Clinical Pharmacogenomics Residency

The Clinical Pharmacogenomics Residency Program is a 12-month, ASHP-accredited specialized PGY2 Residency in Clinical Pharmacogenomics. The program prepares residents to excel in implementing pharmacogenomic testing in clinical practice. The Department of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences provides unmatched opportunities for clinical use of pharmacogenomics in patient care due to full integration of an electronic medical record at St. Jude that applies to inpatient and outpatient care, comprehensive translational research programs, a highly skilled clinical pharmacy specialist team, and a strong laboratory component of the PGY2 program.

Residents will learn, contribute and participate in a dynamic environment with world experts translating laboratory-based discoveries into comprehensive medication management for multiple disease states.

St. Jude runs an institution-wide program to implement preemptive pharmacogenomic testing (PG4KDS). The resident will assist in directing the Clinical Pharmacogenomics Program, return results to patients and families in a pharmacist-run Clinical Pharmacogenomics Clinic, and provide pharmacogenomic consults in the context of a comprehensive approach to pharmaceutical care integrated into the clinical practice areas: general hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplantation. Training will be provided in applied pharmacokinetics, infectious diseases, nutrition support, clinical informatics and advanced pediatric pharmacotherapy. The resident will work with established clinicians on interdisciplinary teams to deliver personalized pharmacotherapy to pediatric patients with catastrophic diseases.

The resident will design safe and effective patient-centered therapeutic regimens and monitoring plans. In addition, the resident will build pharmacogenomic clinical consults and help develop customized pharmacogenomic clinical decision-support alerts that will alert clinicians of high-risk gene-drug pairs and allow for pharmacogenomic-guided drug dosing. The resident will participate in patient education, drug information, quality improvement and medication-outcomes activities and will be expected to have a publication-ready manuscript by the end of the residency year.

Residents are highly involved in international efforts to implement pharmacogenomics on a broad scale via participation in the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium. Upon completion of the program, the resident will have the clinical and leadership skills as well as the necessary experience to start and manage a clinical pharmacogenomics practice and to implement pharmacogenomic testing in other health-system settings.

Clinical Pharmacogenomics residents learn, contribute and participate in a dynamic environment consisting of interprofessional and technical personnel in both patient care and pharmaceutical research. Along with direct patient care responsibilities, residents will have the opportunity to gain experience in teaching through lectures, in-services, journal club presentations and precepting pharmacy students. A teaching certificate is offered by the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy. An independent research project will be carried out during the residency, with a presentation of the findings at a national meeting.

Eligibility

Applicants must have:

• A Doctor of Pharmacy degree 
• Completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 residency
• Eligibility for licensure to practice pharmacy in the state of Tennessee 
• Completed an onsite or virtual interview

Qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to interview with St. Jude staff during the Professional Placement Service (PPS/CareerPharm) at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting.

Curriculum

Core rotations

• Clinical Pharmacogenomics Longitudinal Experience (8 months)
• Pharmacogenomics Clinic Longitudinal Experience (12 months)
• Inpatient Leukemia/Lymphoma Service (1 month)
• Solid Tumor/Neuro-Oncology Ambulatory Care (1 month)
• Chemotherapy Service (1 month)

Longitudinal experiences

• Research Project
• Education and Teaching
• Professionalism and Leadership