PGY 1 Pharmacy Residency Program

Laquinta Atley, PharmD, BCACP

Title: PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director, PACT Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner- Endocrine

Education 

Howard University College of Pharmacy – Graduated 2006
Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center- PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program Graduated 2007

Clinical interests & current practice area:  At the Washington DC VA Medical Center, she provides disease state management and clinical services as a mid-level provider with scope of practice in the department of endocrine services for the past 7 years. She also serves as the PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director at the Washington DC VA Medical Center. Her past experiences at the VA include primary care and anticoagulation  prior to current roles. She currently serves on the local and VISN diabetology committees , a endocrine preceptor, and an ambulatory care preceptor for pharmacy students. Some of her interests and passions are diabetes technology systems, diabetes education, motivational counseling/speaking, patient education, community health education outreach, and being a mentor. She has over 17 years of pharmacy clinical practice experience at the DC VAMC.

Kuang-Heng (Jason) Hsiao, PharmD

Title: PGY1- Pharmacy Resident

Education:

Howard University College of Pharmacy- Graduated 2023

Dr. Hsiao is originally from Taiwan, but moved to Maryland with his family when he was 3 years old. After growing up in the suburbs of Washington D.C., he attended the University of Maryland-College Park where he graduated with a B.S. in Biology. In 2019, he decided to pursue his Pharm.D. degree at the Howard University College of Pharmacy in Washington D.C., where he also completed a 4th year APPE Clinical Track at the Washington DC VAMC. His professional interests include ambulatory care, HIV, and LGBTQ+ care. During the PGY-1 residency year, he looks forward to building rapport with his patients, improving his clinical skills, and collaborating with his DC VAMC pharmacy colleagues. After completion of his PGY-1, Dr. Hsiao hopes to serve as a Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) at the DC VAMC and continue to serve the veteran population in the Greater DC area. In his free time, he enjoys playing volleyball, hosting board game nights with his friends, and trying out different restaurants around the city.  He is also an avid fan of hockey (go Capitals!), tennis, and figure skating.

Rotations

• Core Rotations
• Internal Medicine
• Longitudinal Rotations

Staffing:

All residents are required to complete a pharmacy practice component of the residency program, staffing. The staffing component facilitates the development of pharmacy practice skills and order processing in an inpatient pharmaceutical setting. PGY1 residents are required to staff once every four weeks. The staffing schedule for the year will be prepared and submitted by the designated chief resident. In addition, residents are also required to staff one major and two minor holidays.

Pharmacy Residency Teaching Certificate Program:

During the residency year, residents have the opportunity to pursue a teaching certificate through The Washington Metropolitan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (WHMSP). The certification program provides residents an opportunity to enhance teaching skills through practical training and actual hands on teaching experience both in the university setting as well as the clinical practice setting. Graduates of the program should be able to design and implement educational programs within the classroom and clinical practice environment. Potential teaching opportunities include, continuing education (CE) classes, serving as a preceptor, and teaching academic classes at regional pharmacy schools.

The candidate must:

1. Possess a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an ACPE accredited college of pharmacy
2. Be licensed by the beginning of October (any US State)
3. Have U.S. citizenship

Application

Applicants interested in the program are required to submit the following materials through the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PHORCAS™) by the beginning of January. Please refer to the PHORCAS™ website for specific dates.

1. Curriculum vitae (CV)
2. Official transcripts
3. Three Letters of Recommendation, submitted in PhORCAS™
4. Letter of Intent

DC VA Medical Center will be participating in the ASHP Resident Matching Program and PhORCAS™

Former Residents

Danielle LaPrad, Pharm.D
Title: VA Maryland Health Care System, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Ambulatory Care)

Education: Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
PGY-1 D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center 2017-2018
PGY-2 (Ambulatory Care) VA Maryland Health Care System 2018-2019

Clinical interests & current practice area

Dr. LaPrad practices in the Ambulatory Care clinics at the VA Maryland Health Care System, including Primary Care, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, and Anticoagulation clinics. During her PGY-2 Ambulatory Care residency, she established a deprescribing clinic aimed to reduce polypharmacy and improve patient outcomes. Her additional interests include teaching and precepting students and residents, collaborating in interdisciplinary clinics, and expanding patient access to pharmacist-run clinics.

Residency Experience at the Washington DC VA Medical Center:

Completing a PGY-1 pharmacy residency at the D.C. VA provided me with the opportunity to develop clinical skills in a wide variety of areas. I have been interested in Ambulatory Care since pharmacy school and feel that the D.C. VA provided excellent opportunities in this pharmacy practice area. I had the privilege to work with dedicated, knowledgeable preceptors who truly desired to help residents flourish. It was a rewarding experience and an honor to serve our nation’s veterans.

