Cardiology

The Department of Pharmacy Practice has provided postdoctoral training specializing in the study and treatment of cardiovascular disease for nearly 30 years. Our 1-year ASHP-accredited PGY2 Cardiology Residency continues that tradition. The goal of this residency is to afford the opportunity to develop expert knowledge and skills in the area of cardiovascular pharmacotherapy through clinical service, education, and scholarly activities.

PGY2 Program Purpose

PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

UIC PGY2 Cardiology Program Goals

Consistent with other PGY2 pharmacy residency programs, the goal of this program is to build upon education obtained through Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacy specialists in cardiology. We seek to develop the resident’s expert knowledge and skills in the area of cardiovascular pharmacotherapy through clinical service, education, and scholarly activities. This program provides residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care that improves medication therapy. Upon completion of our program, residents have become very successful, competent cardiovascular clinical pharmacists and have secured clinical specialist positions in both ambulatory and inpatient settings as well as clinical faculty appointments in colleges/schools of pharmacy.

Clinical

To assist the Medical Center in providing 24-hour, clinical pharmacy
coverage to all UIC patients, residents participate in the On-Call Program,
which provides overnight and weekend clinical services. On-call activities
typically include responding to “codes,” evaluating antibiotic therapies
and adverse drug reactions; monitoring pharmacokinetics; and providing
nutrition support and patient counseling services. Residents discuss their
on-call cases during daily resident report meetings. Former UIC residents
and fellows often identify this program as the most rewarding aspect of the
pharmacy practice residency and the greatest contributing factor to their
clinical skills development.

Teaching

• Experiential teaching and precepting of P1-P4 students
• ACPE-accredited seminar
• Multiple didactic lecture and recitation opportunities to P2s and P3s
• In-services (as needed)
• Teaching certificate program

Research

• At least one main project to be presented at American College of Cardiology Annual Meeting
• Participation in ongoing clinical research as desired
• Manuscript development and submission

Requirements

• The PGY2 Cardiology Program requires a PharmD degree and completion of an accredited PGY1 residency program
• Licensure in Illinois
• Ability to start the residency on July 1.

With more than 90 clinical faculty members associated with the program,
the Pharmacy Practice Residency and Fellowship Programs offer rotation
opportunities at a wide and diverse range of practice sites. These include:

University of Illinois at Chicago
Inpatient

• Coronary Care Unit
• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Cardiology
• Electrophysiology
• Medical Intensive Care Unit
• Emergency Medicine
• Clinical Research

Ambulatory

• Heart Failure Clinic
• Electrophysiology Clinic
• Antithrombosis Clinic
• Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
• Transitions of Care Clinic

University of Chicago Medicine, Northwestern Medicine, or Loyola University (offsite)

• Cardiothoracic Surgery / Advanced Heart Failure
• Cardiac Transplant

Stephanie Dwyer Kaluzna, PharmD, BCCP
Residency Program Director, PGY2 Cardiology
Clinical Pharmacist, Inpatient Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery
Clinical Assistant Professor

Scott T. Benken, PharmD, BCPS-AQ Cardiology, FCCM
Clinical Pharmacist, Medical Intensive Care Unit
Clinical Associate Professor

Robert J. DiDomenico, PharmD, BCPS-AQ Cardiology, FCCP, FHFSA, FACC
Clinical Pharmacist, Inpatient Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery
Associate Professor

Vicki Groo, PharmD, BCCP, CHC
Clinical Pharmacist, Heart Failure Clinic
Clinical Associate Professor

Rebekah Hanson Anguiano, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP
Clinical Pharmacist, Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
Clinical Assistant Professor

Erika Hellenbart, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Pharmacist, Heart Failure / Antithrombosis Clinic
Clinical Assistant Professor

Marc McDowell, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Assistant Professor

Erin Pozzolano, PharmD, BCCP
Clinical Assistant Professor/Clinical Pharmacist

Nancy Shapiro, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP
Operations Manager, Antithrombosis Clinic
Residency Program Director, PGY2 Ambulatory Care
Clinical Professor

Jessica Tilton, PharmD, BCACP
Clinical Pharmacist, Electrophysiology Clinic
Clinical Services Coordinator, Medication Therapy Management Clinic
Clinical Assistant Professor

All of our clinical preceptors at UIC are responsible for direct patient care in each of their areas
of expertise and practice in innovative practice sites. Additionally, each preceptor is active in
the medical center with qualitive improvement initiatives and departmental committees. Lastly,
each faculty member is responsible for experiential training of pharmacy students and
pharmacy residents, didactic teaching at the College of Pharmacy, research, and other scholarly
activities related to their specialty areas.

• 2024  JinJoo Chung, PharmD

Since 1969, over 300 pharmacists successfully trained in our ASHP accredited first-year-post-graduate program. In addition, we have graduated over 100 individuals in our various specialized pharmacy residencies that encompass a wide range of fields that is second to none. Our diverse faculty, in combination with the numerous progressive practice sites, provides our residents with an experience like no other. Our residency alumnae hold prominent positions within pharmacy academia, industry, and professional organizations nationwide and are leaders in the world of pharmacy practice. We are proud of our tradition, our outcomes and our graduates and with the increasing expectations of the public and other health professional to improve the lives of patients, we are confident that our residency programs will grow and develop to meet this challenge.

Past Residents

• 2023  Jenine Abuzir, PharmD
• 2022: Elena Buff, PharmD
• 2021: Nicole Saccone, PharmD
  Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – Heart Failure
  Advocate Aurora Health
• 2020: Erin Pozzolano, PharmD
  Clinical Assistant Professor; Antithrombosis Clinic Pharmacist
  University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy
• 2018  Jaclynne Metayer, PharmD, BCCP
  Clinical Ambulatory Pharmacists, Cardiovascular Group
  Wentworth-Douglass Hospital
• 2017  Stephanie Dwyer, PharmD
  Clinical Assistant Professor; Cardiovascular Clinical Pharmacist
  University of Illinois at Chicago
• 2016  Alexandra Goncharenko, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP
  Heart Failure Clinical Pharmacist
  Advocate Medical Group
• 2015  Nicole G. Zimbardi, PharmD, BCPS
  Cardiovascular Clinical Pharmacist
  St. Joseph’s Hospital
• 2014  Dejan Landup, PharmD, BCPS
  Heart Failure Clinical Pharmacist
  Advocate Medical Group
• 2013  Yana Blekhman-Labinov, PharmD, BCPS
  Medical Science Liaison
  Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
• 2012  Sarah Hanigan, PharmD, BCPS-AQ Cardiology
  Clinical Pharmacist, Cardiology & Anticoagulation
  University of Michigan Health System
• 2011  Adam Bress, PharmD, MS CTS
  Assistant Professor
  Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Utah
• 2009  Elizabeth Greenhalgh, PharmD, BCPS
  Coordinator & PGY1 Residency Program Director
  Loyola University Medical Center

Publications

Journal Articles

• Gasbarro NM, DiDomenico RJ. Appropriate use of intravenous diltiazem for rate control in patients with acute-onset atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Am J Health-Syst Pharm 2019;76:214-20. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxy033
• Mansour IN, Bress AP, Groo V, Ismail S, Wu G, Patel SR, Duarte JD, Kittles RA, Stamos TD, Cavallari LH. Circulating procollagen type III N-terminal peptide and mortality risk in African Americans with heart failure. J Card Fail 2016;22:692-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2015.12.016. Epub 2015 Dec 22.
• Hanigan S, DiDomenico RJ. Emerging therapies for acute and chronic heart failure: hope or hype? J Pharm Pract 2016;29:35-45. doi: 10.1177/1933719115615877.
• DiDomenico RJ, Bress AP, Na-Thalang K, Tsao YY, Groo VL, Deyo KL, Patel SR, Bishop JR, Bauman JL. Use of a Simplified Nomogram to Individualize Digoxin Dosing versus Standard Dosing in Patients with Heart Failure. Pharmacotherapy 2014;34:1121-31. Epub 2014 Aug 28. doi: 10.1002/phar.1480.
• Drozda K, Labinov Y, Jiang R, Thomas MR, Wong SS, Patel S, et al. A pharmacogenomics service experience for pharmacy students, residents, and fellows. Am J Pharm Educ 2013;77:175. doi: 10.5688/ajpe778175
• Bress A, Han J, Patel SR, Desai AA, Mansour I, Groo V, et al. Association of aldosterone synthase polymorphism (CYP11B2-344T>C) and genetic ancestry with atrial fibrillation and serum aldosterone in African Americans with heart failure. PLoS ONE 2013;8:e71268. https://doi.org/10.1271/journal.pone.0071268.

Book Chapters

• Landup D, DiDomenico RJ. Chapter 7: Ischemic Heart Disease. In: Chisholm-Burns MA, Wells BG, Schwinghammer TL, Malone PM, Kolesar JM, Rotschafer JC, DiPiro JT, eds. Pharmacotherapy Principles & Practice, 5th ed.. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2019.
• Bress A, Cavallari LH, DiDomenico RJ. Chapter 5: Ischemic Heart Disease. In: Katz M, Matthias K, Chisholm-Burns MA, eds. Pharmacotherapy Principles & Practice Study Guide: A Case Based Care Plan Approach, 4^th ed.. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2017.
• Cavallari LH, DiDomenico RJ, Bress A. Chapter 5: Ischemic Heart Disease. In: Katz M, Matthias K, Chisholm-Burns MA, eds. Pharmacotherapy Principles & Practice Study Guide: A Case Based Care Plan Approach, 3^rd ed.. Chicago: McGraw-Hill, 2013.

