AMCP Foundation and Pfizer Offered Summer Internships in Managed Care Pharmacy

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Foundation is delighted to announce that six student pharmacists from across the country recently completed summer internship programs organized by the Foundation and supported by Pfizer, Inc. The interns executed capstone research projects that will be delivered in poster format at AMCP Nexus 2018, Oct. 22-25, in Orlando, Fla.

The highly competitive programs offer future practitioners the opportunity to experience firsthand the broad spectrum of managed care pharmacy careers, and to receive mentorship from senior professionals. This year's participants are the 25^th cohort for the Foundation, which began organizing internships in 1993.

"Pfizer collaborated on our very first internship offering, and has remained a committed partner for 25 years now," says Paula J. Eichenbrenner, MBA, CAE, Executive Director of the AMCP Foundation. "Communication skills, business acumen and self-confidence ? leadership traits necessary for success in any segment of health care ? are reported most frequently by alumni as improving due to these internships."  

The AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Summer Internship is designed to develop future leaders in managed care through exposure to population health and managed care pharmacy principles via concepts such as formulary management, benefit design, medication therapy management and adherence. Pfizer also collaborated with the AMCP Foundation on the Managed Care Research and Nonprofit Leadership Internship, which develops future nonprofit leaders in medication-related and business skills.

2018 participants in the AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Summer Internship are:

Wilson Haong, Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Poster #F6: "The Development and Implementation of a Financial Incentives-Based Smoking Cessation Program at an Employer-Based Health Plan"
Site: Independent Health, Buffalo, NY
Preceptor: Denise Rotella, PharmD
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Gary Brady, PharmD, MBA
Virtual Preceptor: Dean Conti, MBA, PharmD

Sarah Hebble, Ohio Northern University, College of Pharmacy
Poster #M6: "Retrospective Analysis of Medication Adherence for Site of Service to Specialty Medications for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases"
Site: SelectHealth, Salt Lake City, UT
Preceptor: Curtis Wander, PharmD, BCPS
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Lori Blackner-Brown, PharmD
Virtual Preceptor: Leann C. McDowell, MS, PharmD

Huzefa Jabbar, California Northstate University, College of Pharmacy
Poster #U42: "Opioid-Related Quality Measures Analysis"
Site: MedImpact, San Diego, CA
Preceptors: Bimal Patel, PharmD, MS & Sara Erickson, PharmD
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Eric Carda , RPh, MPH
Virtual Preceptor: Briana Santaniello, PharmD, MBA

Sumie Kakehi, Rutgers University, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
Poster #U28: "Evaluating the Outcomes of Opioid Use in Patients with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy"
Site: Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Newark, NJ
Preceptor: Saira Jan, MS, PharmD
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Dean Gianarkis, MS, PharmD
Virtual Preceptor: Pranav Patel, PharmD, RPh

Samuel Kim, University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy
Poster #U19: "Retrospective Analysis of Trends and Risk Factors of Opioid Naïve Patients Transitioning to New Chronic Opioid Users"
Site: HealthPartners, Bloomington, MN
Preceptor: Peter Marshall, PharmD, RPh
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Jocelyn Good, RPh
Virtual Preceptor: Desola Davis, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP

The 2018 AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Research and Nonprofit Leadership Intern is:

Mandy Renfro, The University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy
Poster #U22: "25 Years of Managed Care Leadership Development: A Descriptive Analysis and Summative Evaluation of Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Foundation Intern Alumni"
Site: AMCP Foundation
Supervisor/Virtual Preceptor: Paula Eichenbrenner, MBA, CAE and Annesha White, PhD, PharmD, MS
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: John Spain, MA, PharmD, BCPS
Pfizer Senior Director Field Based Medical: Linh Terriet, PharmD, BCPS, CPHIMS

View the research results for the projects listed above during the poster presentations in The Exchange at Nexus on Wednesday, October 24, from 12:30 pm ? 2:30 pm.

About the AMCP Foundation
Established in 1990, the 501(c)3 nonprofit AMCP Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). It exists to advance collective knowledge and insights on major issues associated with the practice of pharmacy in managed health care settings. By facilitating innovative research initiatives and providing educational opportunities to learn about managed care pharmacy, the AMCP Foundation invests in the future of managed care. Visit www.amcp.org/amcp-foundation.

SOURCE Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy