Faculty
Brian W. Bedwick, PharmD, BCACP
Clinical Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care
Assistant Director, Geisinger Clinic Northeast PGY-1 Residency
Dr. Bedwick is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy in 2015. After graduation, he completed a PGY-1 Community Pharmacy Residency with West Virginia University and Waterfront Family Pharmacy in Morgantown, W.V. He then accepted a position as an anticoagulation clinical pharmacy specialist with the Hospital of the University in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he was a member of both the inpatient and outpatient anticoagulation management teams. He joined Geisinger in 2019 and now practices at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre Primary Care, working alongside Geisinger's family medicine residents. In addition to serving as the assistant residency program director, Dr. Bedwick also serves as the preceptor for the drug information and healthcare education learning experience.
Susanne O. Burns, PharmD, MBA, CACP
Assistant Director, Ambulatory Specialty Pharmacy Programs
Dr. Burns is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2010 and a Master of Business Administration degree from Western Governors University in 2020. She began her career at Geisinger in 2011 as an ambulatory clinical pharmacist after working for a short time in a community pharmacy. After several years of clinical practice specializing in chronic disease management, she transitioned into various leadership roles within the organization. In her current role, she is responsible for the oversight of clinical pharmacy programs embedded within specialty medicine practice sites across the system. Dr. Burns’ work is focused on developing and expanding the role of pharmacists in the health system to improve access and quality of care. She serves as a preceptor for the administration learning experience.
Allison Cebulko, PharmD, BCCCP
Clinical Pharmacist, Neuroscience Services
Dr. Cebulko is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2014. She then completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency through WellSpan York Hospital. During that year, she obtained her pharmacy teaching certificate through Shenandoah University. After graduation, she accepted an inpatient position at Geisinger Medical Center. In 2016 she transferred to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where she focused in emergency medicine and critical care. She recently transitioned to the ambulatory care setting working in the Neurology Department. Together, the neurology pharmacists co-manage disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis, immune modulation therapy in the neuroimmune subspecialty, antiepileptic dosing in pregnancy, and antiplatelet dosing in patients undergoing neurovascular intervention. Dr. Cebulko serves as a preceptor for the neurology elective and pharmacogenomics learning experiences.
Christopher Defrancesco, BSc, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Geisinger Community Medical Center
Dr. Defrancesco received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1994 from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and his doctorate in 2011 from Shenandoah University. With a commitment to the philosophy of lifelong self-directed learning, Dr. Defrancesco earned certification from nationally recognized organizations such as the American Pharmacists Association Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery certificate and Pain Management certificate. He maintains a practice at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, Pa. His primary areas of interest include pain management, internal medicine and cardiology, as well as serving as preceptor for PGY1 pharmacy residents. Dr. Defrancesco is also adjunct faculty at Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy and Passan School of Nursing. He is a preceptor for the internal medicine learning experience.
Brooke DePietro, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Telepharmacy
Dr. DePietro is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2006. Dr. DePietro practices in Geisinger’s Telepharmacy Department with a special focus on anticoagulation. She also has experience as an ambulatory clinical pharmacist with Geisinger specializing in anticoagulation, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and pain management, as well as in home infusion. Dr. DePietro serves as the preceptor for the anticoagulation learning experience.
Pamela Gagliardi Giarratano, PharmD
Pharmacy Manager, Geisinger Retail Pharmacy
Dr. Giarratano is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2013. After graduation, she worked as a pharmacist at Walgreens Pharmacy until 2020, when she accepted the role of manager of the retail pharmacy in Geisinger Kistler Clinic. Her professional interests include immunizations, patient medication education, and business administration. She is enrolled in the MBA program at The University of Scranton. Dr. Giarratano serves as the preceptor for the Geisinger retail staffing learning experience.
Stacey Grassi, PharmD, CACP
Assistant Director, Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacy Programs
Stacey Grassi is a graduate of Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2002. She completed a PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Geisinger Medical Center in 2003. After residency, she accepted a position as a clinical pharmacist at Geisinger, where she practiced in the areas of general internal medicine, nephrology, hematology and oncology and ambulatory anticoagulation. In 2013, she accepted the position of regional coordinator of ambulatory clinical pharmacy programs for Geisinger’s Central Region. In 2016, she was promoted to assistant director for the programs. Her oversight included anticoagulation, diabetes, hypertension, lipids, heart failure, asthma, COPD, pain therapy, addiction medicine, hepatitis C, IBD, anemia in CKD and pregnancy, and transplant. In 2021, she took on a systemwide role as assistant director of ambulatory clinical pharmacy programs, with oversight of all family practice clinics in the Geisinger system. She also serves as an administrative preceptor for the PGY-1/PGY-2 HSPAL Pharmacy Residency Program. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University. Dr. Grassi is a preceptor for the administration learning experience.
Julienne R. Hanley, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Hepatology
Dr. Hanley is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2014. After graduation, she started her career as a pharmacy manager at Rite Aid Pharmacies in northeastern Pennsylvania. She accepted a position as an ambulatory clinical pharmacist with Geisinger in 2016, specializing in hepatology. Her professional interests include teaching, hepatitis and transplant. Dr. Hanley serves as the preceptor for the hepatology elective learning experience.
