Jonathan Blais, PharmD
Anticoagulation Pharmacist
Dr. Jonathan Blais received his PharmD degree from the University of Connecticut in 2022. He then completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 Community Pharmacy residency at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, CT. Dr. Blais currently runs the anticoagulation management service clinic at MidState Medical Center and is the preceptor for the anticoagulation learning experience. In his free time Jonathan enjoys playing volleyball, disc golf, and also spends his time trying to recreate his favorite food, a Chicago style deep dish pizza.
Danielle Fry, PharmD
Ambulatory Oncology Pharmacist
Dr. Danielle Fry received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Connecticut and went on to complete her PGY-1 residency at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT. She continued to work at Hartford Hospital for several years as a clinical pharmacist in the surgical ICU and the orthopedic institute. She then transitioned to her current role as an ambulatory care oncology specialist. She serves as a residency preceptor for the ambulatory care oncology rotation.
Jannie Lao, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist
Dr. Jannie Lao received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from MCPHS University in Worcester, MA. After graduation, she worked for Walgreens Pharmacy before becoming one of the first overnight pharmacists at Midstate Medical Center. She joined the Hospital of Central Connecticut in October 2022 as a clinical pharmacist. She currently serves as a residency preceptor for the staffing learning experience. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family and trying new foods.
Francis Lerz, PharmD, MBA, BCPS
Pharmacy Operations Supervisor
Dr. Frank Lerz received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Connecticut in 2016. He subsequently completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Waterbury Hospital and obtained BCPS certification in 2017. Dr. Lerz worked as the Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacist and Preceptor at Waterbury Hospital for one year before his transition to the Interim Director of Pharmacy role. He then became the Clinical Pharmacy Manager at Hartford Hospital for 2 years. He is now the Pharmacy Operations Supervisor at the Hospital of Central Connecticut. Dr. Lerz is also an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice for both the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy and University of St. Joseph School of Pharmacy. He serves as a residency preceptor for the management rotation.
Alexander Levine, PharmD, BCPS
Pharmacy Residency Program Director
Dr. Alexander Levine received his Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of Connecticut and completed a PGY1 residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Following his residency, he was a critical care pharmacist in the Surgical ICU at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Levine then transitioned to a role in academia as an Assistant Professor at the University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy where he taught the pharmacology of infectious diseases, cardiology, and critical care.
Dr. Levine joined the Hospital of Central Connecticut in May 2020 as the Pharmacy Residency Program Director. He is the preceptor for Internal Medicine II and Transitions of Care rotations. His primary research interests are antimicrobial stewardship, treatment of severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome, and management of anticoagulation in special populations.
Rosanna Li, PharmD, BCIDP
Clinical Pharmacist - Infectious Disease / Antimicrobial Stewardship
Dr. Rosanna Li received her Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of Connecticut. She completed a PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Hartford Hospital and PGY-2 pharmacy residency in infectious diseases at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. After working five years at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY as an infectious disease pharmacist, she joined Hartford Healthcare in 2022 where she co-chairs the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee in the Central and Fairfield Regions. Her clinical interests include public health and investigational drugs. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, hiking, and watching documentaries. She currently serves as the preceptor for the infectious disease rotation.
Lauren McMann, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Pharmacist
Dr. Lauren McMann received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Connecticut. She completed a PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency program at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT. She continued to work at Yale-New Haven Hospital for several years as a clinical pharmacist specializing in internal medicine. She transitioned to the Hospital of Central Connecticut in September 2020, where she serves as an inpatient clinical pharmacist. She currently precepts the Internal Medicine I and Transitions of Care rotations. In her spare time, Dr. McMann enjoys hiking, biking, and trying new restaurants.
Kristen Nguyen, BS Pharm
Clinical Pharmacist
Ms. Kristen Nguyen received her BS in Pharmacy from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (now Saint Joseph’s University). Initially, she was employed by Walgreens for 15 years as a Pharmacy Manager, before transitioning to the hospital setting. Kristen worked as a clinical staff pharmacist at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck NJ, before moving to Connecticut. Once relocated, she continued her career at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center as an inpatient clinical pharmacist and then transitioned into an Outpatient Pharmacy Manager role for Employee Pharmacy. During that same time, she started as a per-diem pharmacist at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, to stay current with her clinical skills. After several years, she switched over to full-time status. At HOCC, Kristen precepts IPPE and APPE students and serves as the residency preceptor for the longitudinal staffing rotation. She is a member of several committees. In her spare time, Kristen enjoys traveling and exploring different destinations with her husband and her children, cooking (and of course, eating), hiking, and reading. Kristen is a devotee of fitness and outdoor adventures!
