Residency in Pharmacogenomics

The specialized residency in drug information and pharmacogenomics is a 12-month, postgraduate program. The purpose of this program is to prepare the resident for a clinical faculty position focused in drug information/pharmacogenomics; for clinical practice in health care settings, particularly those implementing pharmacogenomics into clinical practice; for further training, and/or a position in industry or the FDA.

Program

The resident’s training takes place in the Drug Information and Pharmacy Resource Center (DIPRC) of Shands and the University of Florida Center for Pharmacogenomics in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, College of Pharmacy. Since 1972, the DIPRC has had two primary missions:

  1. To provide high-quality responses to drug information requests from health care professionals
  2. To function as a teaching laboratory for pharmacy students and residents

This pharmacogenomics-focused residency will use these guiding principles, but will have the targeted objective of deciphering and interpreting the pharmacogenomics literature, particularly as it relates to identifying those pharmacogenomics examples that are appropriate for clinical implementation. The resident will gain valuable experience with our in-house database of questions and answers, and with our Internet-based drug information service.

UF&Shands is launching a Personalized Medicine Program in Spring 2012, with the goal of implementing pharmacogenomics in clinical practice. The pharmacogenomics drug information resident will work closely with the co-mentors and will play a central role in the literature evaluation and review for the Personalized Medicine Program Subcommittee of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. This committee will make all recommendations regarding clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics, including defining the content of the alerts that will be sent to clinicians regarding pharmacogenomics, and defining recommendations for alternative treatment approaches. The resident will also have an important role in educating clinicians about pharmacogenomics, and may have clinical responsibilities in ensuring the appropriate clinical use of pharmacogenomic information.

The resident has access to resources of the DIPRC and the J. Hillis Miller Health Center Library. Besides standard reference texts and indexing and abstracting services, the DIPRC has extensive computerized drug information resources, including all major online bibliographic and informational databases and other electronic sources of information. The integration of technology and information is emphasized in this residency. All questions, answers and requesters are entered into our innovative web-based drug information database software.

The resident will receive balanced instruction in service, education and research. Service includes:

  • Answering patient-specific drug information requests
  • Evaluating drug literature and biostatistics, particularly in pharmacogenomics
  • Preparing pharmacogenomic evaluations and participating in the Personalized Medicine Program subcommittee
  • Developing text for pharmacogenomics alerts/automated consults, and developing recommended alternative treatment approaches based on genotype
  • Producing written communications, including contributions to peer-reviewed literature
  • Staff an average of 8 hours per week

Teaching experience includes:

  • Instructing individual students on the drug information rotation
  • Contributing to the Department of Pharmacy Services’ staff development program and broader educational initiatives regarding the Personalized Medicine Program
  • Lecturing in the College of Pharmacy’s Pharmacogenomics course and other potential teaching opportunities within the College of Pharmacy

PROJECT REQUIREMENT

The resident will conduct a project within the UF&Shands Personalized Medicine Program, which will provide important data for this program and will help the resident develop research design, statistical analysis and publication skills.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Office space with a personal computer is provided.
  • Beepers are provided to all residents.

Stipend

The residents will receive a $42,500 stipend paid by Shands at UF. The stipend, coupled with the comparatively low cost of living in Gainesville, should ensure a financially sufficient year.

Benefits

Assistance with local expenses will be provided for all candidates interviewed. Hospital benefits include:

  • Ten days of paid time off
  • Nine paid holidays
  • Contributory health insurance
  • Paid life insurance
  • Travel allowance for the ASHP midyear meeting
  • Reimbursement up to $300 for the Florida Pharmacy Board examination or reciprocity for individuals currently registered in another state

Requirements

  • Academic: The applicant should have a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from a school or college accredited by ACPE.
  • Professional Experience: The applicant should have completed a pharmacy practice residency or have strong hospital pharmacy experience before enrolling in the advanced residency program.
  • Interview: An on-site interview with presentation is required.
  • Non-resident Alien Applicants: To be considered for employment, you must presently have an employment authorization that is valid throughout the residency period.

Applications

A completed application package includes:

Send all application materials directly to:

Randy C. Hatton, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS
Director, Drug Information Service
Shands at the University of Florida
1600 SW Archer Road
P.O. Box 100316
Gainesville, FL 32610-0316
Email:     hatton@shands.ufl.edu
Phone     352-265-0408
Fax          352-265-1091

Julie A. Johnson, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS, FAHA
Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy and Medicine
Director, Center for Pharmacogenomics
Director, UF&Shands Personalized Medicine Program
University of Florida College of Pharmacy
P.O. Box 100486
Gainesville, FL 32610-0486
johnson@cop.ufl.edu

In order to be considered a candidate, a transcript of the applicant’s grades must be forwarded to Dr. Hatton by the pharmacy school from which the applicant graduated. In addition, the applicant should send a letter of intent, an online application (available through our Web page), a current Curriculum Vitae, and letters of recommendation from three professional references. After the application has been completed and reviewed, selected applicants will be contacted to arrange an on-site interview. Applicants are required to complete and return all application materials, including letters of recommendation, by January 14. Applicants are encouraged to complete their application as soon as possible, as files are reviewed in the order they are completed.

Applicants may contact us at the above e-mail address or by phone to check on the status of their application.

Please be sure to inform your references that January 14th is a firm deadline. They may use U.S. Mail, fax, or e-mail to send us their letters of recommendation.