Pharmacy Residency Program

Applications for each academic year will be accepted every January using the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS) website. All applicants must register with the ASHP Residency Matching Program in addition to submission of their application through PhORCAS. The deadline for application is thefirst Monday of every January; if January 1^st falls on a Monday, then the deadline for applications will be Tuesday, January 2^nd.

Resident eligibility requirements include:

• PharmD from an ACPE-accredited college of pharmacy
• Eligible for licensure in Louisiana

Application requirements include:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Letter of intent
• Three letters of recommendation – a minimum of one of the three references should be a preceptor who you have worked with in a clinical setting, related to an APPE in acute or ambulatory care
• Official pharmacy school transcripts

Resident candidates who are selected for an interview will be invited on-site during the months of January and February. Candidates will assume the travel and lodging costs for the interview.

The interview process entails meetings with clinical staff, pharmacy leadership, and a tour of the facilities. A short case presentation will be required and presented to the pharmacy staff during the interview.

PGY1 Program Contacts

Residency Program Director

• Melissa Cook, PharmD, BCPPS
  Email: melissa.cook@lcmchealth.org

Residency Program Coordinator

• Mackenzie Creamer, PharmD
  Email: mackenzie.creamer@lcmchealth.org

General Requirements

• Obtain Louisiana Pharmacy Intern license prior to program start
• Obtain Louisiana Pharmacist licensure within 120 days of program start

Staffing Requirements

• The resident will staff every other weekend in the central pharmacy and will also be assigned holiday coverage.
• Weekend and holiday schedules will be given to the resident during orientation.

Committee Involvement & Projects

• The resident will at minimum participate in the following committees through meeting attendance and assigned projects:
  • Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T)
  • Medication Safety
• The resident will select and complete a residency research project with the following endpoints:
  • Platform presentation at the Pediatric Pharmacist Association (PPA) annual meeting, or other conference as deemed appropriate by the Residency Advisory Committee (RAC)
  • Manuscript suitable for publication
• In addition to the requirements listed above and rotation activities, the resident will be expected to complete various projects including, but not limited to:
  • Medication use evaluation (MUE)
    • The resident will be expected to select and complete the MUE for submission as a poster presentation at ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting
  • Drug monograph(s)
  • Quality and performance improvement projects
  • Adverse drug event reporting

The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency is a 12-month long program that incorporates learning experiences integrated in both distribution and clinical activities at the patient care level. Learning experiences will be scheduled in 4-to-6-week rotation blocks or in a longitudinal format and are tailored to the interests of the pharmacy resident.

Core Learning Experiences

• Orientation
• General Pediatrics
• Hematology/Oncology
• Critical Care Selective – Neonatal, Pediatric, or Cardiac ICU

Elective Learning Experiences

• Bone Marrow Transplant
• Emergency Department
• Infectious Disease
• Pharmacy Administration
• Pharmacy Informatics
• Any core rotation repeated
• Rotations at other LCMC Health hospitals

Longitudinal Learning Experiences

• Ambulatory Care – Solid Organ Transplant
• Pharmacy Practice Management
• Pharmacy Staffing
• Professional and Organizational Engagement
• Teaching and Precepting

Director of Pharmacy

Lindy Bosworth, PharmD, MBA

Clinical Pharmacy Manager

Helen Mitchell, PharmD, BCPS, DPLA

Helen is the Clinical Pharmacy Manager at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, as well as the Residency Program Director for the PGY1 Residency Program. She earned her PharmD at Mercer University and completed her PGY1 residency at Emory University Hospital. Helen was previously a hematology/oncology clinical specialty pharmacist at Ochsner Specialty Pharmacy, as well as a clinical pharmacist and Operations Manager at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In her free time, Helen enjoys traveling, crafting and painting, cooking and baking, and trying any of the amazing restaurants New Orleans has to offer.

Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Gregory Cook, PharmD, BCIDP

Greg is an Infectious Diseases Clinical pharmacist specialist at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. His primary role is the co-leader of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Cincinnati. He completed his post-graduate training in adult medicine and infectious diseases at Grady Health System in Atlanta, Georgia, and Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His interests include bedside pharmacokinetics, implementing novel infectious diseases diagnostics, and a clinical informatic data-driven approach to antimicrobial stewardship.

Pediatric Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit

Melissa Cook, PharmD, BCPPS

Melissa is a Clinical Pharmacist in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. She precepts the CICU rotation as well as the Pre-Transplant Clinical – Kidney longitudinal rotation. She earned her PharmD at the University of Cincinnati. Melissa completed her PGY1 Residency at Cincinnati Children’s and her PGY2 Residency in Pediatric Pharmacy at Children's Wisconsin. Her areas of interest include congenital heart disease, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), anticoagulation, and medication safety. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys pilates, reading, traveling, and chasing after her daughter, Phoebe!

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Mackenzie Creamer, PharmD

Mackenzie precepts the Hematology/Oncology rotation at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. She is a proud graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy - HOTTY TODDY. Mackenzie a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and PGY2 Pediatrics - Hematology/Oncology Track Residency at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. She moved to New Orleans in the summer of 2020, starting at Children’s Hospital New Orleans as the first Hematology/Oncology clinical pharmacist. She has loved being a part of the growth of the clinical pharmacy department. When not at work, Mackenzie likes spending time with family and friends, trying new restaurants around the city, exploring the various festivals New Orleans has to offer, and cheering for the Ole Miss Rebels.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Emma Matherne, PharmD, BCPPS

Emma is the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Clinical Pharmacist at Children's Hospital New Orleans. She graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2020. She then went on to complete the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at LeBonheur Children's Hospital and the PGY2 Pediatric Pharmacy Residency at Cleveland Clinic Children's. Emma is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and in her spare time she enjoys taking walks with her dog, spending time with her family, and trying new restaurants!

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Mary Kate Tucker, PharmD, BCPPS

Mary Kate Tucker is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Pharmacist at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. She graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2020. She then went on to complete a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis in Tulsa, Oklahoma and a PGY2 Pediatric Pharmacy Residency at Children’s Medical Center Dallas in Dallas, Texas. Additionally Mary Kate earned her board certification in pediatric pharmacology in 2023. In her free time Mary Kate enjoys reading, podcasts, traveling to visit friends, and hiking.