Kelly Richard, PharmD, BCOP
Clinical Pharmacist – Oncology
Dr. Kelly Richard received her PharmD from the University of Connecticut and went on to complete her PGY-1 residency at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT. She is a clinical pharmacist covering inpatient and outpatient oncology care units at The Hospital of Central Connecticut. After several years of oncology practice, she obtained board certification in oncology pharmacy (BCOP). Prior to taking on her current role at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, she worked at Hartford Hospital as a clinical oncology pharmacist and oncology operations coordinator. She serves as a residency preceptor for the oncology learning experience.
Kelly Shepard, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist
Dr. Kelly Shepard received her PharmD degree from the University of Connecticut. She completed her ASHP-accredited PGY1 residency at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, CT. Dr. Shepard currently works as a clinical pharmacist at the Hospital of Central Connecticut as well as a per-diem pharmacist at Waterbury Hospital and Gaylord Hospital. She currently serves as the residency preceptor for the longitudinal research project.
Linda Sill, MS, RPh
Project Manager
Mrs. Linda Woollett Sill graduated with a BS from The Ohio State University (OSU) then went on to earn a Masters of Science with a combined 2-year residency in Hospital Pharmacy Administration.
After completing the residency she worked as the Investigation Drug Pharmacist at OSU, which was in charge of handling medication for over 350 research studies. The program became self-sustaining as a model for charging for the pharmacist services was adopted. As the OSU residency grew, she became the first Residency Coordinator for the program. Cardinal Health Distribution serving as a Business Manager at their corporate headquarters was the next career move, working directly with the customers to serve as a liaison between the vendor team and the customers utilizing the company’s generic drug programs.
In Linda’s current role, she is responsible for different areas of program management at the Hospital of Central Connecticut. She assists in pharmacy policy management for the Hartford Healthcare System. She has roles in the hospital’s code committee and regulatory committee as well. Her interests in Medication Safety are served well as the co-chair of the region’s Medication Safety Committee. Linda serves as a preceptor for the management rotation.
Katherine Tokarz, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist
Dr. Katherine Tokarz received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from MCPHS University in Worcester, MA and her BS degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from MCPHS University in Boston, MA. She completed her PGY1 residency at Middlesex Health/ University of Saint Joseph in CT. Dr. Tokarz joined the Hospital of Central Connecticut after the completion of her residency and also works as a Per Diem Pharmacist at Middlesex Health. Her clinical interests include toxicology and emergency medicine. In her spare time, Dr. Tokarz enjoys going to concerts, going to the beach, and running. She currently serves as the preceptor for Orientation and the Teaching & Learning longitudinal experience.
Ashley West, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Critical Care Pharmacist
Dr. Ashley West received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Connecticut. She completed both her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency and PGY2 Critical Care Residency at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. She then went on to work in the medical intensive care unit at Yale New Haven Hospital before transitioning to be the critical care specialist at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, where she precepts the critical care rotations. In her free time, Dr. West enjoys spending time with her family and dog, eating (after someone else cooks), and exercising.
Abigail Zeiner, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Pharmacist – Emergency Medicine
Dr. Abigail Zeiner oversees the clinical pharmacy services for the emergency department. Dr. Zeiner received her PharmD from the University of Connecticut. She completed her PGY1 pharmacy residency at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT, and specialized in emergency medicine for her PGY2 residency at the Brooklyn Hospital Center/Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Zeiner is involved with several hospital initiatives including implementation of a pharmacist-led culture-call back program, pharmacist code response, and trauma team preparedness. She is actively involved with CSHP as the Junior Board Member for 2020 and completed her term as Senior Board Member in 2021. Dr. Zeiner joined the Hospital of Central Connecticut in 2019 and currently precepts the emergency medicine rotation.