Pierre Ndje, Pharm.D, BCPS
Title: Washington DC Veteran Affairs Medical Center, ID/ Hepatology Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Education:  Howard University College of Pharmacy, Washington DC
PGY1 Residency -Washington DC VA Medical Center- 2015-2016

Clinical interests & current practice area

Dr. Ndje has been known to have a strong interest in Infectious Diseases. His PGY-1 residency training equipped him with strong knowledge and skills in the area of HIV and hepatology . He secured a clinical pharmacy specialist position at the DC VAMC soon after completion of his PGY-1 residency. Dr. Ndje serves a very complex and diverse patient population. As an outpatient ID/Hepatology CPS, his practice interest is primary care , HIV infection along with Sexually Transmittable Diseases (STD) and opportunistic infection , as well as hepatitis B / C and Advanced Liver Disease (ALD). As a preceptor, Dr. Ndje enjoys having pharmacy students and residents on his rotation.

Residency Experience at the Washington DC VA Medical Center:

"The DC VA residency program provided me with strong clinical knowledge and has prepared me to provide pharmaceutical care with confidence and independence. The opportunity to serve a unique patient population as well as being part of a nationwide health network has definitely elevated my confidence and expertise to practice with a higher standard."

Tiffany Lee, Pharm.D., BCPS
Title: Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – Community Living Center (CLC)- Geriatrics

Education: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, Richmond, VA
PGY1 Residency - Washington DC VA Medical Center - 2018-2019

Current Practice

Dr. Lee currently serves as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist for the Community Living Center (CLC) at the Washington DC VA Medical Center, where she provides care to the residents at our long term care facility

Residency Experience

"After pharmacy school, I wasn’t sure about going straight into practice and the exact direction I wanted to pursue in pharmacy. Through the DC VA residency, I was afforded the opportunity to strengthen my clinical knowledge before going into practice. In particular, I was able to experience practicing at the top of a pharmacist’s license through my preceptors scope of practices; I was challenged to run clinics independently, follow patient panels, and much more. Furthermore, the DC VA residency allowed me to create a tailored schedule to explore my diverse interests. When I felt geriatrics might be the direction I wanted to go in, I was able to spend an extended time in the CLC setting to match my interest. I was even able to pursue my other interest, global public health, through the support of our RPD. I couldn’t have asked for better opportunities and a better support system than the pharmacy team at the DC VA. Every day was a unique learning experience at the DC VA, and this residency helped to build my confidence and shape me into the pharmacist I am today.""

Shrina Patel Thomas, Pharm.D
Title: Washington DC Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Hematology/Oncology)

Education: University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy, Hartford, Connecticut
PGY1 DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center 2014-2015

Clinical interests & current practice area

Dr. Patel continually strives to expand her role as the Hematology/Oncology pharmacy specialist at the Washington DC VAMC. One example is to establish pharmacist led clinics, such as an oral neoplastic agent renewal clinic. Additionally, she would like to be involved with multidisciplinary cancer-related initiatives and continually participate in clinical research studies that will help to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Patel also hopes to continue mentoring pharmacy students and residents, and to establish herself as a leader and educator in the pharmacy community.

Residency Experience:

"Coming fresh out of pharmacy school, it was hard to have confidence in my clinical skill set and to gauge what kind of pharmacist I would be. Starting residency at the DC VAMC, I was provided with strong rotations in my areas of interest, and preceptors that helped support and shape me into the practitioner I am today. The time I spent in my hematology/oncology rotation during my residency helped prepare me for the position I obtained upon graduation from the program. Each day at the DC VAMC now provides me with a new set of challenges and patients that help me continue to grow and expand my knowledge base. I would not be where I am today without the experiences I gained at the DC VAMC and I am so thankful for that."

LaQuinta Atley, Pharm.D, BCACP
Title: Washington DC Veteran Affairs Medical Center, PACT (Patient Aligned Care Team) Clinical Pharmacy Specialist- Endocrinology

Education: Howard University School of Pharmacy- 2006
PGY1 DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center 2006-2007

Clinical interests & current practice area

Since graduating from a PGY-1, Dr. Atley has been afforded the opportunity to grow within the VA. She is involved in the primary care, anticoagulation, and diabetes clinics. She has experience with geriatrics, precepting pharmacy students and residents, telehealth clinical services, and staff training and development. Her practice interest is primary care, diabetes, dyslipidemia, anticoagulation, geriatrics, patient education, and quality improvement. Dr. Atley has served on the community living nursing home inspection, smoking cessation, residency advisory committees. Dr. Atley is a VA Geriatric Scholar, serves on the residency advisory committee, and the smoking cessation committee. She has been practicing clinical pharmacy at the DC VAMC for over 10 years.

Residency Experience:

DC VA residency program granted her the opportunity to work independently as a clinical pharmacist early on. Also being part of a large network of clinicians across the country, gave a solid foundation to explore and gain a lot of experience in different aspects of ambulatory care practice.

What's happening in DC

• National Mall
• Smithsonian Museum
• White House
• Metro-accessible transportation
• National Harbor
• Cherry Blossom Festival
• Inexpensive bus trips to NY
• Nationals Baseball games
• Jazz in the Garden

Residency Benefits

• Stipend: $53,650.00
• Health insurance: Full medical and dental available
• Leave Time 4hours accrued each pay period
• Sick Time: 4hours accrued each pay period
• Paid federal holidays
• Number of positions: 2
• Individual resident workplace
• Travel to the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting