2025-2026
Pharmacy Residents
PGY2 Pharmacy Residents
Cardiology
Ivan T Porto, PharmD, BCPS
Hometown: San Diego, California
Pharmacy School: St Louis College of Pharmacy
PGY1: Swedish Medical Center Seattle
Professional Interests: Cardiac Intensive Care, Mechanical Circulatory Support, Academia
Hobbies: Working out, live music, traveling, anything involving the beach
PGY2 Research: Impact of Statins on Gastrointestinal Bleeding in HeartMate 3 LVAD Patients
PGY1 Research: A Retrospective Review of Patients Critically Ill with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Under Extended Neuromuscular Blockade for Over 48 Hours
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Exploring the restaurant/cafe/bar scene, going to local music venues, playing pickup sports
Value of University of Chicago Medicine Residency: Grow together! I love the collaboration between pharmacy and medical residents, preceptors, fellows, attending physicians, nurses, students, and any other professional staff that helps us with patient care. Putting all of our minds together, we've managed exceptionally complex patients with a wide variety of disease states, and in a fashion that has allowed me to learn and grow as a pharmacist throughout my time as a resident. I have found that UCM has teaching and learning so deeply ingrained into its culture that constant growth is inevitable, and I always feel a mutual support with my colleagues.
Critical Care
Alyssia Calhoun, PharmD
Hometown: Middletown, Delaware
Pharmacy School: Thomas Jefferson University
PGY1: University of Chicago Medicine
Professional Interests: Critical Care, Cardiology
Hobbies: Thrifting vintage & flea markets, Happy hour, & Touching grass
PGY2 Research: Impact of a Point of Care Admixture Device on Time to Angiotensin II Infusion Initiation, Cost Savings, and Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients
PGY1 Research: Clinical Outcomes with High-Dose Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents in HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device Patients
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Runs and walks along the lakeshore & river walk, trying new restaurants
Value of University of Chicago Medicine Residency: I chose the University of Chicago Medicine because I sought a program that would truly challenge me. UCM's program will encourage me to step outside of my comfort zone, fostering improvements in my critical thinking skills and helping me grow into a more confident clinician. What I liked most about UCM is its positive environment and its people. After interacting with the residents, preceptors, and pharmacy leadership, I was certain that UCM would be the best fit to help me achieve my personal and professional goals.
Emergency Medicine
Alyse Dutcher, PharmD
Hometown: Downers Grove, IL
Pharmacy School: University of Illinois at Chicago
PGY1: University of Chicago Medicine
Professional Interests: Ambulatory Care, Emergency Medicine
Hobbies: Working out, Soccer, Traveling, & Baking
PGY2 Research: Rates of Hypoglycemia in Patients with Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) Treated with Standard Versus Modified Protocol
PGY1 Research: Efficacy of Abaloparatide vs Teriparatide on Bone Mineral Density for Patients with Osteoporosis
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Trying new restaurants and coffee shops, running on the lakefront, and going to cubs games
Value of University of Chicago Medicine Residency: The University of Chicago offers an exciting opportunity to excel in clinical practice. The residency program consists of a challenging and robust training environment by working with a diverse patient population and receiving support from excellent preceptors. This combination of factors will promote my abilities as a pharmacist and challenge me each day. Additionally, there are unique learning experiences and rotations offered at UCM that will broaden my knowledge base and allow me to explore different opportunities.
Hematology and Oncology
Ben Cochran, PharmD
Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina
Pharmacy School: University of North Carolina
PGY1: University of Chicago Medicine
Professional Interests: Oncology, HIV/AIDS
Hobbies: Traveling, going to the movies, video games, spending time with my dog
PGY2 Research: Evaluation of the Incidence and Management of Cytokine Release Syndrome During Outpatient Step-Up Dosing for Bispecific Antibody Therapy in Multiple Myeloma and Non Hodgkin Lymphoma
PGY1 Research: Early Discontinuation of Empiric Antibiotics for Febrile Neutropenia in Patients with Blood-Hematologic Malignancies
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Taking my dog for walks on the lakefront, going to White Sox games, and trying new restaurants and coffee shops
Value of University of Chicago Medicine Residency: I chose UCM because of the ability to serve a complex and diverse patient population, and the wide variety of experiences offered. All of these aspects of the program will allow me to quickly gain confidence and challenge me to become the best pharmacist that I can be.
