Today, the program includes nearly 20 certificate programs with 33 residents in the Midwest alone.

Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences in Florida launched its pharmacy residency program 25 years ago. In Arizona, residencies have been offered since 2017. See all pharmacy residencies.

"Our program is one of the few that has more specialty residencies than general residencies, which says a lot about the specialized care we offer," says Nei, who is a graduate of the PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency. "Mayo Clinic has always been committed to education. From the time of the Mayo brothers, education was seen as vital to our mission. In the pharmacy area, leadership recognized how pharmacy brings value to the patient care team, and they've stayed true to that value."

A ceremonial celebration

Paul Abramowitz, PharmD, CEO of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, will be a keynote speaker at the June 23 graduation ceremony to help celebrate the pharmacy residency program's half-century mark and its most recent graduates. Max Hunt, who founded the Mayo Pharmacy Residency Program, will also speak at the event.

The graduation ceremony will also recognize the contributions of pharmacists to the Pharmacy Residency Program with these awards:

• Distinguished Alumni: Max Hunt
• Preceptors of the Year (Eau Claire): Cortney Sands, PharmD, and Teresa Moua-Her, PharmD
• Preceptor of the Year (La Crosse): Scott Hall, PharmD
• Preceptor of the Year (Rochester): Joseph Zieminski, PharmD
• New Preceptor of the Year (Eau Claire): Tyler Nichols, PharmD.
• New Preceptor of the Year (Rochester): Josh Clement, PharmD
• Outstanding Service Award (Rochester): April Tepfer, PharmD

Fifteen residents from Mayo Clinic in Rochester and Mayo Clinic Health System locations in Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Mankato will receive their first postgraduate year (PGY-1) certificates. Twelve residents will receive their second postgraduate year (PGY-2) certificates. Their residencies include specialties such as oncology, solid organ transplant, critical care, pharmacogenomics, and internal medicine.

Andy Jatis, PharmD, who will receive his PGY-2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency certificate and was chief resident, says the program gave him the opportunity to lead resident leadership initiatives and the resident advisory committee. He describes it as a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience.