Pharmacy Preceptors

Caitlin Akerman, PharmD, BCPS, is the current Internal Medicine Clinical Specialist at WakeMed Health & Hospitals and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She serves as a preceptor for both pharmacy students and residents on their Internal Medicine rotation. Additionally, Caitlin serves as the PGY2 teaching coordinator. Caitlin graduated from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2016 and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and a PGY2 Cardiology Residency at WakeMed Health & Hospitals in 2018. She also completed a teaching certificate program through the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Her current projects involve the evaluation of IV iron formulations and enoxaparin dosing in obese patients. Areas of interest for Caitlin include transitions of care, anticoagulation, and heart failure.  

Email: cakerman@wakemed.org

Janna Beavers, PharmD, BCCP, FHFSA, CPP,is the current Cardiology Clinical Specialist at WakeMed and the PGY2 Cardiology Residency Program Director. Janna is a graduate of Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice and PGY2 Cardiology residencies at WakeMed. Janna precepts PGY1 and PGY2 residents and offers rotations in general cardiology, heart failure and anticoagulation. Janna is a member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), North Carolina Association of Pharmacists (NCAP), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA). She is a current member of the HFSA Membership Committee. Janna completed a teaching certificate program through UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy during her PGY2 residency and is a clinical adjunct faculty member with Campbell University. In addition, Janna currently serves as a co-course coordinator for the Cardiology Elective and lectures in the elective and therapeutics course at Campbell University. Her research interests include acute and chronic heart failure pharmacotherapy regimens, optimization of guideline-directed medical therapy in patients with heart failure, cardiometabolic optimization for cardiac patients, and implementation and evaluation of transitions of care pharmacy services. Janna is also a member of several hospital multidisciplinary committees, such as the Heart Failure Task Force and Invasive Cardiology.

Email: jbeavers@wakemed.org. 
 

Joanna Billings, PharmD is the current Neonatal and Women's Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at WakeMed. She obtained her pre-pharmacy curriculum from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and continued her education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy and graduated with honors in 2021. Joanna completed a PGY1 Acute Care Pharmacy Practice Residency and PGY2 Pediatrics Pharmacy Practice Residency at UNC Health. Throughout her residencies, Joanna served as an adjunct clinical instructor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. During her PGY2, she led initiatives in medication safety and her research focused on antimicrobial changes in patients with Cystic Fibrosis pre- and post-highly effective modulator therapy.  Joanna's areas of research interest include neonatal pain and sedation management, neonatal nutrition optimization, antimicrobial stewardship and maternal/child health. She is a member of the Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA) and American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).

Email: jobillings@wakemed.org

Katie Bosko, PharmD, is currently a Critical Care Clinical Staff Pharmacist at WakeMed. She primarily staffs across all our ICUs. Katie received her Doctorate of Pharmacy and graduated with honors from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in 2021. After graduation, Katie completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and PGY2 Critical Care Residency at WakeMed. Her residency research focused on the impact of multidisciplinary rounds on intravenous fluid administration and the incidence of deep sternal wound infection following intraoperative cefazolin at time of skin closure in cardiac surgery patients. During her PGY2 she also completed a teaching certificate with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Her current areas of interest include cardiovascular critical care, ACLS, and antimicrobial stewardship. Katie is a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM).

Email: kbosko@wakemed.org.

Christian Caveness, PharmD is one of the current Infectious Diseases Clinical Specialists at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. He serves as a preceptor for both pharmacy students and residents on their Infectious Diseases and HIV rotations. Christian graduated from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2021, completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME as well as a PGY2 Infectious Diseases Residency at WakeMed Health & Hospitals in 2023. He also completed a teaching certificate program through the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. His current projects involve penicillin allergy assessments, necrotizing fasciitis, and pediatric vancomycin dosing evaluations. Areas of interest for Christian include non-tuberculosis mycobacteria, HIV, and gram-negative resistance mechanisms.

Email: ccaveness@wakemed.org.

Matt Davis, PharmD is the Emergency Medicine Clinical Specialist at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. He currently serves on the Stroke and Sepsis committees at WakeMed. Matt graduated from Duquesne University School of Pharmacy in 2021. He completed his PGY1 Pharmacy Acute Care and PGY2 Critical Care residencies at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. His areas of interest include clinical toxicology, addiction medicine, and pre-hospital emergency medical services. Matt serves as a preceptor for Emergency Medicine and the Toxicology elective rotation.

