

 

Class of 2012

Jordan Anderson, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCPPS

Current practice: Pediatric clinical specialist

University of Missouri Women’s & Children’s Hospital, Columbia, Missouri

The PGY2 in oncology is a one-year program that provides the resident with a broad range of experiences in pediatric hematologic and oncologic diseases, as well as young adult cancer care. Additionally, the program provides support for Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, and the Addison Jo Blair Cancer Care Center.

Rotations

Core and elective rotations are four weeks in length.

Core rotations

  • Pediatric oncology (2 rotations)
  • Pediatric stem cell transplant
  • Pediatric immunosuppressed infectious diseases
  • Investigational drug services
  • Adult oncology
  • Adult bone marrow transplant
  • Pediatric hematology/oncology clinic

Elective rotations

  • Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)
  • Administration
  • Academia
  • Palliative care

Longitudinal rotations

  • Clinical practice management
  • Research
  • Service (second-shift staffing twice in four-week blocks and every fourth weekend)
  • Teaching

Additional activities

  • PALS certification (if needed)
  • Teaching certificate (if not already completed in PGY1)
  • Formal presentations and journal clubs
  • Newsletter article
  • Drug monographs and Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee involvement
  • Platform presentation of research project at national meeting
  • Medication use evaluation (MUE) poster presentation
  • State and national meeting attendance

Salary and Benefits

All pharmacy residents are eligible for full employee benefits through Norton Healthcare. PGY2 residents are salaried and receive a stipend of $56,160 plus benefits. Each position requires a one-calendar-year commitment. Estimated start date for residents is the last week of June.

Benefits at a glance

  • Medical insurance
  • Vision insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Office space with computer for each resident
  • Travel stipend available for various professional meetings
  • Free parking
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification

Program Alumni

Class of 2024

Rachel Gustafson, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric hematology/oncology clinical specialist

Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital, Greenville, South Carolina

 

Class of 2023

Kassandra Boyd, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric hematology/oncology/stem cell transplant clinical pharmacist

Children’s Health, Dallas, Texas

 

Class of 2022

Alexis Hamelink, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric ambulatory hematology/oncology/stem cell transplant clinical specialist

Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Class of 2021

Mason Holt, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Clinical pharmacist (PICU/NICU, adult oncology)

New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Wilmington, North Carolina

 

Class of 2020

Devin Dinora, Pharm.D.     

Current practice: Pediatric bone marrow transplant clinical specialist

Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, Indiana

 

Class of 2019

Kaley Hughes, Pharm.D.

Current practice: Pediatric hematology/oncology clinical specialist

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia

 

Class of 2018

Savannah Ishee, Pharm.D., BCPPS

Current practice: Pediatric blood and bone marrow transplant clinical specialist

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tennessee

 

Class of 2017

Casey Cummings, Pharm.D.

Title: PGY1 Pharmacy Resident

Hometown: Fort Mill, South Carolina

Pharmacy education: Medical University of South Carolina

Interest areas: Emergency Medicine, PICU, hematology/oncology

Research: Retrospective review of antiseizure medication reconciliation errors in pediatric patients admitted with epilepsy

Hobbies: Walking the Big Four Bridge, exploring coffee shops and restaurants around Louisville, watching Clemson University football, and finding new things to do with my co-residents

Why did you choose Norton Children’s Hospital? I wanted a program that was going to be equally as supportive as it is challenging. Norton Healthcare has unique rotation options, large interprofessional medical teams and strong preceptors that have taught me so much more than I thought I would ever learn during my first year of residency. During my interview, I felt so welcome and excited to talk to each pharmacy staff member at Norton Children’s Hospital. I also loved the enthusiasm that the pharmacy team had for their hospital and their patients, something that each pharmacy team member shows every single day. Norton Healthcare is a very special place full of mentors-turned-friends, and I’m so excited to continue my year here. Add in the level I trauma center, specialized intensive care units with complex patient cases, and family-oriented pharmacy team and Norton Healthcare was the perfect pharmacy residency package for me!

 

Jordi L. Harris, Pharm.D.

Title: PGY1 Pharmacy Resident

Hometown: None (I’m from a military family)

Pharmacy education: University of Utah College of Pharmacy

Interest areas: Critical care, neurology, infectious diseases, cardiology

Research: Evaluating the impact of smart pump interoperability on infusion errors in the pediatric hospital setting

Hobbies: Hiking, climbing, reading and learning to play the electric guitar

Why did you choose Norton Children’s Hospital? I was first interested in Norton Children’s Hospital because of the robust teaching certificate program, the opportunity to carry the code pager, and the variety of rotation experiences that were offered. For example, CICU, neurology and nephrology were unique to this program. What sealed my interest was going to the interview and hearing about the flexibility for scheduling rotations, the pharmacist’s dedication to teaching, and how well the interdisciplinary teams work together at Norton Children’s Hospital.

 

Tracie VanHorn, Pharm.D.

Title: PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Resident

Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Pharmacy education: University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Denver

Interest area: Critical Care

Research:

PGY1 – Evaluation of anticoagulation in the absence of antithrombin III replacement in children with chylothorax

PGY2 – Evaluating the impact of smart pump interoperability on infusion errors in the pediatric hospital setting

Hobbies: Recreation league sports, hiking, snowboarding in Colorado, and exploring new taco and food restaurants

Why did you choose Norton Children’s Hospital?

I was first attracted to Norton Children’s Hospital for their unique rotation experiences they offered. Between the required and elective rotations offered, I could tailor my residency to include every experience that I was interested in. The specialized PGY2 program they offer also intrigued me. I have always been interested in critical care and this is only one of two hospitals in the nation that had a specific critical care program focused in pediatrics. This program allows applications for early commitment, which was a major selling point for me. The preceptors are all very genuine, and I instantly could tell they were a close-knit, supportive group that prioritized work-life balance. When given the opportunity to complete my PGY2 here in critical care I had no hesitation to continue my residency career at Norton Children’s Hospital.

 

Kassandra D. Boyd, Pharm.D.

Title: PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Resident

Hometown: Jasonville, Indiana

Pharmacy education: Harding University College of Pharmacy, Searcy, Arkansas
Interest areas: Hematology/oncology
Research:

PGY1 – Penicillin allergy de-labeling project

PGY2 – Throughput in the ambulatory oncology setting

Hobbies: Hiking, paddle boarding, traveling, hanging out with friends

Why did you choose Norton Children’s Hospital?

I originally looked at Norton Children’s because it checked all of the boxes I was looking for, but I chose this program because of the people. Norton Children’s had an atmosphere that was unlike anywhere else I was looking; the pharmacy department really is a family and it was very evident even during the interview process. I have loved starting my pharmacy career here! I have been able to learn so much while having very realistic expectations placed on me. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a single thing, and would pick this program again in a heartbeat!