Hillary L. Harris, PharmD, CDCES
Clinical Pharmacist, Rheumatology
Dr. Harris is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2017. After graduation, she started her career as a pharmacist for Walgreens Pharmacy in northeastern Pennsylvania. She accepted a position as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist with Geisinger in 2018, working in the Geisinger Kingston primary care clinic. She now works as the rheumatology clinical pharmacist since transitioning roles in 2022. She also serves as a preceptor for the residents’ medication use evaluation projects.
Michael A. Kachmarsky, PharmD, BCACP, CACP
Clinical Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care
Director, Geisinger Clinic Northeast PGY-1 Residency
Dr. Kachmarsky is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy in 2014. After graduation, he completed a PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA. He then accepted a position as an ambulatory clinical pharmacist with Geisinger, specializing in anticoagulation, diabetes, dyslipidemia, asthma and hypertension management. In addition to his role as the residency program director, Dr. Kachmarsky also serves as a preceptor for the primary care learning experience.
Christina Kalechitz, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care
Dr. Kalechitz is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas and Texas Tech University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Business Administration in 2004 and her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2008. After graduation, she completed a PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa. She accepted a position as an inpatient clinical pharmacist in 2009 at Geisinger in Danville and then transitioned to a position as an ambulatory clinical pharmacist. Since then, she has specialized in anticoagulation, asthma, COPD, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension management. Her professional interests include teaching, anticoagulation and comprehensive diabetes management. Dr. Kalechitz serves as a preceptor for the primary care learning experience.
Danielle Karaffa, PharmD, BCPS
Cardiology Clinical Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care
Dr. Karaffa is a graduate of University of the Sciences, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2013. After graduation, she completed a PGY1 pharmacy residency at Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton, Pa., and her Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Resident Teaching Certificate in 2013. After residency, Dr. Karaffa worked as a clinical pharmacist at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital until joining Geisinger Community Medical Center as a clinical pharmacist in 2015 and became residency program director in 2020. She is board certified in pharmacotherapy. Dr. Karaffa transitioned to ambulatory care in September 2022 within Geisinger CMC Heart and Vascular Institute with MTDM Specialty Pharmacy. Her areas of interest include teaching and precepting, lipid management and heart failure management.
Samantha Kunkel, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care
Dr. Kunkel is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2017. After graduation she worked as a manager in the community pharmacy setting prior to accepting a position as a clinical pharmacist with Geisinger in 2018. She focuses on anticoagulation, asthma, COPD, diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension, and also has a background in pain management. Dr. Kunkel has assisted with the major resident research projects, and also assists with the primary care learning experience.
Rachel Lazevnick, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care
Dr. Lazevnick is a graduate of the Nesbit School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2020. After graduation, she completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency with Geisinger Clinic Northeast in northeastern Pennsylvania. During that year she earned her teaching certificate from Wilkes University. She then accepted a position as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist at Geisinger 65 Forward Health Center. This clinic offers treatment to patients 65 years and older and involves an interdisciplinary approach. Here, she specializes in anticoagulation, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, COPD and smoking cessation. Dr. Lazevnick serves as a resident mentor and also as a preceptor for the residents’ medication use evaluation projects.
Leonard Learn, PharmD
Regional Manager, Telepharmacy
Dr. Learn is a graduate of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Studies in 2012 and his Doctor of Pharmacy in 2014. Following graduation, he accepted a position as a staff pharmacist at Walgreens Pharmacy and shortly thereafter became the pharmacy manager. In 2018, he accepted a position as a clinical pharmacist with Geisinger in the Telepharmacy Department. He transitioned into a clinical coordinator role and then into a leadership role, where he now serves as the regional manager for telepharmacy. His professional interests include medication reconciliation, urinary tract infection management and transitions of care. Dr. Learn serves as the preceptor for the telehealth learning experience.
Justine Maley, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Hematology/Oncology
Dr. Maley is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2018. After graduation, she accepted a position as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist with Geisinger, specializing in oral chemotherapy management. Her professional interests include precepting, hematology/oncology research and patient education. She serves as the preceptor for the hematology/oncology elective learning experience.
Amanda Popko, PharmD, BCACP, CACP
Pharmacy Manager, Ambulatory Specialty Pharmacy Programs
Dr. Popko is a graduate of the University of Scranton and of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 2009 and her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2014. After graduation, she accepted a position as an ambulatory clinical pharmacist with Geisinger, specializing in anticoagulation and chronic disease management. In 2019, Dr. Popko entered a hybrid clinical/leadership role when she became clinical coordinator for ambulatory care family practice. In December 2021, she accepted a position of manager for the ambulatory specialty pharmacy programs. In that role, she assists in the oversight of the ambulatory care pharmacists embedded at specialty clinics including endocrinology, pulmonology, cardiology, neurology, anemia, infectious diseases, rheumatology, gastroenterology, hepatology and dermatology. Dr. Popko is board certified in ambulatory care and her professional focus is implementation of pharmacist driven workflows to optimize patient care. She serves as a preceptor for the administration learning experience.
