AMCP Foundation and Pfizer Offered Eight Summer Internships in Managed Care Pharmacy

Alexandria, Va., October 6, 2017 — The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Foundation is delighted to announce that eight student pharmacists from across the country recently completed summer internship programs organized by the Foundation and supported by Pfizer, Inc. All interns completed capstone research projects that will be delivered as poster presentations at AMCP Nexus 2017, Oct. 16-19, in Dallas, Texas. 

The highly competitive programs offer future practitioners the opportunity to experience firsthand the broad spectrum of managed care pharmacy careers. This year’s participants will join the ranks of 165 alumni who have completed Foundation-organized internships over the years. 

“These talented young pharmacists gain invaluable experience in managed care organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers and nonprofits,” says Paula J. Eichenbrenner, CAE, Executive Director of the AMCP Foundation. “We are enormously proud to have partnered with Pfizer for 25 years to embed future leaders for real-world training in health care.” 

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. New this summer was an AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Research and Nonprofit Leadership Internship, which develops future leaders to conduct medication-related research, and succeed as a nonprofit leader. 

The 2017 cohort for the AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Summer Internship is: 

Stephen Meninger, University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy 
Poster #V19: The Effect of Combination Antiretroviral Treatment Regimens on Patient Medication Adherence and Overall Healthcare Utilization in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Population 
Site: Optima Health Plan, Virginia Beach, VA 
Preceptor: Elizabeth L. Brusig, PharmD, MBA 
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Cherie Robertson, PharmD, MSPH, BCPS 

Mary Mulrooney, University of Connecticut 
Poster #I13: Cost and Utilization Analysis for Patients with Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation Newly Treated with Either Coumarin or Direct Oral Anticoagulants at Independent Health Assoc. (IHA)
Site: Independent Health, Buffalo, NY 
Preceptor: Denise Rotella, PharmD 
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Gary Brady, PharmD, MBA

Kody Nelson, University of Missouri-Kansas City 
Poster #U35: Appropriateness of Targeted Immune Modulators Prescribing in Chronic Inflammatory Disease in the Medicaid Population: Retrospective Chart Review and Claims Analysis
Site: Providence Health Plans, Beaverton, OR 
Preceptor: Jennifer Smith, PharmD, BCPS 
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Richard McLeod, PharmD 

Jennifer Oh, University of Washington 
Poster #V4: Impact of Complete Medication Review (CMR) on Medication Adherence in Eligible Medicare Members in a Managed Care Plan
Site: SelectHealth, Salt Lake City, UT 
Preceptor: Curtis Wander, PharmD, BCPS 
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Lori Blackner 

Ana Ramirez, The University of Arizona 
Poster #U27: Identification of opioid-naïve patients’ progress from acute prescriptions of opioids to chronic use and interventions to decrease rate of patients that are new chronic users of opioid pain medications 
Site: HealthPartners, Bloomington, MN 
Preceptor: Peter Marshall, PharmD, RPh 
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Jocelyn Good, RPh 

Soham Shukla, Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University 
Poster #U33: Assessing opioid trends and management of members with general pain conditions 
Site: Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 
Preceptor: Saira Jan, MS, PharmD 
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Dean Gianarkis, MS, PharmD

Kristen Tripicchio, University of North Carolina 
Site: Prime Therapeutics, Bloomington, MN 
Poster # J1: Impact of a mail reminder on influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations
Preceptor: Craig Mattson, MS, MBA, RPh 
Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist: Kevin Odell, PharmD, CDE

The 2017 AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Research and Nonprofit Leadership Intern is:

Amber Reinert, University of Missouri-Kansas City 
Site: AMCP Foundation, Alexandria, VA 
Poster #U32: Top Managed Care Pharmacy Evidence Gaps in 2017: A Conventional Content Analysis
Supervisor/Virtual Preceptor: Paula Eichenbrenner, CAE and Annesha White, PhD, PharmD, MS 
Pfizer Senior Director Field Based Medical: John Main, PharmD
Pfzier Senior Director, Medical Outcomes Specialist Lead: Linh B. ter Riet, PharmD, BCPS, CPHIMS 

In addition to a rigorous experience at their host sites, all interns learned about AMCP and the Foundation via “virtual” preceptors who will offer continued mentorship. View their research results during the poster presentations in The Exchange at Nexus on Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 12pm-2:45 p.m.