Our 2025-26 Residents
Ama Coffie
Resident at Forward Pharmacy, Cottage Grove
- University of Illinois-Retzky College of Pharmacy – PharmD, 2025
- University of Illinois at Chicago – BS Biological Sciences
Residency Project:
I don’t have a finalized residency project yet, but one idea I’m exploring involves increasing vaccination rates for preventive care, including shingles, COVID-19, RSV, and others. The goal would be to educate patients on the importance of staying protected, identify common reasons for vaccine hesitancy, and find ways to bridge those gaps.
Career Goals:
My long-term goal is to become an Ambulatory Care pharmacist specializing in chronic disease management, including chronic kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, and anticoagulation. I’m also passionate about teaching and hope to precept future pharmacy students and residents. Many of my preceptors have helped shape the pharmacist I’m becoming, and I’d love to pass that knowledge forward.
Factors I considered when choosing a residency program:
I wanted a program that aligned with my career goals and offered the experiences I needed to grow into a confident, competent, and independent clinician. After speaking with my current preceptors, I knew this program would provide the right opportunities, mentorship, and support to help me achieve those goals.
Why I chose this program:
One of the biggest draws for me was that Wisconsin grants provider status to pharmacists, allowing us to make a meaningful impact on patient care. I was also drawn to the close-knit, family-like environment where everyone supports one another. Independent pharmacy was unfamiliar to me at first, but I was excited to learn more. I wanted a setting where I could truly connect with patients—going beyond filling prescriptions to following their therapeutic progress and helping improve long-term outcomes.
Advice for future residents:
Trust your instincts. If you feel a strong connection with a program, an RPD, or a preceptor during the interview process, follow that feeling—you won’t regret it. Be open with your preceptors about your goals and expectations. If something you discussed during interviews isn’t being implemented, speak up—they’re there to support you. Remember, while you’re training to grow as a clinician, your preceptors are committed to helping you succeed, even if someone else continues your project after you.
Kelly Gole
Resident at Steu’s Bay Natural Pharmacy, Green Bay
- Purdue University Main Campus, College of Pharmacy, 2025
Residency Project:
My residency project will look at adding Diabetes Self Management Education and Support (DSMES) classes to my site and receiving reimbursement through Wisconsin’s pharmacist provider status.
Career Goals:
In the future, I plan to work as a clinical faculty member at a college of pharmacy where I can teach and practice in an ambulatory care setting.
Factors I considered when choosing a residency program:
I wanted a residency program that put a strong focus on teaching and working directly with students. Additionally, it was important that I was in a setting that was focused on expanding community pharmacy and working at the forefront of a pharmacists’ capabilities.
Why I chose this program:
I chose this program because Streu’s Pharmacy is at the forefront of using the newly enacted pharmacist provider status to expand the practice of pharmacy at their site. Additionally, the University of Wisconsin program as a whole has a strong emphasis on teaching, with many different opportunities in large classroom environments as well as one-on-one preceptor settings.
Advice for future residents:
- Doing things outside of your comfort zone is the best way to learn.
- You know more than you think, be confident!
Vito Lagioia
Resident at Mercyhealth, Lake Geneva
- University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), 2025
Residency Project:
Improving the pneumococcal vaccine rates and implementing ways to identify appropriate patients in the workflow.
Career Goals:
I would like to work in ambulatory care setting with the potential to work as a faculty member and preceptor with a academic institution.
Factors I considered when choosing a residency program:
I wanted to find a focus in outpatient where I can get ambulatory care, community, teaching/precepting, and the potential to learn more about specialty and administration. I was also looking to stay relatively close to my family so I can see them more often.
Why I chose this program:
I chose this residency program because I’ve always had a desire to be part of an academic institution in some way and also allowed me to be well rounded in a bunch of different areas of outpatient pharmacy.
Advice for future residents:
Be open to new opportunities that you’ve never tried or thought of trying. You will gain great experiences when stepping out of your comfort zone and it will teach you to always be in the learning mindset.