Email: madavis@wakemed.org.

Kelsey Dobbins, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP is the Cardiology Critical Care Clinical Specialist and the Coordinator for the PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency program at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. She serves as a preceptor for both pharmacy students and residents on their General Critical Care, Cardiology Critical Care, and/or Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU rotations. Kelsey is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice and PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy residencies at WakeMed. During her PGY2 residency, Kelsey completed a teaching certificate program through UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Her research in residency focused on multimodal analgesia in non-surgical critically ill patients and anticoagulation strategies in patients with COVID-19. Current areas of interest include Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, preoperative anemia management in cardiac surgery patients, anticoagulation practices for percutaneous ventricular assist devices, and antithrombotic strategies post-bioprosthetic valve replacement. She is also a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).

Email: kdobbins@wakemed.org.

Amanda Gorman, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, is the current Emergency Department and Medical/Surgical Clinical Coordinator at WakeMed Health & Hospitals and serves as the PGY1 Residency Program Director. Amanda graduated from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2017. After graduation, Amanda completed PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and PGY2 Critical Care Residency at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. Her residency research focused on the impact of pharmacy operational initiatives and documented penicillin allergy on time to antibiotics in sepsis. During her PGY2 training, Amanda also completed a teaching certificate with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Amanda currently serves as a preceptor for student pharmacists from Campbell and UNC. Her current areas of interest include pharmacy administration, antimicrobial stewardship, and medical/surgical critical care. Amanda is a member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM).

Email: agorman@wakemed.org.

Cristina Kaifer Gurganious, PharmD, BCCCP is the Medical/Surgical Critical Care Specialist and interim PGY2 Critical Care Residency Program Director at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and PGY2 Critical Care Specialty Residency at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. Throughout her residencies, she completed the Teaching Certificate Program and served as an adjunctive clinical instructor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, teaching in the Pharmaceutical Care Lab course. Her residency research focused on agents utilized for procedural sedation in the emergency department and the impact and implementation of a pharmacist driven stress ulcer prophylaxis discontinuation protocol in the ICU. Current areas of interest include hyponatremia management, toxicology, steroid utilization in the ICU, and fluid stewardship. She currently serves as a preceptor for PGY1 Pharmacy and PGY2 Critical Care/Infectious Diseases WakeMed residents, as well as a preceptor for students from UNC and Campbell schools of pharmacy. Cristina is a member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM).

Email: cgurganious@wakemed.org.

René Henderson, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, is the Hematology/Oncology Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator at WakeMed. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Howard University College of Pharmacy in Washington, DC. René completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice residency at the Duke Regional Hospital in Durham, NC, where she also earned a teaching certificate from Campbell University College of Pharmacy. Following her residency, René joined the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital as an Ambulatory and Inpatient Oncology Clinical Pharmacist and later transitioned to an ambulatory-based role at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, MD. Her areas of clinical interest encompass solid tumor cancers, hematologic malignancies, and cancer genomics/precision oncology. René currently serves as a member of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) and the North Carolina Oncology Pharmacist Association (NCOP).

Email: rehenderson@wakemed.org.

Shannon Holt, PharmD, BCIDP, is the Clinical Pharmacy Manager for the WakeMed Health & Hospitals health system. She also serves as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Education for the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Shannon is a graduate of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. After graduation, she completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency at Duke University Hospital and a PGY2 Specialty Residency in Infectious Disease/Internal Medicine/Academia with Campbell University at Duke University Hospital. Her current research interests include antimicrobial stewardship, prevention of HACDI, and clinical informatics. Shannon is also actively involved in several hospital committees, including the P&T Committee, the Clinical Decision Support Committe, and the Heparin Taskforce. She also is an active committee member within the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists (SIDP).

Email: sholt@wakemed.org.

Julia R. James, PharmD is the current Cardiology Clinical Specialist at WakeMed. She is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in Philadelphia, PA. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain, CT. She then completed her Cardiology PGY2 at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel Hill, NC. Julia completed her teaching certificate though the University of Connecticut. Her research interests are focused on heart failure transitions of care, therapeutic anticoagulation strategies in special populations including outpatient anticoagulation bridging strategies in patients with left ventricular assist devices. Her other areas of interest include heart failure, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and acute coronary syndrome. Julia is a current member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Julia also delivers guest cardiology lectures at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She is also a member of multiple hospital multidisciplinary teams including the Heart Failure Task Force and STEMI/Chest Pain committee and is the chair of the anticoagulation P&T subcommittee. Julia precepts PGY1 and PGY2 residents and offers rotations in general cardiology and heart failure transitions of care with a precepting emphasis.

