First two PGY1 Pharmacy residents named
PORT JEFFERSON — Mather Hospital has expanded its Graduate Medical Education program with the addition of a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency program, starting on July 1, 2025. The Pharmacy Residency is a 12-month program that aims to cultivate clinical, operational and leadership skills in pharmacists, all while delivering high-quality pharmaceutical care to patients.
As licensed pharmacists the residents will participate in activities designed to deepen their knowledge of regulatory compliance, pharmacotherapy, medication safety, antibiotic stewardship, committee participation, and key pharmacy initiatives. Our program provides residents with the opportunity to advance and strengthen their professional development, emerge as skilled practitioners, and prepare for PGY2 specialty training and board certification.
Our Pharmacy Department has long been dedicated to delivering exceptional, patient-centered care. Through the establishment of the pharmacy residency program, we reaffirm our commitment to preparing pharmacists to uphold elevated standards of practice. Program Director Maricelle Monteagudo-Chu, PharmD, said the pharmacy residents will be an invaluable addition to our team. “They will be entrusted with managing patients with complex disease states, a responsibility that requires a higher level of critical thinking and advanced clinical knowledge. They will also actively collaborate with physicians and other healthcare professionals to improve patient outcomes, ensure the safe and effective use of medications, and advance excellence in pharmaceutical care,” she said.
To kick off our inaugural year, we welcome our first two residents Allison Nicole Pollina and Harshini Devi Sobhan, who will both complete their Doctor of Pharmacy degrees next month from the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and Touro College of Pharmacy, respectively. Sobhan also received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from City University of New York, York College and a Master of Science in Health Sciences and Public Health from Touro University Worldwide.
Mather Hospital’s Graduate Medical Residency Program was established in 2014 to address a growing shortage of physicians in our community and an increasing demand for primary care physicians. The program now includes more than 110 residents in Internal Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Integrated Interventional Radiology, Psychiatry, and Transitional Year as well as fellowships in Gastroenterology and Hematology Oncology.
About Mather Hospital
Mather Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high-quality health care services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion, respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has twice earned the highest five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for outcomes, patient experience and process and has the prestigious Magnet® recognition three times from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. The hospital was rated high performing by U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 Best Hospitals rankings in gastroenterology & GI surgery; geriatrics; neurology & neurosurgery; orthopedics; pulmonology & lung surgery; COPD; heart failure; hip fracture; kidney failure; leukemia, lymphoma & myeloma; and pneumonia. Mather also was named one of America’s 250 best hospitals for 2023, 2024 and 2025 by Healthgrades and in 2024 received Healthgrades’ Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ for the fourth consecutive year. The Leapfrog Group awarded Mather its 21st top A grade for patient safety in the fall 2024 ratings. Our Graduate Medical Education program prepares physicians for future careers through Internal Medicine, Transitional Year, Diagnostic Radiology, Interventional Radiology, and Psychiatry residency programs and gastroenterology and hematology/oncology fellowships. For information about Mather Hospital, visit matherhospital.org or follow us @MatherHospital on Facebook.
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, about 900 outpatient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 87,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.