Preceptors and Trainees

Biography

Melissa Bourque is a Program Manager Pharmacy Specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she supports medication safety and pharmacogenomics initiatives focused on translating evidence into real-world clinical practice. Her work includes leading efforts to develop a pediatric medication optimization learning health network designed to address evidence-to-practice gaps and implement strategies to improve medication safety and outcomes for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Bourque also supports a broad range of pharmacogenomics-related projects, including CPIC guideline development, evidence evaluation and implementation of pharmacogenomic recommendations. She practiced for nearly 10 years as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Jude, specializing in the care of children with solid tumors and brain tumors. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Union University College of Pharmacy and completed PGY1 pharmacy practice training at Mercy Hospital/St. Louis College of Pharmacy, followed by PGY2 Oncology training at St. Jude.

Publications from Melissa Borque

Biography

Senior Clinical Staff Pharmacist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital currently responsible for the management of drug therapy of patients in collaboration with the HIV multidisciplinary team and HIV Specialty Pharmacy. Responsibilities include research current HIV literature and recommend therapeutic plan for individual patients. Also help prepare written information to include patient and family education as well as offer information for published articles pertaining to staff newsletters in efforts to disseminate the most current therapeutic information available for HIV care. Currently also serving as Pharmacist of Record for all HIV investigational studies and COVID vaccine trials.

Biography

Madison Cole is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Medication Use Policy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, along with a Bachelor’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a Health Informatics and Information Management Certificate. During her PGY-1 residency at Unity Health – White County Medical Center, she developed a strong interest in medication safety and policy and went on to complete a PGY-2 Medication-Use Safety and Policy residency at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Upon completion, she obtained her board certification in pharmacotherapy. She accepted a position as a Medication Use Policy Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Jude, where she serves as secretary for the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.

Biography

Calvin Daniels is Manager of Clinical Decision Support at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. He coordinates institutional governance of interruptive and non-interruptive clinical decision support across all areas of the Electronic Health Record. He received his PhD in Microbiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and PharmD from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He completed a PGY1 residency at Children’s of Alabama and a PGY2 residency in Medication Use-Safety at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Daniels is a Board-Certified Pediatric Pharmacotherapy Specialist, a diplomate of the ASHP Pharmacy Leadership Academy, and an AMIA Certified Health Informatics Professional. He has been involved in volunteering with ASHP SOPIT since residency, holding co-chair and chair leadership roles within Clinical Decision Support–related workgroups. The goal of his rotations is for residents to learn how to communicate with both informatics and medication safety to improve patient outcomes.

Biography

Caroline Flint is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with practice responsibilities in critical care, solid tumor, and neuro-oncology services. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy. She completed both a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and a PGY2 Pediatric Pharmacy Residency through Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Following residency training, Flint practiced for five years as a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacist before joining St. Jude in 2024. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she serves as a preceptor for pharmacy students and residents and has contributed to educational programming for pharmacists and pharmacy learners. Her current professional activities include quality improvement and clinical research focused on advancing care for critically ill pediatric oncology patients.

Biography

Timothy Jacobs earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and completed postgraduate training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through a career development program. He chose to pursue his career at St. Jude because of the institution’s commitment to its mission and its dedication to caring for children with catastrophic diseases. He was also drawn to Memphis, Tennessee, a community with a strong commitment to service. Throughout his tenure at St. Jude, Jacobs has served in a variety of roles, including pharmacy intern, clinical staff pharmacist and clinical pharmacy specialist. Currently, he serves as Coordinator for Education and Training. His primary areas of clinical practice are nonmalignant hematology and oncologic critical care. In his current role, he advances educational initiatives that support the professional development of pharmacy students and staff while promoting excellence in pharmaceutical care and optimizing patient outcomes.

Biography

John Ramser earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and brings over a decade of experience in Home Infusion Pharmacy and Hemophilia treatment to his practice at St. Jude. Collaborating closely with the St. Jude regional HTC, Ramser works to expand the Home Infusion Pharmacy services to pediatric patients with catastrophic diseases. Driven by an ethical imperative to improve the lives of others, Ramser finds tremendous opportunity to support patients and caregivers in the course of his work at St. Jude. 

Biography

Katherine Robinson is a board-certified Clinical Pharmacy Specialist with expertise in childhood cancer survivorship and precision medicine. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, followed by a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the University of Kentucky and a PGY2 Residency in Clinical Pharmacogenomics at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Robinson subsequently completed a Clinical Pharmacogenomics Fellowship and earned a Master of Science degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, where her training focused on genetics, biostatistics and implementation science. Her work integrates research and clinical practice to advance precision survivorship care through the optimization of pharmacotherapy. Robinson’s research interests include late effects, medication beliefs and management in survivors, and pharmacogenomics. In recognition of her contributions to the field, she received the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) Young Investigator Award in 2025.

Publications from Katherine Robinson

Biography

Linda Schiff is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist pharmacist with 19 years of experience in pediatric pharmacy. She began her career at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, providing direct patient care and managing complex medication regimens across diverse disease states. For the past 10 years, she has served at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, specializing in non-malignant hematology. As a member of the anticoagulation service, she manages anticoagulation therapy for patients at St. Jude and throughout the Memphis area. She also works with the Bone Marrow Failure service, caring for patients with inherited and acquired bone marrow disorders, including aplastic anemia. Schiff is particularly interested in addressing health disparities affecting individuals with sickle cell disease and focuses on improving medication adherence, health literacy and access to care through patient-centered education and support.

Publications from Linda Schiff

Biography

Hope Swanson is a Senior Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She provides direct patient care for children with leukemia and lymphoma, mentors pharmacy residents and students, and conducts research focused on improving outcomes for pediatric oncology patients. Her research interests include novel therapies and treatment-related toxicities in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, with expertise in asparaginase- and blinatumomab-based therapies.

Swanson earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of South Carolina and completed specialized pediatric hematology/oncology residency training at St. Jude. She is board-certified in pharmacotherapy and oncology. Drawn to the emphasis St. Jude places on patient care and interdisciplinary collaboration with exceptional healthcare providers, she chose to train and build her career at the institution. She enjoys practicing at the forefront of pediatric oncology and partnering with patients and families to advance the St. Jude mission through patient care, research and education.

Biography

Deni Trone is a Senior Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she has served since 2016 and currently specializes in pediatric onco-critical care. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency at Norton Children’s Hospital, followed by a PGY-2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

As Chair of the Metabolic Infusion Support Services Subcommittee, Trone is actively engaged in clinical research and quality improvement efforts to advance nutrition in pediatric oncology patients. She is deeply committed to serving critically ill populations through the optimization of individualized pharmacotherapy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the enhancement of emergency response education for pharmacists.

A career at St. Jude fulfilled Deni’s professional goal of working alongside world-renowned experts to advance groundbreaking therapies for children with catastrophic diseases and lifelong learning opportunities.

Biography

Megan Wright is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist focusing on Solid Tumor and Neuro-Oncology. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree with Highest Distinction from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and completed both a PGY1 pharmacy residency at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and a PGY2 oncology pharmacy residency at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Her research interests include optimizing the tolerability of chemotherapy through individualized toxicity management and therapeutic drug monitoring approaches. Outside of clinical care, she is passionate about pharmacy practice advancement through quality improvement, outcomes research and healthcare metrics. She chose to remain at St. Jude because of its commitment to advancing cures and improving outcomes for children with cancer through innovative research and multidisciplinary collaboration.