Derek Ruzzo is a PharmD candidate in the class of 2022 at MCPHS University in Worcester, MA.
Derek has more than 8 years of experience working in the pharmacy setting. He began working as a Pharmacy Technician at CVS, where he learned how to efficiently manage the workflow in a community setting, while simultaneously providing patient centric care. After becoming an intern while enrolled in the PharmD curriculum, he transitioned to the hospital setting at UMass Memorial Medical Center, working in the centralized pharmacy. With experience in a multitude of pharmacy practice settings, Derek is equipped with the knowledge and skillset to work with other health care providers to improve patient outcomes.
Derek is passionate about delivering the highest level of patient care and merging the business and clinical aspects of pharmacy. Upon completion of his PharmD degree in May 2022, Derek will continue on to earn his MBA in Healthcare Administration.
200121060155_Screen_Shot_2020_01_21_at_6.00.57_PM.png (.00) 0.15mb PharmD candidate 2022
2013-2015
RXinsider - West Warwick, RI
Preceptor: Shannon Staton, PharmD, MBA
Preceptor: Kristina Esposito, PharmD
- Worked with clinical pharmacy team at Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island
- Helped determine costs of medication(s) currently on formulary and drugs to be added to formulary
- Participated in weekly patient rounds to determine appropriate pharmacologic interventions with health care team
- Presented at journal club meeting, discussing atopic dermatitis and appropriate pharmacologic interventions
- Attended P&T meeting and presented to panel of physicians a recently approved drug to bring onto formulary
- Analyzed literature to help determine appropriate drug therapy on formulary
- Researched guidelines to create/edit PA criteria for drugs on formulary
Preceptor: Linda Spooner, PharmD, RPh, BCPS, FASHP, FCCP
- Provided clinic team with interventions regarding pharmacotherapy in conjunction with RPh
- Attended daily meeting with panel of physicians to discuss various disease states and drug therapy
- Created drug therapy handouts and discussed appropriate treatment regimens with resident physicians
Preceptor: Ann Lynch, PharmD, RPh
- Helped manage patients with chronic conditions
- Preformed MTM (medication therapy management) services through Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
- Immunization services
- Blood pressure clinics
- Diabetes training and managment (i.e., glucometer use)
Option Care Health - Rhode Island
- Infusion services
- Variety of therapeutic services (i.e., anti-infectives, nutritional support, immunoglobulin, etc.)
- Home infusion care
- On-site infusion suite
Preceptor: David Nardolillo, PharmD
Option Care Health - Cranston, RI
Preceptor: David Nardolillo, PharmD
This introductory pharmacy practice experience helped gain an understanding of home infustion pharmacy and sterile compounding. Under the supervision of the preceptor, tasks included:
- Prescription order entry
- Presription order verification
- Lab value evaluation and entry into electronic medical record
- Patient rounds
- Shadowing compounding technicians in clean room
- Shadowing nurse in infusion suite
- Automated infusion pump programming
Stop and Shop Pharmacy - Warwick, RI
Preceptor: Paul Bracken, RPh
This introductory pharmacy practice experience helped cultivate the fundamental skills necessary to be a pharmacist. Under the supervision of the preceptor, tasks included:
- prescription data entry
- prescription preparation
- patient counseling
- MTM services
- provider outreach
| Date: | 11/05/2021 |
| Rotation Type: | APPE Internal Medicine |
| Comments: | |
| Interprofessional collaboration occurs when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, carers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care. (WHO, 2010): | Yes |
| Please select all health care professionals or students of health professions that you interacted with during this rotation.: | Physician Physician Assistant - Student Other - Practitioner |
| If you selected "Other" or "Other - Student" from the list above, please list the type of health care professional you interacted with here:: | Resident Physician |
| I was able to place the interests of patients at the center of interprofessional health care delivery.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to act with honesty and integrity in relationships with patients, families, communities, and other team members.: | Strongly agree |
| I was able to recognize the roles and responsibilities of other health care providers.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize how the team works together to provide patient care.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize limitations of my skills, knowledge, and abilities.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to express my knowledge and opinions to team members involved in patient care with clarity and respect.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to listen actively to other team members.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to encourage ideas and opinions of other team members.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to engage other health care professionals in shared problem-solving appropriate to the specific patient care situation.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to reflect on my individual performance for improvement.: | Strongly Agree |
| Please provide one example of an interprofessional interaction that you had during this APPE rotation in one to two sentences.: | The resident physicians were curious to know treatment algorithms for anticoagulation therapy. I provided them with a handout and explained which medications require bridge therapy and dose adjustments. |
| During this APPE rotation, did you interact with a physician or student physician?: | Yes |
| Date: | 09/03/2021 |
| Rotation Type: | APPE Institutional Pharmacy Practice |
| Comments: | |
| Interprofessional education occurs when learners, educators, or health care workers from two or more health professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective interprofessional collaboration and improve health outcomes. (adapted from WHO, 2010 & Buring, et al. AJPE 2009;73(4): article 59): | Yes |
| Please select all health care professionals or students of health professions that you interacted with during this rotation.: | Nurse |
| I was able to place the interests of patients at the center of interprofessional health care delivery.: | Agree |
| I was able to act with honesty and integrity in relationships with patients, families, communities, and other team members.: | Strongly agree |
| I was able to recognize the roles and responsibilities of other health care providers.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize how the team works together to provide patient care.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize limitations of my skills, knowledge, and abilities.: | Agree |
| I was able to express my knowledge and opinions to team members involved in patient care with clarity and respect.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to listen actively to other team members.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to encourage ideas and opinions of other team members.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to engage other health care professionals in shared problem-solving appropriate to the specific patient care situation.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to reflect on my individual performance for improvement.: | Strongly Agree |
| Please provide one example of an interprofessional interaction that you had during this APPE rotation in one to two sentences.: | The nurse at Option Care had me watch her place an IV line and draw blood from a patient in the infusion suite. I was also able to watch the nurse prime the pump that was to be used for the infusion. |
| During this APPE rotation, did you interact with a physician or student physician?: | Yes |
| Date: | 01/26/2022 |
| Rotation Type: | APPE Elective |
| Comments: | |
| Interprofessional collaboration occurs when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, carers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care. (WHO, 2010): | Yes |
| Interprofessional education occurs when learners, educators, or health care workers from two or more health professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective interprofessional collaboration and improve health outcomes. (adapted from WHO, 2010 & Buring, et al. AJPE 2009;73(4): article 59): | Yes |
| Please select all health care professionals or students of health professions that you interacted with during this rotation.: | Nurse Physician Social Worker - Practitioner |
| I was able to place the interests of patients at the center of interprofessional health care delivery.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to act with honesty and integrity in relationships with patients, families, communities, and other team members.: | Strongly agree |
| I was able to recognize the roles and responsibilities of other health care providers.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize how the team works together to provide patient care.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize limitations of my skills, knowledge, and abilities.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to express my knowledge and opinions to team members involved in patient care with clarity and respect.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to listen actively to other team members.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to encourage ideas and opinions of other team members.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to engage other health care professionals in shared problem-solving appropriate to the specific patient care situation.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to reflect on my individual performance for improvement.: | Strongly Agree |
| Please provide one example of an interprofessional interaction that you had during this APPE rotation in one to two sentences.: | During TCM rounds, I was able to collaborate with other health care professionals to improve patient outcomes. By intervening and making recommendations to the other providers on appropriate pharmacotherapy, patients will be better equipped at managing their disease states. At the NHPRI P&T meeting, I was able to present a new drug to a panel of physicians and discuss the potential risks and benefits of adding this drug to the formulary. |
