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Pharmacy Residency Programs
Current Pharmacy Residents
Felicia Falvo
Position
PGY2 Oncology Resident
Hometown
Waymart, PA
Pharmacy School/Graduation Date
Temple University School of Pharmacy, 2010
PGY1 Residency Location
Penn State Hershey Medical Center |
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PGY1 Rotations
Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, Adult Hematology, Pediatrics, Surgical ICU, Infectious Disease (precepting rotation), Medical ICU, Adult Oncology, Practice Management, Adult Solid Organ Transplant
PGY1 Residency Project
Outcomes of treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia with vancomycin when vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration is greater than one
My study was a retrospective chart review comparing outcomes of adult patients with MRSA bacteremia who received vancomycin with MICs of either 1 or 2. The primary objective was to differentiate treatment failure rates between the two groups; treatment failure was defined as persistent bacteremia, recurrence of bacteremia, or antimicrobial change to another agent with enhanced gram positive coverage. Secondary objectives included poor outcomes (defined as infection progression to either endocarditis or osteomyelitis), time to first negative blood culture, length of stay, and 30 day all-cause mortality. I evaluated 74 patients total, 20 in the MIC=1 group and 54 in the MIC=2 group. I found that there was a statistically significant increase in mortality in the MIC=2 group (31% vs. 5%, p = 0.03) as well as length of stay (24.6 days vs. 15.5 days, p=0.03). Although not statistically significant, there was a trend towards higher incidences of recurrence of bacteremia as well as antimicrobial change (26% in MIC=2 vs. 10% in MIC=1, p=0.21). The results of my study were used at Hershey Medical Center to educate clinicians on MIC creep and its serious outcomes, as well as by the Infectious Disease consult service to reevaluate antimicrobial choices in patients with increasing MICs.
PGY2 Rotations
Blood and Marrow Transplant, Ambulatory BMT, Hematology/Oncology, Ambulatory Care Oncology Clinics, Investigational Drug Services, Palliative Care, Blood Center of Wisconsin, Academia
PGY2 Residency Project
The Impact of Comprehensive Pharmacy Services on Patient Adherence, Readmission Rates, and Patient Satisfaction
I will enroll all patients who will be receiving an allogeneic stem cell or marrow transplant at Froedtert Hospital in my study. Prior to transplant, patients will have an office visit with me or another pharmacist. At that visit, we will complete a medication history, provide education for the patient regarding immunosuppression and new medications they may receive after their transplant, and enroll them into Froedtert Hospital’s Outpatient Mail Order pharmacy. After transplant, the patient will receive monthly phone calls from a pharmacist to assess adherence and patient satisfaction, and to provide medication refills. I will compare all new transplant patients’ outcome measures to those patients who have received an allogeneic transplant and were not enrolled in Froedtert Hospital’s Outpatient Mail Order pharmacy (retrospective analysis). Primary outcome measures include refill histories, medication serum levels, and readmission rates after transplant, while secondary outcome measures include patient satisfaction and facility fees used by pharmacists. We hope to improve patients’ adherence through mail order pharmacy services, and to expand pharmacy ambulatory services using outpatient billing.
Why did you choose to pursue a residency?
The main reason I wanted to pursue a residency was that I felt I still had so much to learn, even after six years of pharmacy school. I had a strong interest in oncology when I graduated from school, and I wanted to become a well-rounded and confident leader in pharmacy.
What attracted you to Froedtert’s pharmacy residency program?
Froedtert has a wide variety of rotations to pick from, even during the PGY2 year. I like how flexible Froedtert is so that each resident can complete rotations in areas they are interested in. I wanted to complete my PGY2 year at a hospital that offered rounding with a multi-disciplinary team, and that had many clinical pharmacists who could offer their expertise. Also, the Cancer Center has significantly grown since it opened in 2008, and I really wanted to be a part of a developing program.
Professional interests
Oncology, Infectious Disease
Hobbies
Playing the piano, watching baseball (go Yankees!), finding new things to do in Milwaukee
What's your favorite thing to do in Milwaukee?
Trying different restaurants and breweries, going to all the different festivals.
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