Ram Patel, PharmD
Hometown: Mount Vernon, Illinois
Pharmacy School: Midwestern University
PGY1: Northside Hospital
Professional Interests: Oncology, Pharmacogenomics
Hobbies: Hiking, ceramics, cooking
PGY2 Research: Efficacy and Safety of AML Consolidation Therapy with HiDAC-123 Compared to HiDAC-135
PGY1 Research: Evaluating Adherence to Eye Care Recommendations amongst Patients Receiving Antibody Drug Conjugates for Gynecologic Malignancies
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Walks along the lakefront, checking out new restaurants, exploring some of the lesser known and smaller museums
Value of University of Chicago Medicine Residency: UCM's commitment to growth, ownership, and fostering an environment to encourage continued inquisitiveness are what drew me to the program. The variety of challenging and extensive training allows me to practice at the top of my license and keeps me motivated to continuously surpass my limits.
Pediatrics
Meg Aylmer, PharmD
Hometown: Goodrich, Michigan
Pharmacy School: University of North Carolina
Professional Interests: PICU, NICU
Hobbies: My cats, bravo tv shows, swimming, reading
PGY2 Research: Epinephrine Versus Dopamine for First-Line Vasoactive Support in Neonates
PGY1 Research: Evaluation of Unfractionated Heparin Continuous Infusion Order Set Changes
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Find new cafes and bookstores, spend time by the lake
Value of University of Chicago Medicine Residency: I knew that UCM was a place that I could explore my clinical interests and gain confidence through the pediatric pharmacist on-call program. It was clear to me that preceptors are committed to helping residents reach their full potential as pharmacists. Beyond that, UCM cares for a diverse population, so I knew I could continue to put my passion for creating a more equitable healthcare landscape to use here.
Solid Organ Transplant
Jessica Lynch, PharmD, MBA, MS
Hometown: Eugene, Oregon
Pharmacy School: University of Colorado
PGY1: Rush University Medical Center
Professional Interests: Solid Organ Transplant, opportunistic infections, immunosuppression
Hobbies: Reading, finding new restaurants/coffee shops, cooking
PGY2 Research: Clinical Outcomes Following Belatacept Use in Lung Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Experience
PGY1 Research: Long vs Quick Steroid Taper in Pancreas Transplant Recipients
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Trying new places to eat, walking along the water, all the street festivals/markets in the summer
Value of University of Chicago Medicine Residency: What drew me to UCMs residency was the complex patient population and preceptors who are practicing at the top of their fields. I knew I wanted to be challenged and see as much as possible in residency, and UCM is a place where I will be learning something new every day.
PGY1 Pharmacy Residents
Neha Sathe, PharmD (PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy)
Hometown: Pune, India
Pharmacy School: UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy
Professional Interests: Women's Health, Chronic Disease State Management, Cardiology
Hobbies: Dancing, singing, and trying new recipes!
PGY1 Research: Evaluating the Clinical Impact of a Pharmacist-Led GLP-1 Weight Loss Clinic for Adults and Adolescents
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Admiring Navy Pier fireworks, going to Montrose dog beach, exploring museums and cafes
Value of University of Chicago Medicine Residency: When I began as a Meds2Beds pharmacy intern at UChicago Medicine nearly two years ago, I quickly observed a team of pharmacists that consistently delivered quality care while striving to enhance patient outcomes. The combination of ambulatory and specialty pharmacy practices in this program creates a dynamic learning environment which motivated me to continue my journey as a resident at UChicago Medicine.
Richa Patel, PharmD, MBA (Non-Traditional PGY1)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Pharmacy School: South University
Professional Interests: Oncology, Cardiology
Hobbies: Baking, Traveling, Reading
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Walking on the lakefront
Value of University of Chicago Medicine Residency: Contributing to the community