Developed a STEM II course called Unravel the Mysteries of Human Diseases in a Worm!

Gave two guest lecturers: 

Leitão, J. 2020. Let’s talk about public health: COVID-19 & vaccine development. Invited guest lecturer, Roger Williams University, applied practicum in public health course.

Leitão, J. 2018. A tale of two tales: insights into the molecular biology of the autophagy pathway. Invited guest lecturer, Roger Williams University, advanced molecular cell biology course.

•  Oversee all functions within the association and communicate with faculty, advisors, students, and staff on campus.
•  Plan general meetings and coordinate with executive board members to host events off and on campus for our local communities.
•  Collaborate with other NCPA chapters and compete in national NCPA challenges when applicable.

I have attended the FLPS events:

- Operation Diabetes

- Generation Rx Opioid Epidemic

Keynote Symposia on Antibodies and Vaccines as Drugs for COVID-19, which occurred on January 13-14, 2021.

Occurred on June 15-16, 2020

Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D. was the keynote speaker. 

I am extremely interested in joining and potentially leading the National Community Pharmacy Association (NCPA) as president of the Class of 2022. I have been fortunate and have worked in multiple community pharmacies as a pharmacy technician and an intern. For example, I have worked at CVS Pharmacy for over 4 years and I currently work at an independent outpatient pharmacy at Saint Vincent Hospital. My goal as president would be to become an advocate for chapter members via working with the executive board to offer opportunities to students that will not only bolster their academic success but also their future career paths as active pharmacists in the field. In addition, I hope to leverage my knowledge, experience, and connections to invite influential guest speakers who are at the forefront of changing the culture and practice of community pharmacy.

Moreover, I hope to develop and maintain an environment that will foster the innovation of students’ efforts on campus and in our local communities. This includes working closely with students, faculty, and staff at MCPHS, as well as utilizing the resources provided by NCPA’s advocacy, connections, solutions, and development programs (i.e. participating in chapter challenges, networking meetings, etc.). Developing a collaborative atmosphere will ultimately increase the club’s presence on campus and set a precedent to work with other pharmacy organizations. Overall, I would be honored to be considered as the next NCPA president in which I can aid in the growth and development of the chapter and its members.

What makes you a good candidate for this/these position(s)? (Max 300 words)

I am extremely interested in applying for the Operations Vaccine Chair position within APhA-ASP because as a future pharmacist I aspire to educate people about the benefits of vaccines as well as administer them as a licensed pharmacist.

Prior to matriculation into this program, I was a vaccine scientist working at the Slaoui Center for Vaccine Research, GSK, in the Pre-Clinical R&D division of the Vaccine Design and Characterization (VDC) department. I was a biochemistry and protein crystallography associate who helped further characterize two novel vaccine candidates against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). I was hired at GSK due to my previous experiences where I received a master’s in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (MMI) along with a certificate in Vaccine Science and Policy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Therefore, I fortunately have a background in vaccine research and development; however, I left the field in order to pursue a career in pharmacy to utilize my scientific knowledge and skills to create a direct impact on human health via educating and vaccinating a diverse population of people. To achieve this dream, I hope to aid in the development and maintenance of multiple vaccine clinics in our local community in collaboration with other pharmacists and interns.

Therefore, this position within APhA-ASP would truthfully help me develop a platform to start achieving my career goals as a pharmacist. I personally would adore the opportunity to continue and expand the flu/vaccine clinics that the previous chair has helped establish alongside Dr. Lynch. As chair, I would also love to invite guest speakers from pharmaceutical companies to give talks about current and future vaccine products as well as develop opportunities for students to give vaccine education talks to local high schools or colleges in the Worcester area.

How do you plan on managing your time between school work and E-Board responsibilities? (Max 300 words)

Time management skills are critical in any graduate level or professional school training. I am fortunate to have already made many mistakes and learned how to budget my time while completing an accelerated master’s degree, working in two labs at JHSPH as well as completing a certificate program all in one year. This was not an easy feat. I had a lot of sleepless nights. What I learned was that time management requires a lot of discipline, planning, and prioritization to not only scrape by but to succeed in all responsibilities and tasks that were asked of me. It is hard to truly succeed in continuous time management (I don’t think anyone has mastered that); however, it boils down to prioritizing what needs to be done first and persevering until all the tasks on your list are completed.

First semester of pharmacy school I was working on average ~26 hours a week while volunteering at my service site and completing the course load required of this program. I was working as a pharmacy intern at CVS Pharmacy back home in Rhode Island as well as the out-patient pharmacy at Saint Vincent Hospital. Originally, I was planning on continuing to work at both pharmacies; however, the service site that I was volunteering at offered me a paid position to work 2 hours per week, which I could not pass over. Therefore, I made the decision to leave my position at CVS, which has freed up a lot of time for me this semester without working my weekend CVS shifts (9-8 pm Saturdays and 9-6 pm Sundays ~20 hours). I hope to utilize this time to continue to enhance my studies in this program as well as to fulfill the duties required as a potential Operation Immunization Chair for APhA-ASP.

