PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program
VA Health Care – Defining excellence in the 21st Century. The Pharmacy Residency Program at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center has been defining excellence in pharmacy practice since 2003. We are proud to be a part of the largest program for advanced clinical pharmacy training in the country. Nationally, the VA trains over 600 residency annually in over 200 American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacy (ASHP) accredited residencies.
Martinsburg VA Clinical Pharmacy Services
Patient care is provided by a staff of approximately 48 pharmacists and 27 pharmacy technicians. In addition to distributive functions, a wide variety of clinical services are maintained to ensure our Veterans receive optimal care. Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners play an integral role by enhancing care to patients in all settings at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center including primary and acute care, both at the medical center and in community based clinics. These pharmacists function as licensed independent practitioners and work under a scope of practice to provide medication therapy management services.
Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Services
Clinical pharmacy services for primary care are provided by both pharmacists at the main campus, at outlying Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), and in Home Based Primary Care (HBPC). Clinical pharmacist practitioners provide care in multiple other specialty areas including long term care, psychiatry, substance use disorder, pain management, and anticoagulation. The clinical pharmacy practitioners manage a wide variety of disease states, provide patient education, and run their own clinics.
Acute Care Pharmacy Services
In addition to centralized pharmacists supporting the 24 hour operational hospital pharmacy, four clinical pharmacist practitioners are aligned with inpatient care teams including psychiatry, internal medicine, critical care, and infectious diseases/antimicrobial stewardship.
Additionally, our pharmacists promote the pharmacy profession through involvement in multidisciplinary committees and work groups throughout the medical center.
Purpose
PGY1 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification, and eligible for postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training.
Program Overview
The ASHP Accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency program is at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center in Martinsburg, WV and offers training opportunities to develop clinical competency in both acute and ambulatory care settings. This residency is a 12 month appointment. The training program offers a variety learning experiences designed to build the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to provide personalized pharmaceutical care services and enhance patient outcomes in all care settings.
Residency Structure
There an orientation period, then the residency is divided into month-long rotations with a mix of staffing, core, and elective rotations. The rotations are arranged to combine required experiences along with electives in the resident’s identified area of interest to allow for growth of skills throughout the year. Simultaneously, the resident is expected to prioritize and work on ongoing requirements in longitudinal, didactic, management, research, and residency project rotations.
In each experience, the resident works closely with the residency director, residency coordinator, and the rotation preceptor to develop goals and objectives that will assist the resident in expanding skills for current and future practice. Regular meetings with the residency director ensure that long-term goals are met.
Position Details
Duration: 12 months
Position(s): 2
Starting Date: ~June 22, 2026
Estimated Stipend: ~$53,650
Application Deadline: January 1, 2026
Interview Required: Yes
Benefits
Benefits include health insurance, annual leave (vacation), time off for illness/appointments/family care and 11 paid federal holidays.
Residency Program Director
Allison Lizer, Pharm.D., BCPS
PGY1 Residency Program Director, Internal Medicine Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Martinsburg Veterans Affairs
Phone:
Email: allison.lizer@va.gov
Current Residents
Ian Foo
I graduated from The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. I chose to pursue pharmacy due to my desire to help those around me lead better lives through medication therapy and health education. My goal is to work as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist and to become a mentor to future pharmacists. I wanted to pursue the Martinsburg VAMC Residency due to the training opportunities in many different areas of pharmacy to develop into a well-rounded pharmacist, while also being able to dive more deeply into ambulatory care with the PACT clinics and academia with the Teaching and Learning Certificate partnered with Shenandoah University. In addition, I loved that I would be working with like-minded practitioners who want to take care of our veterans. Outside of work, I like to spend time with my friends and family (and my cat!), workout, cook, and listen to music/go to concerts!
Brittany Gonzales
I completed my pharmacy education at Shenandoah University Bernard J Dunn school of pharmacy in Winchester, VA. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in pharmacy after working in specialty pharmacy where I learned about complex disease states and medication regimens requiring both close monitoring and patient/provider collaboration. When I was on a rotation at the VA, I knew I wanted to return for residency as I saw that cultivation of patient relationships, provider collaboration and saw how supportive the care team was to students, veterans, and each other. Additionally, I am honored to be able to participate in caring for our veterans as I have friends and family that have served. In my free time, I love to be outdoors whether camping, biking, or just walking with my husband and my dog.
Madison Henderson
“I completed my PharmD education at West Virginia University- School of Pharmacy. When I was younger, I always desired to help people as much as I could. Furthermore, I was fascinated with the medical world and finding new ways to learn about it. In addition to these characteristics, seeing first-hand how medication can change the quality or quantity of life lead me to pursue a degree in pharmacy. Choosing to work in a VA stems from my father, who is a veteran himself. Throughout my years, I was able to experience the wonderful veteran’s community, travel with my father who spoke nationally at Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Ceremonies (which provide information to soldiers and their family in the pre-deployment through post-deployment process), and have been provided numerous opportunities as a dependent of a veteran. This PGY-1 allows me to give back to a community that provided for me. As for the Martinsburg VA specifically, I was able to partake in a psychiatry rotation at another VA facility, which inspired me to continue my education at a facility with numerous psychiatric experiences. Coupled with the psychiatric rotations offered, I was able to witness the welcoming and devoted pharmacy presence at the Martinsburg VA during the interview process. Taking all of that into consideration, there are many other attractive rotations including critical care and anticoagulation. Outside of pharmacy life, I enjoy spending time with friends and family (which includes my two dogs and three cats), listening to or practicing music, and playing video games.”
Residency Preceptors and Their Positions
Melinda Albritton, PharmD, BCGP, Inpatient Psychiatric Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Patricia Callahan, PharmD, Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Robert Cyparksi, PharmD, PACT Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Danielle Davis, PharmD, Anticoagulation Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Trisha Exline, PharmD, Associate Chief of Clinical Pharmacy
Gary Flowers, PharmD, BCPP, Outpatient Psychiatric Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Miranda Godfrey-Wilfer, Women’s Health Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Kelly Gray, PharmD, Critical Care Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Ashley Herlihy, PharmD, BCACP, PACT Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Angel Jordan, PharmD, Informatics/Pharmacoeconomics Pharmacist
Timothy Kefauver, PharmD, Long Term Care Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Brigit Kirwan, PharmD, BCPP, Substance Use Disorder Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Seth Lilly, PharmD, MPH, BCPS, Long Term Care Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Allison Lizer, PharmD, BCPS, Internal Medicine Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, RPD
Sarah Mickanis, PharmD, BCPS, Chief of Pharmacy
Justin Miller, PharmD, PACT Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Jasmine Saei, PharmD, PACT Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Jennifer Sequera, PharmD, Academic Detailer
Beth Sheldon, PharmD, Home Based Primary Care Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Tessa Twigg, PharmD, CACP, Anticoagulation Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Andre Watson, PharmD, Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisor
How to Apply
MVAMC Pharmacy Residency Programs participate in the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS). To apply, the following must be submitted through PhORCAS by the deadline to be considered for an on-site interview:
- Letter of Intent
- Curriculum vitae
- Pharmacy school transcripts
- Three completed references in PhORCAS
Past Residents
If you are a graduated resident, please feel encouraged to reach out and keep the program updated on your accomplishments! You can contact the RPD at any time to catch up and share your professional journey.