Residency Purpose
From ASHP’s Accreditation Standard: PGY1 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives. Residents who successfully complete PGY1 residency programs will be skilled in diverse patient care, practice management, leadership, and education, and be prepared to provide patient care, seek board certification in pharmacotherapy (i.e., BCPS), and pursue advanced education and training opportunities including postgraduate year two (PGY2) residencies.
Clarest Health Program Highlights
Clarest Health provides comprehensive medication management to improve population health. Our flexible, comprehensive services integrate technology, human engagement and proven processes to identify vulnerable segments, simplify complex medication regimens, manage costs, comply with regulations, manage risk and capture untapped revenue.
The Clarest Health PGY1 Managed Care Pharmacy Residency Program develops pharmacists with the background and skills required to design, implement, manage, measure, and market comprehensive clinical pharmacy programs.
General Information
- One year, one day appointment
- Remote/work from home position (planned in-person orientation in Buffalo, NY area during the month of July)
- Start Date: July 1
- Number of Positions: 2
- PhORCAS Application Phase 1 Deadline: January 3
- Interview required for final candidates
Eligibility
Requirements of eligibility for this program include:
- Graduation from a school of pharmacy with active ACPE candidate or accreditation status, OR have a Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) certificate from the NABP
- Active pharmacy license OR eligible for licensure in any U.S. state or territory
Core Rotations
Longitudinal
Patient Assessment
The pharmacy resident will obtain a foundational understanding of the concepts of patient engagement, motivational interviewing and patient / prescriber consultation and a guided experience for honing engagement, interviewing and consultation skills.
The resident will develop an expert level of proficiency in provision of both written drug related consults to prescribers. The resident will also develop a foundational understanding regarding the concepts for scaling prescriber consults and communications such that therapy gaps can be identified across large populations and distributed through large networks of prescribers.
Accreditation/Quality
The pharmacy resident will apply lean principals and participate in accreditation assessment activities, root cause analysis and process redesign of incident types and workflow redesign and optimization.
Residency Project
The pharmacy resident is required to complete a research project, including:
- topic selection and development
- IRB approval
- data collection and analysis
- project presentation at a national meeting
- manuscript development and submission to JMCP.
Modules
Orientation
The pharmacy resident will be involved in company orientation, residency orientation, and pharmacy orientation during this experience. The resident will work within the pharmacy department to develop a baseline comfort level with the roles that pharmacists have. The resident will review and understand residency policies and procedures and company policies and procedures. The resident will be trained on proper usage of PharmAcademic.
Managed Care 101
The pharmacy resident will gain didactic education and application activities within fundamental concepts of managed care through two venues: AMCP’s “The Fundamentals of Managed Care Pharmacy Certificate Program – Professional Version”, and through guided preceptor discussions.
Clinical Program Development
The pharmacy resident will be provided with a framework for clinical program development, along with a shadowing experience followed by direct responsibilities with the clinical team to understand how the program framework is utilized to design, implement, and update clinical programs.
Drug Information
The pharmacy resident will demonstrate skills in retrieving medication and disease information from evidence-based sources, formulating a medication management strategy within the context of an evidence-based consensus guideline, and develop an understanding of mapping clinical text into database format such that it can be queried and used for computerized clinical decision making.
Inappropriate Medication Use – Intervention Development
The pharmacy resident will develop and apply drug class reviews and drug management strategies targeted around inappropriate use of medications based on distinct patient population factors.
Formulary & Benefit Management
The pharmacy resident will develop drug monographs and medication transition proposal strategies for assigned drugs/drug classes to become knowledgeable and proficient in formulary and benefit development and management.
Available Electives
Account Management (longitudinal)
Clarest Health’s Client Success department serves as the liaison between Clarest operations and client contacts. The pharmacy resident will gain exposure to relevant aspects of data analysis and reporting to Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) for the Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program.
Teaching Certification (longitudinal)
Clarest Health has an academic affiliation with University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for completion of the Teaching Certificate program.
Resident Benefits
- Competitive stipend
- Health Insurance
- PTO leave
- Annual leave
- Holidays
- Travel funds and educational leave for professional meeting
- Individual workstation distributed by Clarest
- Library access through University at Buffalo
Application Instructions
ASHP Code: 22066
Candidates should complete and submit a standard application in PhORCAS including:
- Letter of intent
- Curriculum Vitae
- Academic Transcripts
- Three (3) Letters of Recommendation
For further information or questions, please contact:
Stephanie Englert, PharmD, BCGP
Senior Director of Clinical Development, Current Program Director (Program Graduate 2014-2015)
senglert@csshealth.com
Maxwell Schmidt, PharmD
Manager of Pharmacy Services, Current Program Coordinator
mschmidt@csshealth.com
Emily Fetterman, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Current Program Coordinator
emily.fetterman@csshealth.com
Meet the Residency Directors
Dr. Stephanie Englert, PharmD, BCGP – Residency Program Director, Director of Clinical Development
Welcome to Clarest Health! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our PGY-1 Managed Care Residency Program. Our program and our preceptor team are committed to putting our residents’ professional and personal goals, objectives, and well-being at the heart of your activities, and we are excited to help you learn and grow in your pharmacy career.
As a Western New York native, I’ve had a strong connection to Buffalo throughout my life. I received my pharmacy education at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Albany, New York, and returned home to Buffalo in 2014 to complete my PGY-1 residency with Clinical Support Services, which was also one of my APPE rotation sites. Since then, I have seen Clinical Support Services become CSS Health, and most recently, we have joined Clarest Health in 2023. In the (almost) decade of tenure I’ve had, I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by an extremely talented and knowledgeable team that puts our patients’ health first.
We spend a lot of time together during the residency year, but a couple of the key learning experiences I heavily precept are the Clinical Program Development and Accreditation/Quality. Your clinical, problem-solving, and analytical skills will be put to the test with me, but I have a passion for teaching and learning and look forward to growing and developing with you throughout the residency year and beyond.
Last but not least, Go Bills!
Dr. Maxwell Schmidt, Pharm D – Residency Care Coordinator, Lead Clinical Pharmacist in Clinical Operations.
I’ve lived in the Western New York/Buffalo area for my entire life and received my pharmacy education at D’Youville College School of Pharmacy (now University) in Buffalo New York in 2017. I completed an APPE Rotation under Stephanie when I was a P4 and was in a part time role in the company in 2017 and transitioned to a full-time role in 2018. I also am a previous pharmacy manager at Walgreens and still work per diem in the community pharmacy setting. Like Stephanie mentioned, I have seen the company grow from Clinical Support Services (CSS) to CSS Health to Clarest Health and I am excited for the future and how we will be able to positively impact on our patients’ lives.
We spend a lot of time together during the residency year, but a couple of the key learning experiences I heavily precept is the Patient Assessment, Inappropriate Medication Use and Drug Information. Your abilities to interact effectively with patients and analyzing patient profiles and medication to best optimize therapy will be tested. I enjoy passing on the knowledge and wisdom I have gained in my pharmacy career to help develop and grow my students and residents.
Dr. Emily Fetterman, PharmD – Clinical Development Pharmacist, Residency Program Coordinator
I’m thrilled to continue my journey at Clarest Health as a Clinical Development Pharmacist and now as the Residency Program Coordinator. I am native to Buffalo, NY and completed my pharmacy education at D’Youville University here in 2024!
My interest in managed care pharmacy began during pharmacy school when I completed an APPE here at Clarest Health with Stephanie and Max, and has continued to shape my career ever since. Since joining Clarest Health full time shortly after graduation, I’ve had the opportunity to work across a variety of clinical initiatives, with a particular interest in clinical program development, medication therapy management, and developing solutions to improve patient care and outcomes.
I’m excited to now have the opportunity to help shape the residency experience for the next group of residents. My goal is to provide a supportive and engaging experience that helps each resident grow both personally and professionally. I look forward to working closely with our residents, supporting their goals, and helping them make the most of their time at Clarest Health.
Meet Our Pharmacy Residents
Dr. Connor Daly, PharmD – PGY1 Managed Care Resident (2026-2027)
I have been a Michigander my entire life. I earned my Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan in 2026 and continue to call Ann Arbor home. Starting this PGY1 residency has given me my first opportunity to live in another state and experience everything Buffalo has to offer.
My interest in managed care developed during my APPE rotations, where I gained firsthand insight into the important role managed care plays in shaping patient outcomes and the broader health care system. During these experiences, I also developed an appreciation for the clinical technologies and software that help health care systems operate efficiently and effectively. Wanting a career that combined these interests ultimately led me to the PGY1 Managed Care Residency with Clarest Health.
Outside of pharmacy, I enjoy discovering new places and experiencing new adventures. Whether hiking a new trail, skateboarding downtown, taking a motorcycle ride, or connecting through video games, I value any opportunity to create lasting memories with the people I care about most.
Dr. James White, PharmD – PGY1 Managed Care Resident (2026-2027)
Hello! I recently started my PGY-1 Managed Care Pharmacy residency at Clarest Health. I’m originally from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area and I earned my Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Thomas Jefferson University School of Pharmacy. Before that I was working in the pharmaceutical cancer research industry as an analytical laboratory coordinator, which really helped build my foundation for pharmacy.
My love for managed care started to develop when I participated in the AMCP competition of 2024. My professional interests include formulary management, health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), and medication policy. I’m enthusiastic about being able to apply data-driven evidence to improve health outcomes for patients and being able to make sure patients have access to the best medications that are available.
Outside of pharmacy, there are many different things I love to do! I love board games, Spirit Island being my favorite, card games, rock climbing, and traveling. One of my favorite memories from traveling is spending New Year’s in Paris. Most of all though, I love being able to hang out with my friends and family.