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Not Purely Academic

UHCOP Welcomes 3 Pharm.D. Graduates as First Cohort of Academic Pharmacy Fellows

Created to assist in the transition and development of future pharmacy educators and help the college implement its new Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) curriculum in fall 2018, UH College of Pharmacy recently welcomed its first cohort of Academic Pharmacy Fellows. 

The fellowship is a 12-month program to prepare pharmacists for a career in pharmacy education through training in teaching, curriculum development, college service, mentoring, scholarship and clinical practice. In addition to academic experience in such activities as lecturing, facilitating small group-based learning, course coordination and student assessment, the fellows will also participate in direct patient-care rotations based on their field of interest.

Parna Haghparast

Parna Haghparast earned her Pharm.D. degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey. After pharmacy school, she pursued PGY‐1 at The University of Texas Medical Branch‐Correctional Managed Care (UTMB‐CMC), where she worked in a variety of pharmacist-run clinics such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease, diabetes and psychiatry.

As a patient advocate, Haghparast has created self‐management educational tools to improve health outcomes for her patients and worked closely with providers to obtain collaborative practice privileges and prescribing authority in ambulatory care clinics. As a member of the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, Haghparast was responsible for designing disease management algorithms for providers to ensure evidence-based medicine and cost effectiveness in a restricted formulary system.

Her past teaching experiences include lecturing at UTMB Physician Assistant School in Galveston as a part of the respiratory pharmacotherapy module. Additionally, she was a supplemental biology instructor for underprivileged science students at Rutgers during her pharmacy education.

Tyler Marie Kiles

Tyler Marie Kiles is a 2016 Pharm.D. graduate of UHCOP. After pharmacy school, she completed a PGY1 Community Pharmacy Residency with Mercer College of Pharmacy and Rite Aid in Atlanta, Ga., then joined Kroger Pharmacy as an assistant pharmacy manager. With a passion for patient education and community outreach, Kiles is currently pursuing certification as a diabetes educator. Kiles is proficient in Spanish, with special training in Spanish for Health Professionals.

Her practice interests include the use and perceptions of natural products/herbal medicines as well as the perception and effectiveness of pharmacy care services in the community setting, particularly in minority populations. Kiles is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, Inc.

Joshua Wollen

Joshua Wollen earned his Pharm.D. degree from Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions in Omaha, Neb., and a B.A. in Chemistry from Drury University in Springfield, Mo. Following graduation, Wollen practiced in the community setting for four years at Walmart Pharmacy.

His areas of professional interest include community pharmacy, academia, and cultural competence in health care. Wollen holds Patient-Centered Diabetes Care certification from the American Pharmacists Association.

In 2017, Wollen was recognized as Creighton's Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences Community Preceptor of the Year. Wollen is a member of the Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, Inc. and the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society.