Amanda Sharry Rogers, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Pharmacist, Neurology
Dr. Rogers is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2008. After graduation, she accepted a position at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, where she spent seven years as an inpatient pharmacist. In 2015, she accepted a position as an ambulatory clinical pharmacist with Geisinger, specializing in neurology. Her professional interests include multiple sclerosis and patient education. Dr. Rogers is the primary preceptor for the outpatient neurology elective learning experience.
Gretchen Semsick, PharmD, MS
Clinical Coordinator, Telepharmacy
Dr. Semsick is a graduate of Duquesne University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2007. Following graduation, she continued her education by earning a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Science from West Virginia University in 2011. Before accepting a position as a clinical pharmacist with Geisinger in the Telepharmacy Department in 2018, she worked as a grocery store pharmacist for Food Pyramid in Oklahoma (manager) and Kroger in Tennessee (co-manager). She transitioned to the role of clinical coordinator for Telepharmacy in 2022. Her professional interests include leadership, anticoagulation, rheumatology and neurology. Dr. Semsick serves as a preceptor for the telehealth learning experience.
Kelly A. Sklanka , PharmD, CDCES
Pharmacy Coordinator, Family Practice, Ambulatory Care Pharmacy
Dr. Sklanka is a graduate of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2018. After graduation, she accepted a position as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist with Geisinger, specializing in anticoagulation, diabetes, dyslipidemia, asthma/COPD and hypertension management. Her professional interests include teaching and comprehensive diabetes management. She also serves as adjunct faculty at Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. Dr. Sklanka serves as a preceptor for the primary care learning experience.
Teri A. Thomas, RPh
Clinical Pharmacist, Chronic Pain MTDM
Ms. Thomas is a graduate of the Temple University School of Pharmacy, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1996. She spent 20 years working as a clinical inpatient hospital pharmacist at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. She joined Geisinger as an ambulatory clinical pharmacist specializing in chronic pain management in 2016 for Geisinger’s Northeast Region. She assists Geisinger physicians in managing their patients with chronic non-malignant pain, provides palliative care, coordinates complementary therapies to manage chronic pain, monitors patient compliance, identifies and assesses potential or existing risk factors, and collaborates with cognitive behavioral therapists. Presently, she has a distinct focus on assisting patients in weaning from high dose opioid regimens and converting them to safer, non-opioid medication regimens for the management of chronic, long-term pain. Ms. Thomas is the preceptor for the elective pain management learning experience.
James M. Taleroski, PharmD, BCACP, CACP
Clinical Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care
Dr. Taleroski is a graduate of the Temple University School of Pharmacy, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1994 and his Doctor of Pharmacy in 1995. After graduation he completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown, Pa. He accepted a position as a clinical pharmacist at Geisinger Medical Center in 1996, where he was a member of the inpatient internal medicine and hematology/oncology teams. He was one of three pharmacists in Geisinger’s initial anticoagulation clinic pilot program. Dr. Taleroski moved on to the VA Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in 2001, where he practiced as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist in the anticoagulation and lipid clinics. He was also integral in implementing their pharmacist-run hepatitis C clinic. He returned to Geisinger in 2007 and started the anticoagulation clinic at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre. Dr. Taleroski practices at Geisinger Mountain Top as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist in the MTM Clinic. He specializes in anticoagulation, diabetes, lipid, hypertension, asthma and COPD. He serves as a resident mentor.
Ryley Uber, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Pharmacogenomics
Dr. Uber graduated from Cedarville University School of Pharmacy with his Doctorate of Pharmacy in 2018. Upon graduation, he began a two-year fellowship in clinical pharmacogenomics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. During fellowship, he ran the pharmacogenomics testing service for the cardiac catheterization laboratory and conducted clinical research, including clinical service outcomes and machine learning development. Prior to fellowship completion, he accepted his current position at Geisinger in 2020. In this position, Dr. Uber’s time is split between pharmacogenomics research and implementation throughout the health system. Dr. Uber is a preceptor for the pharmacogenomics learning experience.
Adriene Zook, PharmD
Pharmacy Manager, Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacy Programs
Dr. Zook is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2011. Upon graduation Dr. Zook continued her time transitioning from a graduate extern to a licensed clinical pharmacist, ultimately landing in Geisinger Montoursville Family Practice, where she began the MTDM services there. Her practice grew and she remained in this role for nearly nine years until taking the position of regional manager for ambulatory programs for the Geisinger Central Region. After a leadership restructure in January 2022, Dr. Zook remains in the pharmacy manager role but has oversight over the entire Family Practice Ambulatory Pharmacy Program and assists the clinical pharmacists embedded at the primary care locations with program growth and development, day-to-day workflow asks and requirements, and quality and data-tracking tasks. Through her role as a preceptor for the administration rotation, Dr. Zook can continue to capture her passion for education, not only for her providers and pharmacists, but for the pharmacy residents, too.