Which APhA-ASP event did you enjoy the most? Why? (Max 300 words)

Last semester I loved the Paint-a-Mug-Social because I was able to meet other new P1 classmates, learn more about APhA, as well as design my own coffee mug that I regularly use! However, to answer the question, the event that I enjoyed the most was by far the 1^st FLPS event in which Dr. Dawson gave a talk about careers in managing patients with diabetes. Operation diabetes was held at a perfect time last semester because that was exactly the time when I was really figuring out what career avenues would match my interests and suit me as a future pharmacist. Dr. Dawson provided examples of various diabetes centers and clinics (Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, VA pharmacies, etc.) that I for one will certainly investigate in the future as possible career options. I am currently interested in ambulatory care pharmacy, thus having a guest speaker hosted by APhA to discuss possible career options in ambulatory care was a very rewarding experience for me.

Prior to matriculation at MCPHS, I was interested in developing a career as a community pharmacist because of my experience working at CVS Pharmacy for 4 years. However, communicating with multiple faculty members about potential career paths, completing the APhA career pathway survey, and obtaining an intern position at Saint Vincent Hospital has allowed me to narrow down my career search to pursue an occupation as a ambulatory care pharmacist.

Conducting in-patient rounds (for the patients who are being discharged) with the staff pharmacist at Saint Vincent hospital has opened my horizon of providing patient-centered care for patients transitioning out of the hospital setting. The culmination of my community and institutional experiences thus far have influenced my interest in pursuing a career where I can truly utilize and integrate the full range of abilities that a licensed pharmacist can offer as an ambulatory care pharmacist.

Therefore, I am interested in seeking a mentor who is currently working in the field of ambulatory care to help educate me on how best to inform patients how to take their medication to increase adherence and reduce medication-related problems. In addition, I yearn to have a mentor who can teach me how to collaborate with physicians and nurses to enhance preventative care as well as effectively treat patients presenting with multimorbidity. Ultimately, I hope a mentor could help guide me on a path toward developing a competitive application for highly distinguished residency programs to fulfill my future career goals.  

Recipient of the Keynote Symposia Scholarship to attend the conference on Antibodies and Vaccines as Drugs for COVID-19. This occurred on January 13-14, 2021.

Lecture 1 - Pharmaceutical Quality, Cost, & Value

• Monday, February 1 at 6:00 pm 
• Lecturers: Kim Lenz, PharmD; & Matt Silva, PharmD

Panel Discussion/Lecture 2 - Health Equity

• Thursday, February 18 at 6:00 pm 
• Panelists: Jen Tija, MD; Suzanne Cashman, ScD; Suzzane Jacobs, LICSW; Ceryl Abel, PharmD; and Paula Evens, PharmD 

Panel Discussion/Lecture 3- SUD and Opioid Prescribing

• Monday, March 1 at 6:00 pm
• Panelists: Jaya Rawla, MS, AGPCNP-BC; Michele Matthews, PharmD; Caridad Ponce-Martinez, MD; and Jim Ledwith, MD

Panel Discussion/Lecture 4 - Geriatric Prescribing Practices

• Monday, March 15 at 6:00 pm
• Panelists: Karen Dick, Ph.D.; GNP and Gary Blanchard MD

Attended the following 2020 PREP Series Workshops:

- Introduction to pharmacy fellowships & setting yourself apart

- Introduction to pharmacy residencies and setting yourself apart

- Getting the most out of the mentor program

Will attend: 

- Preparation for application and interviews

- Presentation skills

- Applying for postgraduate positions

I was very fortunate to participate in an interprofessional education experience that comprised of aiding Medicare beneficiaries, at the Northborough Senior Center, in understanding the coverage options available to them next year to help pay for the medications they are currently taking. Participants ages 65 and above were able to schedule appointments with us to go over their current Medicare Part D plan and to find options during Open Enrollment that could potentially reduce their monthly premium and/or prescription drug costs.

As of January 2020, Medicare is requiring members to sign up for an online account through Medicare.gov, which could be very difficult for computer illiterate members or others who simply do not have access to create an account. I was fortunate enough to alleviate this problem via helping beneficiaries (who requested/ agreed to) create online accounts to access information about insurance plans for 2020. Moreover, as a team, we conducted medication reconciliation for each participant to discern which plans were the best coverage options for the next year. We had one client who was very grateful that we helped her create an online account as well as enroll her into a new coverage plan that will ultimately save her $130 next year in total (including monthly premium + drug costs).

Within my group, we were double-checking each other to ensure we were inputting the most accurate and correct information into the Medicare plan finder tool. In addition, we were all able to help complement each other via elaborating on the results/output of the plan finder tool to help the beneficiaries understand what we were doing. I was personally very surprised by their willingness to have us create online accounts and enroll them into new coverage plans after we thoroughly explained their potential options. However, in a way, their eagerness was justified by the relief of leaving the senior center knowing that we were able to help them achieve their goals in finding the best coverage options. This was clearly visible by both the reactions of the participants after helping them as well as the feedback we received that was a result of reducing the financial burden of prescription drug costs for next year. Therefore, it was very rewarding to work with my colleagues to overall help individuals find the best options for medication coverage and to truthfully help participants navigate such a complicated process in which they might have never been able to do and/or understand without our assistance.

Colleen Massey, Director of MCPHS Outreach Program, invited me to give a lecture on medication therapy management (MTM) and how the pharmacist's role in MTM can identify cost-saving strategies for patients. 

Joslyn Mills, Erin McConnell, Joshua Leitão, Louis Lapierre. 2019. Combined nucleotide and protein extractions in Caenorhabditis elegans. Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) (145), e59178, doi:10.3791/59178.

Proposed project with Dr. Ann Lynch to survey MCPHS healthcare students. 

Mentor: Dr. Amy LaMothe

Outside the scope of pharmacy, I have independently volunteered with a non-profit organization called the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC). In 2014, I traveled to Limón, Nicaragua with FIMRC to provide medical relief and health education to families from over nine surrounding communities. Recently, I traveled to La Merced, Peru during Spring break, March 7-12, 2020 to aid in integrating indigenous health practices with current medical techniques to improve the health of the communities within the region. This city is geographically located on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest in which is inhabited by indigenous communities who are fundamentally unable to access healthcare. In La Merced, I developed and executed an educational charla for the Kimiri community children, educated indigenous inhabitants about mental health (Shawan Rama community), helped the San Ramon outpost take vitals for numerous children, and educated families on how to access water sanitation and hygiene resources in their communities.

In addition, I rotated with general medicine in the only hospital in the region where I witnessed a ton of Dengue cases, and I rotated with a pulmonologist (specialists are extremely rare in this region) who diagnosed numerous active MDR-TB cases right in front of me. I also witnessed a hernia repair surgery (in a third-world country OR), learned how to suture a pig's foot, and so much more!

Moreover, I came across a lot of pharmacy-related problems too like doctors prescribing muscle relaxers for elderly patients, which causes confusion and an increased risk of falls. Many people in this region are admitted to hospitals because of toxic levels of prescriptions where patients believe that if they take more of their NSAID pain reliever that they will feel better because it’s a higher concentration; however, that leads to consequences like GI bleeds where the patient was throwing up blood. It’s crazy that I learned all of this in class and then saw it in real life in this setting (literally in a hospital located in the Amazon Rainforest)! Also, it was really cool to read most of the drug names in Peru. They literally just add an -a or -o as a suffix to many of the drug names (i.e. sertraline was sertralina). In addition, seeing Tylenol being prescribed as paracetamol was really cool (many international countries call it paracetamol, but this was my first exposure to the word).

Eventually, my long-term goal is to utilize my PharmD degree to work as a traveling pharmacist to provide international medical relief, thus these volunteering experiences in combination with my studies at MCPHS will ultimately allow me to achieve both my short-term and long-term career goals.

Participating as a volunteer in a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein adjuvanted nanoparticle vaccine, ID: NCT04611802.

Intranasally swab patients to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection in members and residents in the greater Worcester area apart of the UMass Stop the Spread Events, which provides no-charge COVID-19 testing.

Volunteered with Walgreens pharmacists to vaccinate hundreds of individuals at four clinic sites, during the 2020 flu season.

Volunteered as a pharmacy intern at the MCPHS Pharmacy Outreach program. 

• Executed one-on-one medication reconciliation for Medicare Part D beneficiaries to identify drug interactions and educate patients on how to properly take their medications.

• Navigated health insurance portals to identify gaps in coverage to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients and determine eligibility for medical assistance programs.

• Utilized eClinicalWorks medical software to input, track, update and monitor patient information for communication and MTM services.

• Traveled to La Merced, Peru in March 2020 to improve the health of indigenous communities within the Amazon Rainforest. Developed and executed educational charlas for the Kimiri children with a translator, educated the Shawan Ramans about mental health, and volunteered in local medical clinics to take vitals and triage patients.

• Journeyed to Nicaragua in 2014; worked in a health clinic to provide medical relief and education for impoverished children and families living in nine communities surrounding Limón, Las Salinas, Nicaragua

https://www.fimrc.org/