Published Abstracts

• Goncharenko A, Groo VL, Mansour I, Gans C, Stamos T, DiDomenico RJ. Hospitalization for acute heart failure provides opportunities to intensify chronic therapy for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. J Card Fail 2016;22(Suppl):S98[abstract 284]. Poster presentation: 20th Annual Scientific meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA). Orlando, FL. September, 2016.
• Mansour IN, Ismail S, Bress A, Groo, V, Patel S, Heith H, Stamos T, Cavallari L. Serum N-terminal procollagen III propetide predicts all-cause mortality in African American patients with heart failure.  J Card Fail. 2014;20:S107-S108.  Poster presentation at the Heart Failure Society of America, Annual Scientific Meeting, Las Vegas, NV. September 2014
• Mansour IN, Kansal M, Ismail S, Groo V, Patel S, Bress A, Marpadga R, Cavallari L, Stamos TD. Serum N-terminal procollagen III propeptide correlates with left ventricular global longitudinal strain in African Americans with heart failure. JASE. 2014;27:B40. Poster presentation at the American Society of Echocardiography, Annual Scientific Meeting, Portland, OR. June 2014.
• Bress A, Patel S, Desai AA,  Mansour I, Groo V, Han J, Progar K, Shah E, Stamos T, Kittles R, Cavallari L.  Association of aldosterone synthase polymorphism (CYP11B2 -344T>C) with atrial fibrillation in African–Americans with heart failure.  J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;61(10_S). Poster presentation at the American College of Cardiology 62^nd Annual Scientific Session, San Francisco, CA. March 2013.
• Labinov Y, DiDomenico R, Nutescu EA, Cavallari LH. Comparative accuracy of pharmacogenetic warfarin dosing algorithms and the warfarin dosing label plus clinical judgement. Pharmacotherapy2013;33:e19.[Abstract 28]. 2013 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Annual meeting. Albuquerque, NM. October, 2013.
• Lam J, Bress A, Nutescu E, Groo VL.  Evaluation of dabigatran prescribing practices at University of Illinois Medical Center.  Pharmacotherapy 2012;32:295e.  Poster presentation at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Annual Meeting.  Hollywood, FL, October 2012
• Bress A, Groo VL, DiDomenico RJ, Stamos TD, Patel S, Cavallari LH. The Effect of Epithelial Sodium Channel Genotype on Loop Diuretic Requirements in Systolic Heart Failure: the First 50 Subjects. Pharmacotherapy 2011;31:e415-6[Abstract 381]. Poster presentation: 2011 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Annual meeting. Pittsburgh, PA. October, 2011.
• Cavallari LH, Patel SR, Blekhman Y, Groo VL, Stamos TD. NPPA genotype is associated with aldosterone breakthrough in heart failure.  J Card Fail 2010; 16(8S):S38.  Poster presentation at the 14th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America.  San Diego, CA,  September 2010.
• Blekhman Y, Patel SR, Groo VL, Stamos TD, Cavallari LH.  Aldosterone escape in heart failure and atrial natriuretic peptide precursor A (NPPA) genotype.  Pharmacotherapy 2010; 30:207e.  Moderated poster presentation at the 2010 Spring Practice and Research Forum of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Charlotte, NC, April 2010
• Greenhalgh E, Groo V, Stamos TD, DiDomenico RJ. Torsemide vs Furosemide Plus Metolazone for Symptomatic Heart Failure. Pharmacotherapy 2009;29:e88[Abstract 198]. Poster presentation: 2009 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)/European Society of Clinical Pharmacy International Congress on Clinical Pharmacy. Orlando, FL. April, 2009.
• Greenhalgh E, DiDomenico RJ. Predictors of Diuretic Resistance in Patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure. J Card Fail 2008;14(Suppl 1):S80 [Abstract 257]. Poster presentation: 12th Annual Scientific meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA). Toronto, Ontario, Canada. September, 2008.

Miscellaneous Publications

• Gasbarro N, DiDomenico RJ. The role of ivabradine in reducing the risk for cardiovascular mortality or hospitalization for worsening heart failure. Pharmacy Practice News Report/Advertorial. New York: McMahon Publishing; May, 2016.
• Labinov Y, DiDomenico R.  The role of platelet function monitoring during thienopyridine/P2Y₁₂therapy. Cardiology Today, March 2013. http://www.healio.com/cardiology/vascular-medicine/news/print/cardiology-today/{2D9C69A1-B931-4FB6-A5C1-64ECF1FA8441}/The-role-of-platelet-function-monitoring-during-thienopyridineP2Y12-therapy?page=0&Filter=
• Labinov Y, DiDomenico R, Cavallari L.  Pharmacists’ role in warfarin pharmacogenetics.  KeePosted2013;39:9-10.