PGY2 Specialty Pharmacy Administration and Leadership

Welcome From the Program Director

Thank you for checking out our program! We are a new program with many years of health system specialty pharmacy (HSSP) experience to share. We started our specialty pharmacy program over 10 years ago and have become an establish program that provides an excellent service to our patients and providers. HSSP continues to grow and needs leaders who are able to create innovative strategic plans to help lead the pharmacy to success and adapt to the ever changing healthcare landscape.

We prepare our PGY2 resident to lead in various areas across our health system. The resident will spend a significant amount of time with the Assistant Director of Specialty Pharmacy; Director of Ambulatory Pharmacy Services; the managers of Operations, Market Access, Quality and Accreditation; and a clinical specialist coordinator. The resident will also work with our Director of Supply Chain Management, Associate Director of Home Infusion, informatics pharmacist, corporate management team and other ambulatory mangers within our health system. Graduates of this program will have a competitive advantage to become a leader in HSSP.

Outlined below are additional opportunities offered to the residents including key program components:

• Business improvement plan
• Oversee and coordinate Specialty Pharmacy Intern Program
• Committee participation
  • Quality Management
  • Clinical Oversight Body
• Present 1 hour CE-Accredited presentation
• Attend and present at a pharmacy conference selected by resident, preceptors and RPD

Program Details

The PGY2 Specialty Pharmacy Administration and Leadership at UR Medicine Strong Memorial Hospital is a 12-month, full-time curriculum that provides the essential elements needed to develop a successful leader in a health system specialty pharmacy. The integrated health-system specialty pharmacy at UR Medicine started in 2011 and currently, there are over 60 full time employees who provide services to patients across multiple specialties including cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology, neuroimmunology, oncology, pulmonology, rheumatology, and hepatology. Our goal is to offer providers and patients a more personalized comprehensive pharmacy service to optimize the utilization of specialty medications. We strategically work to overcome challenges with limited distribution of medications, restrictions to payers, and overall growth. We have specialty pharmacy managers focused on operations, accreditation and quality, and market access that the resident will spend time learning their job responsibilities. The resident will extract and analyze data analytics to make decisions on clinical and operational metrics. This intensive training involves activities across the many facets of health system specialty pharmacy. The resident will oversee our specialty pharmacy interns and will be involved with the recruitment, onboarding, and performance evaluations. They will be involved in many networking opportunities with other health system specialty pharmacies by participating in an ASHP Specialty Pharmacy Section Advisory Group, Specialty Pharmacy Consortium, and a PGY2 SPAL networking group. Health system specialty pharmacy is continually growing and our program trains leaders to overcome challenges in this competitive market.

Rotation Schedule

The schedule for the residency year is outlined below and is tailored to meet the needs and interests of the individual resident. Longitudinal unless specified.

Resident Well-Being

We place tremendous value on resident well-being and offer a longitudinal series which helps our residents achieve a better work-life balance. We strive to provide our residents with the skills they need to manage their stress and build resilience, not only for residency training, but for their professional careers.

Sessions incorporate guest speakers, various icebreaker activities, events such as preceptor-resident get-togethers, and lots of fun!

Topics covered include:

• Understanding Wellness, Resilience, and Burnout
• Developing Self-Care Strategies as a Resident
• Understand Factors That Can Contribute to Burnout
• Handling Conflict and Difficult Conversations
• Creating a Culture of Resident Well-Being

Life of a Resident

• 8:00 a.m. Arrive at Corporate Woods and touch base with preceptors about ongoing projects.
• 8:30 a.m. Work on projects and attend relevant meetings.
• 12:00 p.m. Lunch/conference/topic discussion.
• 1:00 p.m. Head over to UR Specialty Pharmacy.
• 1:30 p.m. Work on projects relating to Specialty Pharmacy Operations.
• 5:00 p.m. Head home and take a break!

*Schedule will vary depending on the rotation the resident is on during the year.

Purpose Statement

A PGY2 specialty pharmacy administration and leadership residency builds upon PGY1 residency graduates’ competence in the delivery of patient-centered care and in pharmacy operational services to prepare residents who can assume high level managerial, supervisory, and leadership responsibilities. Areas of competence emphasized during the program include safe and effective medication-use systems, quality assurance and improvement, the management of human resources, the management of financial resources, use of technology, and advanced leadership. The residency lays the foundation for continued growth in management and leadership skills.

Upon graduation, residents are prepared for a clinical or operational management/supervisory role in a variety of work settings.

Contact Us

Allison Trawinski, PharmD, MBA​
Assistant Director of Pharmacy Operations, Specialty Pharmacy

University of Rochester Medical Center
601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 617
Rochester, NY 14642

Office: (585) 273-4767
Fax: (585) 276-1089

The information contained herein is subject to change. Please feel free to contact the residency program directly for the most up-to-date information and/or other residency related questions.