Pharmacy preceptors at PSLMC and RMHC
Our preceptors provide the guidance and mentoring you need to complete your pharmacy residency training.
Marie Podkonjak, PharmD, BCPS
Home town: Gallup, NM
Pharmacy school: University of Colorado
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2011
Rotation precepted: Internal Medicine
Areas of clinical interest: Pharmacy potpourri, pain management, med safety
Favorite book: Several. Outlander series, Lamb, P&P, HP, etc. etc.
Favorite movie: Too many to name!
Advice for future residents: Be flexible, take deep breaths, adapt.
Abbie Schauble, PharmD, BCPPS
Home town: Cincinnati, Ohio
Pharmacy school: Ohio Northern University
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2019
Rotation precepted: Pediatrics
Areas of clinical interest: pediatric analgesia, sedation and iatrogenic withdrawal management
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: skiing, reading, cooking, traveling
Favorite restaurant in Denver: Safta
Advice for future residents: Stay open minded and trust the process. You never know where your pharmacy journey will take you.
Allison Mann, PharmD, BCPS
Home town: Denver, CO
Pharmacy school: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2014
Rotation precepted: Academia/Adv. Internal Medicine. I also co-precept portions of the drug information and formulary management rotation.
Areas of clinical interest: Anticoagulation, transitions of care, interdisciplinary care models, interprofessional education
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: Camping, gardening, movies
Favorite movie: I love all of the Marvel movies
Advice for future residents: Take all the opportunities you can this year to learn new skills and knowledge. Even though you are a resident, don’t forget about maintaining some degree of work-life balance.
Amelia Woods, PharmD, BCPS
Home town: Iowa
Pharmacy school: University of Iowa
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2005
Rotation precepted: Critical Care
Areas of clinical interest: critical care, medical emergencies – cardiac arrest, ischemic strokes, MH), nutritional support, fluids/electrolytes
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: camping, hiking 14ers, watching movies, taking care of my kids and dog
Favorite movie: The Holiday – my Christmas favorite
Favorite restaurant in Denver: Fire on the Mountain – the G.W. Carver sandwich with an IPA.
Advice for future residents: Prepare to master the art of time management. Never be afraid to ask questions or seek help…but only AFTER you have already tried to find the answer yourself. AVOID getting the response “that’s a great question… why don’t you look it up”.
Candido A Chacon III, PharmD, BCPS
Home town: Aurora, CO
Pharmacy school: University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2019
Rotation precepted: Oncology/BMT
Areas of clinical interest: Oncology/BMT/Critical Care
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: Family, Road cycling, Team sports
Advice for future residents: Work/life balance is extremely important. Make sure to spend time doing something you enjoy.
Carol Elston, PharmD, BCPS
Home town: Burns, Oregon
Pharmacy school: Oregon State University
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2019
Rotation precepted: Service Commitment (staffing)
Areas of clinical interest: Adult acute care
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: Crafting, sewing, sailing, hiking
Favorite book: A Column of Fire - Ken Follett
Favorite restaurant in Denver: Anything with Indian food!
Advice for future residents: It’s only 1 year
Chelsea Boyle, PharmD
Home town: Sacramento, CA…. but Denver is home
Pharmacy school: The University of Colorado, Skaggs School of Pharmacy
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2019
Rotation precepted: Service Commitment (staffing)
Areas of clinical interest: ID, med-safety, sterile compounding
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: Running, hiking, yoga, anything outdoors
Favorite book: Blink, by Malcom Gladwell
Favorite movies: Harry Potter, The 5th Element, Little Miss Sunshine, Beetlejuice, Palm Springs…. There’s so many more that I can’t think of right now… I love movies!
Favorite restaurant in Denver: City O City, Dos Santos, Shells and Sauce, Fish&Beer, TruFoods, North
Advice for future residents: Live close by (if possible), stay organized, be eager and excited to learn and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Jason Blauwet, PharmD, BCPS
Home town: Larchwood, Iowa
Pharmacy school: The University of Iowa
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2004
Rotation precepted: Administration
Areas of clinical interest: Optimization of pediatric pharmacotherapy regiments and process improvement in a large tertiary care medical center.
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: Cycling, skiing, golfing
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite restaurant in Denver: Sushi Den
Advice for future residents: Residency training is an incredible opportunity to further develop the skills of an independent practitioner. Kudos for pursuing your career development!
Joan Orgeldinger, RPh Assistant Director of Pharmacy, Medication Safety Coordinator
Home town/state: Trinidad, Colorado
Pharmacy school: University of Colorado
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2015
Rotation precepted: Medication Safety
Areas of clinical interest: advancements in the immune system therapy for various indications
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: Cycling, skiing, travel
Favorite book: The Life we Bury
Favorite movie: Grew up in a movie theater and this is a hard question
Favorite restaurant in Denver: Locanda Del Borgo
Advice for future residents: See as much as you can see while you can
Joshua Sanchez, PharmD, BCPS
Home town: Mesa, Arizona
Pharmacy school: University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2018
Rotation precepted: Infectious Diseases & Internal Medicine
Areas of clinical interest: Fungal infections & anticoagulation
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: Mountain biking, snowboarding, watching junk TV and collecting comic books
Favorite book: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Favorite movie: Much like medicine, this is a gray area and requires a discussion far beyond the scope of this bio
Favorite restaurant in Denver: Shanahans Steak House
Advice for future residents: Never sacrifice quality for quantity in any phase of your life
Michael Ball, PharmD, BCTXP
Home town: Byron Center, MI
Pharmacy school: University of Colorado
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2018
Rotation precepted: Adult Solid Organ Transplant
Areas of clinical interest: solid organ transplant, end-organ disease states, immunology, virology, pediatrics, teaching
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: hiking, fly fishing, taking my dog to dog parks, taking care of my plants, snow boarding
Favorite book: I have a hard time picking favorites, but Any Human Heart and Reincarnation Blues are in my top five
Favorite restaurant in Denver: Domo (for food), Nocturne or Ophelia’s (for cocktails), Prost (for beer)
Advice for future residents: Use this time to cement the basics of being a great pharmacist: get the clinical knowledge down, learn to build rapport with your team, develop your time management, and adapt to working in the “grey-zone” where your expertise is needed.
Ahrang Yoo, PharmD, BCPPS
Pharmacy school: University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
Year started at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: 2021
Rotation precepted: Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Areas of clinical interest: pediatric oncology, anticoagulation in pediatrics
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: hiking, trying new restaurants
Favorite restaurant in Denver: Sushi Den
Advice for future residents: Make time for self-care. Residency is busy but it's important to set time aside to relax and do the things you love.
Elizabeth Meszaros, PharmD
Pharmacy school: University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
Year started at PSL: 2022
Rotation(s) precepted: BMT/Onc
Areas of clinical interest: BMT/Onc, patient education/teaching
Hobbies outside of pharmacy: yoga, running, taco connoisseur
Favorite restaurant in Denver: TBD
Advice for future residents: Take advantage of every learning opportunity and don’t forget self-care!