Our 2023-24 Resident
Lizzy Braun
Resident at Forward Pharmacy, Cottage Grove
- University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy – PharmD, 2023
- University of Wisconsin-Madison – BS Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2020
Residency Project:
My project will focus on developing a chronic care management (CCM) service operated by community pharmacists. Our goal is to collaborate with local clinicians to advance patient care services provided by our community pharmacists and bill for those services.
Career Goals:
My goal is to become a transformative independent community pharmacist that pushes innovation and collaboration to provide high-quality care that is attuned to my community.
Factors I considered when choosing a residency program:
I was looking for a program that focused on the advancement of community pharmacy, supported my development as a new pharmacist and leader, and involved teaching both students and the community.
Why I chose this program:
I chose this residency program to challenge me to further develop my clinical and leadership skills while encouraging continuous learning. The program’s focus on innovative services and personalized patient care perfectly aligned with my aspiration to implement projects that support the advancement of community-based pharmacy practice. In addition, the opportunity to earn a teaching certificate, teach in the pharmacotherapy lab, and help precept students while they are on rotation supported my goal of developing my skills as a community educator and future preceptor.
Advice for future residents:
- Trust your gut during interviews; you will feel when a residency is a good fit for you.
- Be open to new opportunities! You never know what exciting opportunities you will be able to get involved in.
Our 2022-23 Residents
Iwona Cabaj
Resident at Southwest Health Pharmacy, Platteville
- University of Illinois Chicago, College of Pharmacy, 2022
- Loyola University Chicago, BS – Biochemistry, 2018
Residency Project:
My residency project is about creating a CPA to dose escalate hypertension medications and follow/monitor these patients for the upcoming year.
Career Goals:
My goal is to do a PGY2 in Ambulatory Care to ultimately get a BCACP and continue to work in ambulatory care clinics.
Factors I considered when choosing a residency program:
I considered location and what the program had to offer, such as the clinics and teaching opportunities.
Why I chose this program:
I chose this program because they offered a lot of opportunities to help me grow and be able to explore working in different ambulatory care clinics.
Advice for future residents:
My advice for future residents would be to time manage yourself well and continue to push yourself out of your comfort zone. You will never know where you end up.
Emily Munig
Resident at Viking Pharmacy, Reedsburg
Education:
- Medical College of Wisconsin – PharmD, 2022
- Winona State University – BS in Biochemistry and Spanish
Residency Project:
My residency project will focus on implementing a chronic care management (CCM) service at a rural health clinic pharmacy. CCM will allow us to perform more patient care services in the community pharmacy setting and bill for those services. Through the implementation of this service I am hoping to analyze how CCM impacts clinical outcomes, patient adherence, and pharmacy revenue.
Career Goals:
My career goals are to become board certified in ambulatory care and provide clinical patient care services in either a primary care clinic or community pharmacy setting. I love connecting with patients and being able to provide personalized medication services in the community!
Factors I considered when choosing a residency program:
I was looking for a program that would allow me to work with patients in an ambulatory/outpatient setting and allow me to perform advanced patient care services. I also looked for a program where I felt the staff worked really well together and had an environment of collaboration and respect. Lastly I was looking for a program where I would feel supported in my transition from a pharmacy student to a newly licensed pharmacist!
Why I chose this program:
When I interviewed with RAMC, I really connected with my future preceptors and could tell right away that I would feel supported as a resident working with them! I also loved that I would have the opportunity to work in several different settings including a grocery store community pharmacy, an outpatient clinic pharmacy, and in a primary care clinic providing diabetes and anticoagulation management services. Lastly, I was really excited about all of the resources and support I would have from the UW School of Pharmacy and the opportunity to work with students in the pharmacotherapy lab!
Advice for future residents:
When choosing a residency program remember that you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you! Consider what aspects of a program are most important to you and make sure you ask questions to determine if the program is really a good fit for you, too. Once you find that right fit program, make the most of your time as a resident and take every opportunity to explore new aspects of what it means to be a pharmacist.