PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program

Our PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program is an ASHP-accredited twelve-month structured training program focusing on inpatient pharmacotherapy management, leadership and teaching skills.

Residents will work collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team to promote optimal pharmacotherapy and individualized patient care plans. Residents will also contribute to educational programs for patients and staff. Professional pharmacy publication opportunities are offered.

Our program is designed to enhance the residents’ clinical skills and competence. Rotations can be tailored to each resident’s field of interest.

Pharmacy Department

Our pharmacy team, comprising of over 50 pharmacists, 13 technicians, and 16 residency preceptors, is dedicated to serving over 360 hospital beds. Our team provides pharmacy services to a diverse population including geriatrics, internal medicine, surgical and critical care.

Unit-Based pharmacists collaborate with the multidisciplinary team to optimize pharmacotherapy and patient outcomes. The Pharmacy provides patient medication education and drug information to the hospital staff. We offer multiple patient-centered clinical services, including Antimicrobial Stewardship, Transitions of Care, and various critical care services. Infusion Center pharmacists provides medication management services for The Cancer Institute.

The Pharmacy department is committed to compassionate care with a focus on patient safety. We are proud to be consecutively recognized as a recipient of the hospital’s “Good Catch Award,” a distinction awarded to departments known for impacting patient safety.

Contact Information

Carol Liotta-Bono, Pharm.D., BCPS, CDCES, PGY-1 Residency Program Director, Assistant Director Clinical Pharmacy 
Email: Carol.Bono@chsli.org
Phone: 516-562-6267

Billy Sin, Pharm.D., BCPS, MBA, Pharmacy Director
Email: Billy.Sin@chsli.org
Phone: 516-562-6265

Catholic Health strives to build on diversity, equity, and inclusivity as a vital foundation in providing care that is state of the art, compassionate, and patient centered.

Consistent with our I-CARE values, we are committed to respecting the dignity of all people and serving our community. These foundational values are integral to our mission and are incorporated in the recruitment process for PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency candidates.

This residency site agrees that no person at this site will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant.

Program Features

Current residents Nixa Bose (l) and Chandani (Dani) Honest (r).
Current residents Nixa Bose (l) and Chandani (Dani) Honest (r).

Core Rotation

  • Orientation/Pharmacy Practice
  • Internal Medicine
  • Medical Critical Care
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Administration/Leadership
  • Transitions of Care

Elective Rotations

  • Oncology
  • Cardiac Critical Care
  • Surgical Critical Care
  • Repeat of Core Clinical Rotation

Longitudinal Experiences 

  • Pharmacy Practice and Management
  • Inter-professional Education
  • Research Project
  • Administrative Responsibilities
  • Student Preceptorship
  • Medication Use Evaluation
  • Presentations
  • Publications

Teaching Certification Training

  • Teaching certification is available through Touro College of Pharmacy

Applications are due on January 15th of the residency year via the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS™).

Candidates must:

  1. Possess a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from an ACPE-accredited School of Pharmacy
  2. Be eligible for New York State licensure
  3. Be a United States citizen or permanent resident

Prospective candidates are required to submit:

  1. Letter of Intent
  2. Curriculum vitae (CV)
  3. Official College of Pharmacy academic transcript
  4. Three letters of recommendation

Additional details

  • Community service is preferred. An interview is required.

National Matching Service Code #258213

ASHP Program Code #22096

Managerial Coverage

Residents will be on-site managers on designated weekends during their longitudinal administration experiences. The resident will be responsible for ensuring optimal operations during weekend coverage.

Staffing Coverage

Residents will staff in the pharmacy on scheduled days, evenings, and holidays. The resident will conduct order verification, pharmacotherapy and lab monitoring, sterile compounding, medication dispensing and interdisciplinary team assistance for drug information questions.

Pharmacy Administration Rotation

  • Billy Sin, Pharm.D., MBA, BCPS – Director of Pharmacy
    •      Rotation: Administration
  • Grace Yun, Pharm.D. – Pharmacy Manager
    •      Rotation: Administration

Pharmacy Practice Rotation

  • Sheril Baby, Pharm.D., - Senior Pharmacist
    •      Rotation: Orientation & Pharmacy Practice
  • Saera Khan, Pharm.D., - Pharmacist
    •      Rotation: Orientation & Pharmacy Practice
  • Linda Paik, Pharm.D., - Senior Pharmacist
    •      Rotation: Orientation & Pharmacy Practice
  • Jeswin Chacko, Pharm.D., - Pharmacist
    •      Rotation: Orientation & Pharmacy Practice

Clinical Rotations

  • Carol Liotta-Bono, Pharm.D., BCPS, CDCES  - Residency Program Director; Assistant Director, Clinical Pharmacy
    • Rotation: Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infections Disease; leadership, research; teaching; staffing
  • Julia Shen, Pharm.D., BCPS – Pharmacotherapy Progression Coordinator
    • Rotation: Medical Critical Care
  • Kwong (Justin) Lau, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, BCEMP, AE-C – Pharmacotherapy Progression Coordinator
    • Rotation: Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)
  • Amanda Tolento, Pharm.D – Unit-based Pharmacist
    • Rotation: Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU)
  • Liliana Salerno, Pharm.D., BCPS – Unit-based Pharmacist
    • Rotation: Internal Medicine
  • Sanu Koshy-Varghese, Pharm.D – Unit-based Pharmacist
    • Rotation: Emergency Medicine
  • Jinie Vattamala, Pharm.D. – Unit-based Pharmacist
    • Rotation: Internal Medicine
  • Ran You, Pharm.D. – Unit-based Pharmacist
    • Rotation: Internal Medicine
  • Crystal Toribio, Pharm.D. – Pharmacotherapy Progression Coordinator                   
    • Rotation: Transitions of Care
  • Steven Reynolds, Pharm.D. – Senior Pharmacist
    • Rotation: Oncology

Nixa Bose, PharmD
Graduated from St. John’s University
SFH PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident 2024-2025

Chandani (Dani) Honest, PharmD
Graduated from California North State University
SFH PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident 2024-2025

Amanda Liu, Pharm.D.

Graduated from St. John’s University

PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident 2023-2024 at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center

Current role: Ambulatory Care PGY-2 Pharmacy Resident at BronxCare Hospital

 

Som Ojukwu, Pharm.D., MHS

Graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University

PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident 2023-2024 at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center

Current role: Geriatrics Program PGY-2 Pharmacy Resident at James J. VA Medical Center

 

Edwin Gruda, Pharm.D., BCPS

Graduated from St. John’s University

PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident 2022-2023 at St. Francis Hospital

PGY-2 Corporate Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Resident at Northwell Health

Current role: Pharmacy Advisor at Northwell Health

 

Joseph DiPaola, Pharm.D., BCSCP

Graduated from St. John’s University

PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident 2022-2023 at St. Francis Hospital

Current role: Sterile Compounding Services Pharmacy Manager at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center

 

* The program was initiated in 2017 with a total of 12 PGY-1 residents who successfully completed the program to date.