Polischuk appointed Director of Practice Labs in the Department of Pharmacy Practice

By Samantha Rzeszut

Published May 18, 2023

Emily Polischuk, PharmD, has been appointed Director of Practice Labs in the Division of Education and Teaching Innovation (ETI) in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, effective May 29. She will also hold academic rank as a clinical assistant professor.

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“Polischuk will be responsible for planning and assessing laboratory and skills activities in our school’s new integrated curriculum, ensuring the highest quality of education and training for students. ”
Nicholas Fusco, PharmD, division head and clinical associate professor, Division of ETI
Department of Pharmacy Practice
Emily Polischuk, PharmD.

As the director of practice labs at the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (UB SPPS), Polischuk will direct and coordinate all pharmacy practice teaching and laboratory skills activities in our PharmD curriculum. She will also continue her current role as the pharmacy compounding lab course coordinator and as a preceptor for our introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) and advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students.

“I am excited for the opportunity to take on a new role at UB SPPS and to contribute to the new integrated curriculum,” says Polischuk. “I look forward to developing and coordinating pharmacy practice lab activities that yield confident, practice-ready graduates that are well-prepared to be leaders in their field.”

Polischuk earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Duquesne University in 2009. From 2009-2011, she worked as a staff pharmacist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. In 2012, she completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, then stayed on at UPMC as a neonatal intensive care pharmacist. In 2015, Polischuk relocated back to Western New York as a clinical staff pharmacist and co-director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital. In 2022, she joined UB SPPS as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

“As the Director of Practice Labs, Polischuk will be responsible for planning and assessing laboratory and skills activities in our school’s new integrated curriculum, ensuring the highest quality of education and training for students,” says Nicholas Fusco, PharmD, division head and clinical associate professor, Division of ETI, Department of Pharmacy Practice. “We are excited for her to bring her practice experience to the classroom and help design activities that train students to enter contemporary pharmacy practice.”

Polischuk is also a member of several professional organizations and committees, including the Pediatric Pharmacy Association and the Oishei Children’s Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Committee, where she currently serves as co-chair. In 2013 she received the ­Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Quality Improvement Award for creating a culture of patient safety through continuous care improvement.

“As a member of the Division of Education and Teaching Innovation, I will work with division members to establish UB SPPS as a leader in the scholarship of education,” Polischuk says.

For over 135 years, the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has continually been a leader in the education of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists, renowned for innovation in clinical practice and research. The school is accredited by the American Council of Pharmaceutical Education and is the No. 1 ranked school of pharmacy in New York State and No. 14 in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.