Meet the Director and Team

Welcome from the Program Director 

Thank you for your interest in the Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program! While we are a new program, our preceptors have been actively engaged in educating pharmacy residents as part of an ASHP-accredited multiple-site residency program for many years. We are excited to enhance our dedication to the professional growth of pharmacists by establishing our own residency and look forward to our residents playing an active role in shaping its future. 

We are committed to the development of well-rounded, knowledgeable, and compassionate pharmacy practitioners. In our supportive and collaborative environment, we offer a diverse range of experiences aimed at equipping you with the confidence and expertise to enter practice as a clinical pharmacist or pursue specialized PGY2 opportunities.  

St. Mary’s is a not-for-profit community hospital with a culture of multidisciplinary collaboration and commitment to quality. As part of the multistate Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH) health care system, St. Mary’s residents have the unique opportunity to complete electives and network with peers at other BSMH sites and participate in system-wide committees and drug policy development. 
We thank you for your consideration of our program and look forward to speaking with you about the residency opportunities available at St. Mary’s Hospital! 

Contact Us  

Program Director: Emily Hand, PharmD, BCPS 
Email address: emily_hand@bshsi.org  
Phone: 804-287-7541 

 

Director 

Emily Hand, PharmD, BCPS    Emily Hand is the Clinical Pharmacy Manager at St. Mary’s Hospital.  She is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and PGY2 Critical Care Residency at Duke University Hospital. She previously worked as a Critical Care Specialist at St. Mary’s before transitioning into the Clinical Manager role in 2012.  She currently precepts the Pharmacy Administration, Chief Resident, and Staffing rotations and has had substantial involvement in resident medication use evaluations and research projects. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, reading, cooking, and spending time with her husband and two young children.

 

Core Faculty 

Allison Albright, PharmD, BCPP, BCPS  Allie is the Behavioral Health Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Mary’s Hospital. She completed her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech and pharmacy school at Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia. Following pharmacy school, she completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at (Sentara) Martha Jefferson Hospital and a PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Allie worked at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center before moving back home to Virginia and has been in her present role since 2017. She currently precepts the Behavioral Health rotation, has served as a resident mentor, and has participated in resident medication use evaluations and research projects. Outside of pharmacy, Allie enjoys spending time with her family, watching football, listening to audiobooks/podcasts, completing puzzles, and playing kickball with friends.

Jennifer Beasley, PharmD, BCPS, CPPS  Jen is the Medication Safety Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Mary’s Hospital. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center. Prior to pharmacy school, she completed her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Her professional interests include safety culture and leveraging technology in process improvement. She currently precepts the Medication Safety rotation and has served as a mentor and research advisor for PGY1 pharmacy residents.  Outside of pharmacy, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three young children, cooking, and exploring nearby nature trails.

Caroline Briggs, PharmD  Caroline Briggs is the Director of Pharmacy at St. Mary’s Hospital.  She is a graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy.  Prior to coming to St. Mary’s, she worked as an Emergency Medicine pharmacist and served in various leadership roles.  She precepts the Pharmacy Administration rotation. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, antiquing, playing tennis, and spending time with her family.

Leslie Cihak, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP  Leslie Cihak is the Critical Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Mary’s Hospital.  She is a graduate of Ferris State University and completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Spectrum Health (now Corewell Health) in Grand Rapids, MI and her PGY2 Critical Care Residency at West Virginia University Hospital in Morgantown, WV.  She is board-certified in Pharmacotherapy (BCPS) and Critical Care Pharmacy (BCCCP).  She currently precepts the Critical Care and Advanced Critical Care rotations and actively participates in the research and scholarly activities of the residency.  Traveling, hiking, and photography are some of her favorite things to do, but she also enjoys reading, DIY home projects, playing with her dogs, and spending time with friends.

Amanda McGuinness, PharmD, BCPPS  Amanda McGuinness is the Neonatology Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Mary’s Hospital. She completed her undergraduate degree at the College of William & Mary and pharmacy school at Virginia Commonwealth University. Following pharmacy school, she completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and a PGY2 Pediatric Pharmacy residency at UVA Health in Charlottesville, VA. She currently precepts the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) rotation and assists with the Pediatrics rotation. Her clinical interests include nutrition and infectious diseases. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching Buffalo Bills football, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her family.

Heather Oti, PharmD, BCPPS  Heather Oti is the Pediatric Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Mary’s Hospital.  She completed her undergraduate degree at the College of William & Mary and pharmacy school at the Medical College of Virginia, Health Sciences Division of Virginia Commonwealth University.  Following pharmacy school, she worked as a Staff Pharmacist at St. Mary’s before transitioning to a pediatrics focus in 2006 and the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist role in 2010.  She currently precepts the Pediatrics rotation and has served as a research advisor and mentor for PGY1 pharmacy residents.  In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, studying foreign languages, learning to sew, and spending time with family and friends.

Sara Torborg, PharmD, BCPS  Sara Torborg is the Internal Medicine Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Mary’s Hospital. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Southeastern Regional Medical Center (now UNC Health Southeastern) in Lumberton, North Carolina. She currently precepts the Internal Medicine and Advanced Internal Medicine rotations and has served as a mentor and research advisor for PGY1 pharmacy residents. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, cooking, trying new restaurants around Richmond, indulging in a good Netflix binge, and spending time with her husband and young child.

Jeffrey Walker, PharmD  Jeff Walker is the Medication Management Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Mary’s Hospital.  He is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, where he also completed a PGY1 Community Pharmacy Practice Residency.  Prior to pharmacy school, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree at Virginia Tech. His professional interests include anticoagulation management, patient education, and teaching pharmacy students on rotation.  In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar, learning to cook, and watching his favorite sports teams - Liverpool Football Club and the Baltimore Orioles.

Jessica Williams, PharmD, BCPS  Jessica Williams is the Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacist Specialist St. Mary’s Hospital.  She graduated from Mercer University's College of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Atlanta Medical Center. She worked as an Emergency Medicine and Critical Care pharmacist at Yale-New Haven Hospital before coming to St. Mary's Hospital in 2018. She precepts the Emergency Medicine rotation and has advised research projects in the residency program. In her free time, she enjoys paddle boarding, bike rides, and taming her yard.