Email: jujames@wakemed.org.

Abby Kremer, PharmD, is a Clinical Staff Pharmacist at WakeMed, staffing in each of the ICUs. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice and PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy residencies at WakeMed. During her PGY2 residency, Abby completed a teaching certificate program through UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Her research in residency focused on rapid diagnostic testing for gram-negative rod bacteremia and the effects of liberalized targeted temperatures post-cardiac arrest. Current areas of interest include antimicrobial stewardship, pain/analgesia/sedation, and neurocritical care. She is also a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM).

Email: akremer@wakemed.org.

Hannah Lunsford, PharmD, is a Cardiology Clinical Pharmacist at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. Hannah graduated from the Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences in 2022. After graduation, Hannah completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and a PGY2 Cardiology Residency at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. Her residency research focused on the impact of preoperative anemia correction on outcomes in patients undergoing urgent cardiothoracic surgery. During her PGY1 training, Hannah also completed a teaching certificate with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Her current areas of interest include heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, cardiac surgery, and cardiac critical care. Hannah is a member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

Email: hlunsford@wakemed.org.

Alison Orvin, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP is an Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at WakeMed Health & Hospitals and the current PGY2 Infectious Diseases Residency Program Director. She graduated from South Carolina College of Pharmacy-MUSC Campus in 2018 and completed both her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and PGY2 Infectious Diseases Residency at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. She serves as the leader of the ASP Dalbavancin Program and the co-chair of the ASP P&T Sub-committee at WakeMed. She also serves as an assistant professor of clinical education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Alison currently precepts PGY1 and PGY2 residents in addition to pharmacy students. Her current areas of interest include antimicrobial stewardship, HIV, and antimicrobial resistance. Alison is a member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), ACCP Infectious Diseases PRN, and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP).

Email: aorvin@wakemed.org.

Nick Orvin, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP is the Cardiology Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. Before his current position, he primarily staffed in the Cardiology Critical Care and Cardiology stepdown units for 2 years. He graduated from the South Carolina College of Pharmacy – MUSC Campus and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and a PGY2 Cardiology Residency at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. Throughout his residencies, he also completed a Teaching and Learning Certificate Program with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. His previous research focused on the incidence of post-operative atrial fibrillation following cardiac surgery in patients receiving dopamine and the acute diuretic-sparing effects of sacubitril-valsartan in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Areas of interest for Nick include cardiovascular risk reduction, anticoagulation, heart failure and cardiac surgery.

Email: norvin@wakemed.org.

Doug Raiff, PharmD, BCPS, is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Medication Management and Optimization at WakeMed. He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from the Raabe College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University in 2011. After graduation, he completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, followed by a specialty residency in Drug Information/Medical Information at Duke University Hospital and GlaxoSmithKline. During his PGY1 residency, he completed a teaching certificate through Northeast Ohio Medical University’s College of Pharmacy. Prior to WakeMed, he worked as a Pharmacy Coordinator in the Center for Medication Policy at Duke University Health System. Doug serves as the drug information preceptor for PGY1 residents and student pharmacists at WakeMed. His current areas of interest include formulary management, clinical decision support, medication safety, and pharmacoeconomics. He is a member of the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists (NCAP) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Email: rraiff@wakemed.org.

Beth Sawrey, PharmD, BCPPS, is the current Pediatric Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at WakeMed Health and Hospitals. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry with a minor in genetics and graduated with honors from North Carolina State University. She continued her education at Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences where she obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy and graduated with honors. She completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and PGY2 Pediatric Specialty Resident at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC. Beth is a member of Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA), American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacist (ASHP), and North Carolina Association of Pharmacists (NCAP). She serves as an article reviewer for The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics. At WakeMed, she currently serves as the pediatric preceptor for PGY1 and PGY2 residents, as well as pharmacy students. She also received the Pyramid Society Award which is given to WakeMed employees nominated by colleagues who go above and beyond. Beth’s areas of clinical interest include EPIC implementations, pediatric critical care, and interdisciplinary patient care initiatives.

Email: bsawrey@wakemed.org.

Nick Shabanowitz, PharmD, is a Decentralized Cardiology Pharmacist at WakeMed. He primarily serves as a pharmacist preceptor for pharmacy students and PGY1 residents covering general cardiology patients, optimizing cardiovascular pharmacotherapy and facilitating transitions of care. Typical patient populations on his general cardiology rotation include those with heart failure, atrial fibrillation, CAD, ACS, pericarditis, PAD, etc. Other clinical interests outside of cardiology include internal medicine, transplant, and ID. He received his B.A. in Biology at the University of Virginia, PharmD at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and completed his PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency along with a teaching certificate at University of Michigan Health (Michigan Medicine). Nick’s previous research experience has focused on DOAC use in special populations (bariatric surgery), atrial fibrillation management in complex patients (hematologic malignancies), and effective teaching/learning strategies in pharmacy curricula related to feedback quality and aspects of clinical reasoning. In his free time, Nick enjoys spending time with his two dogs, Franklin and Ivy, along with traveling to explore new places, and playing tennis and golf.

Email: nshabanowitz@wakemed.org.

Hilary Jo Smith, PharmD, BCCCP is a clinical staff Neuro/STICU pharmacist at WakeMed. Hilary is a graduate of the South Carolina College of Pharmacy. She completed her PGY1 pharmacy practice and PGY2 critical care residencies at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, GA. She is a member of American Pharmacist Association (APhA) and Society of Critical Medicine (SCCM). Her interests are ACLS, toxicology, and neurocritical care. She currently serves as a preceptor for PGY1 Pharmacy and PGY2 Critical Care WakeMed residents, as well as a preceptor for students from Campbell schools of pharmacy.

Email: hilsmith@wakemed.org.

Nathan Weller, PharmD is the current Psychiatric Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at WakeMed. He attended Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Indianapolis, IN where he graduated with his PharmD and a minor in ethics in 2022. Following graduation, Nathan completed PGY1 Acute Care Pharmacy Practice residency training with Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI followed by PGY2 training in Psychiatric Pharmacy at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Health in Charleston, SC. During his PGY2 training, Nathan completed teaching and research certificate programs at MUSC College of Pharmacy and conducted research on clozapine screening and documentation habits among patients newly initiated on antipsychotic polypharmacy regimens. His interest areas include severe mental illness and substance use disorders and he is an active member of the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP).

Email: nweller@wakemed.org.

Abbie Crisp Williamson, PharmD, MHA, BCPS, is the current Executive Director of Pharmacy. Since joining WakeMed in 2010, she has been in several positions within the Department of Pharmacy such as the Operations Manager at the Raleigh Campus and the systemwide Clinical Manager. She is a native of Raleigh, NC. She received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2004 and a Master of Healthcare Administration Program from UNC School of Public Health. She completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency and Critical Care Residency at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (formerly Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) in Winston-Salem, NC. Upon completion of residency training, Abbie worked as a surgery/perioperative pharmacist at Duke University Medical Center before transitioning into the Clinical Coordinator of Perioperative Services. Abbie is an active participant in the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists. She has served as the Chair of the NCAP New Practitioner Network, as a member of the NCAP Board of Directors, and currently serves on the NCAP Health-System Practice Academy. In addition, she has served as a member of the Compliance Committee for the North Carolina Physicians Health Program. She lives in Raleigh with her husband and three children.

Email: awilliamson@wakemed.org.

Rhonda Zillmer, PharmD is the current Medication Safety Officer for WakeMed Health & Hospitals. She is responsible for identifying opportunities to improve medication safety, designing and implementing solutions to support the highest quality medication management system. Rhonda is also the Pharmacy Manager for Women’s and Children’s services for the Raleigh Hospital. Since joining WakeMed in 2003, she has worked in various positions in the Department of Pharmacy including as the Pediatric Clinical Specialist, Pediatric Clinical Coordinator, and the North Hospital Pharmacy Manager. Rhonda received her PharmD from the University of Georgia and completed a pharmacy practice residency at The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Rhonda lives in Cary with her husband; she has a daughter who attends NC State studying Textile Technology and a son who is a junior in high school and competitive rock climber.

Email: rhzillmer@wakemed.org.