by Carl Dominguez, Pharm.D.

Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy, in collaboration with the LLU Medical Center, created a Teaching Certificate Program for the Post Graduate Year One (PGY1) Residency Program. The program is currently one of only a few PGY1 programs in the nation to provide training for an academic profession. The overall goal of the program is to provide residents the experience and guidance necessary to understand and apply educational issues in pharmacy education. Drs. Andrea Balog (LLU ’08), Michelle Prideaux (LLU ’08), Jasmine Putnam (LLU ’08), Thomas Hatch, and Kyle Kurosaki were the pioneer residents of the program who began the journey of learning what it takes to be a pharmacy clinical faculty. 

As part of the program, residents participate in over 15 hours of seminars that include modules such as Learning Styles, Teaching Styles, Assessment Principles, Life in Academia, Do’s and Don'ts in the Classroom, Exam Question Writing, and others.  After attending various seminars, the residents chose from a list of possible lecture topics within the therapeutics (IPDM) curriculum, and provide over 15 hours of combined lectures to the 2nd and 3rd year pharmacy students. Lecture topics vary across the curriculum with Community Acquired Pneumonia, Insomnia, DVT/PE, Osteoarthritis, Infective Endocarditis, and other topics. 

In addition to the formal didactic lectures, the residents participated in over 60 hours of recitation along with a Faculty Mentor. Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy has continued in this rich experience for the residents and expanded the opportunities as the program has grown. Over the past two years video recording capabilities have provided a new valuable learning tool to the program to allow residents an opportunity to self evaluate lectures and presentations. 

Current residents and participating faculty have shared positive responses towards the Teaching Certificate Program. Prior residents have continued incorporating teaching roles in their practice, such as being lecturers at the School of Pharmacy or being preceptors to students on rotation, and have deemed the program to be of great value. 

Since its inception in 2008, the Teaching Certificate Program offers residents a valuable learning experience during this time of growth within the academic pharmacy profession.


2010-11 P1 residents pictured left to right: Drs. Alefen Fahimi, Ryan Koca, Lee Nguyen-Residency Academic Coordinator, Nanette Gamazon, Shirley Wong, Nancy Kang, Tam Nguyen, and Carl Dominguez-Residency Clinical Coordinator.  Not pictured:  Norela Ocampo.