| During this APPE rotation, did you interact with a physician or student physician?: | Yes |
| Date: | 09/25/2020 |
| Rotation Type: | Wor/Man IPPE Institutional |
| Comments: | |
| Please select all health care professionals or students of health professions that you interacted with during this rotation.: | Nurse |
| I was able to place the interests of patients at the center of interprofessional health care delivery.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to act with honesty and integrity in relationships with patients, families, communities, and other team members.: | Strongly agree |
| I was able to recognize the roles and responsibilities of other health care providers.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize how the team works together to provide patient care.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize limitations of my skills, knowledge, and abilities.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to express my knowledge and opinions to team members involved in patient care with clarity and respect.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to listen actively to other team members.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to encourage ideas and opinions of other team members.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to engage other health care professionals in shared problem-solving appropriate to the specific patient care situation.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to reflect on my individual performance for improvement.: | Strongly Agree |
| Please provide one example of an interprofessional observation and/or interaction that you had during this IPPE rotation in one to two sentences.: | The nurse at Option Care showed me the variety of catheters that are used for patient infusion. Her knowledge and passion for patient care was evident and she was eager to share it with me. |
| During this IPPE rotation, did you interact with a physician or student physician?: | No |
| Date: | 08/20/2020 |
| Rotation Type: | Wor/Man IPPE Community |
| Comments: | |
| Please select all health care professionals or students of health professions that you interacted with during this rotation.: | Physician |
| I was able to place the interests of patients at the center of interprofessional health care delivery.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to act with honesty and integrity in relationships with patients, families, communities, and other team members.: | Strongly agree |
| I was able to recognize the roles and responsibilities of other health care providers.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize how the team works together to provide patient care.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to recognize limitations of my skills, knowledge, and abilities.: | Agree |
| I was able to express my knowledge and opinions to team members involved in patient care with clarity and respect.: | Agree |
| I was able to listen actively to other team members.: | Agree |
| I was able to encourage ideas and opinions of other team members.: | Agree |
| I was able to engage other health care professionals in shared problem-solving appropriate to the specific patient care situation.: | Strongly Agree |
| I was able to reflect on my individual performance for improvement.: | Strongly Agree |
| Please provide one example of an interprofessional observation and/or interaction that you had during this IPPE rotation in one to two sentences.: | An oral antibiotic was faxed over from a dentist for patient who had just undergone oral surgery. There was a discrepancy between the dosing frequency and quantity so I called to speak with provider to verify how the medication order was intended to be used by the patient. |
| During this IPPE rotation, did you interact with a physician or student physician?: | Yes |
PI166686
Pharmacist Limited (Intern)
PHL05583 expires 06/30/2022
2010: Relay for Life of Warwick Committee Member
Presented Lybalvi, a second generation antipsychotic, to a panel of physicians at the P&T Committee Meeting.
Lybalvi P&T Slides (.pptx) 1.03mb - Disease state background
- Pharmacologic interventions
- Drug cost comparison
220215092415_Journal_Club_Atopic_Dermatitis_NHPRI.pptx (.pptx) 1.09mb A detailed look at a patient's diabetic treatment regimen as well as pharmacotherapy for other comorbidities
Diabetes MTM Slides (.pptx) 1.12mb October 21, 2021
COVID-19 Vaccine Presentation in Charlton, MA
COVID-19 Vaccine Flyer (.docx) 0.83mb Drug chart comparing monoclonal antibodies on insurance formulary
Comparison of MABs (.docx) 0.02mb Helped develop ALT protocol for St. Vincent's Hospital in Worcester, MA
Antibiotic Lock Therapy Protocol (.pdf) 0.12mb A reference guide for team of resident physicians regarding pharmacotherapy for treatment of Community Acquired Pneumonia at St. Vincent's Hospital in Worcester, MA. SVH pharmacy and antimicrobial protocols were consulted.
Community Acquired Pneumonia Treatment (.pdf) 0.36mb A reference guide for team of resident physicians regarding pharmacotherapy for UTI at St. Vincent's Hospital in Worcester, MA. Reference guide follows pharmacy and antibimicrobial protocols at SVH.
UTI Empiric Therapy (.pdf) 0.28mb A reference guide for the team of resident physicians at St. Vincent's Hospital regarding anticoagulation bridge therapy
Anticoagulation Bridge Therapy (.pdf) 0.51mb A quick reference guide for team of resident physicians to access regarding drugs that can increase the risk of QT prolongation
QT Prolongation (.pdf) 0.23mb https://corereadiness.com/CT/L19942810-CO10207069-52411898
https://corereadiness.com/CT/L19942810-CO91996625-81144312
https://corereadiness.com/CT/L19942810-CO36278169-41914963
https://corereadiness.com/CT/L19942810-CO50214470-80223892
https://corereadiness.com/CT/L19942810-CO67274311-43549051
https://corereadiness.com/CT/L19942810-CO80332815-71337673
https://corereadiness.com/CT/L19942810-CO26072185-52712580
https://corereadiness.com/CT/L19942810-CO84721575-40847289
Junior Varsity: 2010
Varsity: 2011, 2012, 2013
Varsity Co-Captain 2013
Molecular Lab Assistant: 2021-Present
- Maintaing COVID PCR testing workflow
- Prepping COVID PCR test to be run on instruments
- Utilizing various products from Thermo Fisher Scientific (i.e., King Fisher) to produce elution and wash solutions
- Pipetting
Centralized Inpatient Pharmacy
Pharmacy Intern: 2020-2021
- Medication inventory management (i.e., Pyxis)
- Filling batch and STAT orders
- Non-sterile oral compounding
CVS Pharmacy Store #2323
Pharmacy Technician: 2013-2019
Pharmacy Intern: 2019-2020
- Providing patient centric customer service
- Assisting pharmacist with daily pharmacy operations
- Prescription data entry/billing
- Preparation/dispensing medication
- Patient counseling
- Leading team of technicians and delegating tasks
Derek is an avid golfer and loves to attend PGA Tour events. His favorite golfers include; Viktor Hovland, Rickie Fowler, and Tiger Woods. He has seen Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods at multiple tour events, most notably, the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, NY.
Derek has a passion for cars and considers himself a European luxury car afficionado. He has owned multiple European luxury brands and sport models.
Favorites include:
- Audi
- Mercedes-Benz
- Volvo
Derek took piano lessons for many years as a child. He preformed arrangments from Phantom of The Opera and Beauty in the Beast during a family wedding ceremony.
October 2021: COVID-19 Vaccine presentation in Charlton, MA.
Master of Ceremonies
Sacred Heart Church's annual Italian Heritage fundraiser event (2014)
2010-2019: Lector at Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick, RI
I enjoy travelling to Fort Myers, Florida and Naples, Florida multiple times per year to visit family!
Embarked on a two week Alaskan Cruisetour in June 2008
Ports of Call:
- Inside Passage
- Ketchikan, AK
- Juneau, AK
- Skagway, AK
- Icy Straight Point, AK
- Hubbard Glacier
- Seward, AK
Cruisetour (Train):
- Anchorage, AK
- Fairbanks, AK
- Denali, AK
- Talkeetna, AK
Norwegian Majesty 2006 and 2007
- St. George's, Bermuda
August 2016
- Los Angeles, CA
- Anaheim, CA
- Huntington Beach, CA
Disney Vacation Club Member since 2014
Timeshare home resorts include:
- Animal Kingdom - Kidani Village
- Bay Lake Tower
Royal Caribbean - Explorer of the Seas
Ports of Call:
- Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
- Philipsburg, St. Maarten
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Labadee, Haiti
2014
2005
Royal Caribbean - Enchantment of the Seas
Ocho Rios, Jamaica
2016
The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort
Cancun, Mexico
Lancaster, PA
Gettysburg, PA
Carnival Valor (January 2010 and June 2010)
Ports of Call:
- Grand Cayman
- Belize
- Honduras
- Cozumel
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