Specialties

Community Based Residency Program
Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership
Ambulatory Care
Cardiology
Critical Care
Emergency Medicine
Infectious Disease
Oncology
Solid Organ Transplant

PGY-1 Pharmacy Residents

Nici Gordon, PharmD: Gordon is from Fishers, Indiana, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2024.

Her professional interests include cardiology, internal medicine and emergency medicine. Gordon’s research project will focus on whether the conversion of alteplase to tenecteplase decreases door-to-needle time for management of acute ischemic stroke.

Outside of work, she enjoys baking, walking along the lakefront, trying new coffee shops and watching reality TV.

Hanson Hudgens, PharmD: Hudgens is from Columbia, South Carolina, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of South Carolina (USC) College of Pharmacy in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from USC with a bachelor's degree in pharmaceutical sciences.

Her professional interests include emergency medicine. Hudgens's research project will focus on if implementing IV push vs. IVPB levetiracetam (LVT) loading doses will decrease the time to administer LVT loads.

Outside of work, Hudgens enjoys reading, running and drawing.

Krista LaBorde, PharmD: LaBorde is from Marksville, Louisiana, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of Houston in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in biochemistry.

Her professional interests include oncology and critical care. LaBorde's research project will focus on whether targeting higher INR goals in patients post-pulmonary thromboendarterectomy prevents (or decreases) recurrence of thromboembolism.

Outside of work, LaBorde enjoys walking along the lakefront and trying new restaurants in Chicago.

Melissa Maas, PharmD: Maas is from Sartell, Minnesota, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from Loyola University-Chicago with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry.

Her professional interests include infectious diseases and emergency medicine. Maas’s research project will focus on studying the incidence of adverse effects in patients on phenobarbital for acute alcohol withdrawal.

Outside of work, Maas enjoys reading, crocheting, playing Dungeons and Dragons and taking long walks on the beach.

Serena Mashal, PharmD: Mashal is from Portland, Oregon, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at Oregon State University College of Pharmacy in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in biohealth sciences.

Her professional interests include critical care and infectious diseases. Mashal's research project will focus on evaluating the safety of high dose IVP thiamine administration.

Tess Pribyl, PharmD: Pribyl is from Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science in pharmaceutical sciences.

Her professional interests include oncology and solid organ transplant. Pribyl's research project will focus on assessing olanzapine tolerability when used for CINV prophylaxis in patients undergoing stem cell transplant.

Outside of work, Pribyl enjoys walking along the lakeshore, exploring new restaurants and breweries around Chicago, and spending time with family and friends.

Maria Procaccini, PharmD: Procaccini is from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from James Madison University with a bachelor's degree in biology.

Her professional interests include oncology. Procaccini’s research project will focus on if patients who receive IV iron products in the outpatient setting require routine monitoring for hypophosphatemia.

Outside of work, Procaccini enjoys going for walks, trying new restaurants, spending time with family and friends, and hanging out with her cats Ivy and Sage.

Aya Samhan, PharmD: Samhan is from Corvallis, Oregon, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at Oregon State University in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology.

Her professional interests include solid organ transplant and infectious diseases related to patients receiving a transplant. Samhan’s research project will focus on the current utilization of olanzapine IM in the emergency department at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Outside of work, Samhan enjoys trying new coffee shops and watching reality TV.

Erica Stone, PharmD: Stone is from Nags Head, North Carolina, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and biological Sciences.

Her professional interests include critical care and cardiology. Stone's research project will focus on evaluating the current institutional practice for dosing dexmedetomidine in patients with obesity.

Outside of work, Stone enjoys eating, sitting out on the Chicago riverwalk with friends, running around Chicago with her dog Hudson and traveling to new cities.

Mary Westover, PharmD: Westover is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of Michigan in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from Indiana University-Kokomo with a degree in biological and physical sciences.

Her professional interests include internal medicine and hematology/oncology. Westover's research project will focus on standardizing heparin dosing in patients with obesity at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Outside of work, Westover enjoys running along the lakeshore, sharing a beer with her coresidents, reading a good book and watching Michigan football.

Community Based Residency Program

Elna Shibu, PharmD: Shibu is from India and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of Illinois College of Pharmacy in 2024. Before pharmacy school, she graduated from Oakton College with pre-pharmacy coursework.

Her professional interests include neurology and inflammatory disorders. Shibu's research project will focus on the levels of appeal and outcomes associated with inflammatory specialty medications.

Outside of work, Shibu enjoys exploring the city, shopping, working out and spending time with family and friends.

Ghenwa Hassan, PharmD: Hassan is from Bayonne, New Jersey, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in 2024.

Her professional interests include ambulatory care, specialty pharmacy, and women's health and reproductive medicine. Hassan's research project will focus on outpatient management for hypertension associated with oral anti-cancer agents dispensed by the Northwestern Medicine Specialty Pharmacy.

Outside of work, Hassan enjoys going to the movies (she is an AMC A-Lister), watching tennis and reading.

PGY1&2 Health System Pharmacy Administration & Leadership

Khushali Sarnot, PharmD: Sarnot is from St. Louis, Missouri, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy in 2024.

Her professional interests include quality and medication safety, operations management and clinical interests in cardiology. Sarnot’s research project will focus on enoxaparin treatment dosing in obesity.

Outside of work, Sarnot enjoys spending time with her cat, family and friends, walking along the riverfront and trying new food places in Chicago.

Tyler Howse, PharmD: Howse is from Moriarty, New Mexico, and is a graduate of University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy and University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management where he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Business Administration degrees in 2023. Before pharmacy school, he earned his Bachelor of Science in biology and psychology at University of New Mexico.

Howse’s research project will focus on implementing AI within the specialty pharmacy setting to determine the overall impact on prior authorization throughput and accuracy. His professional interests include operations management, finance and 340B.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, running, trying new restaurants in Chicago and checking ESPN constantly.

PGY-2 Pharmacy Residents

Ambulatory Care

Tara Tanriverdi, PharmD: Tanriverdi is from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy in 2023. She completed her PGY1 pharmacy residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

Her professional interests include transitions of care and internal medicine. Tanriverdi's research project will focus on analyzing patient outcomes of pharmacist interventions in a cardio-kidney metabolic clinic.

Outside of work, she enjoys list yoga, trying new restaurants and going to the lake with friends.

 Vishal Prakash, PharmD: Prakash is from Naperville, Illinois, and earned his Doctor of Pharmacy at Purdue University College of Pharmacy in 2023. He completed his PGY1 pharmacy residency at TriHealth Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.

His professional interests include internal medicine, cardiology, and endocrinology. Prakash’s research project will focus on evaluating causes of SGLT2i discontinuation in patients with comorbid conditions.
Outside of work, he enjoys exercising, hammocking by the lake and cheering on Chicago sports teams.

Cardiology

Lauren Lacoursiere, PharmD: Lacoursiere is from Tecumseh, Ontario, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2023. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
Her professional interests include ischemic heart disease and complex cardiac arrhythmias. Lacoursiere’s research project will focus on the incidence of adverse drug events with milrinone utilization in critically ill patients requiring continuous renal replacement therapy.
Outside of work she enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, reading, and visiting her parents and golden retriever (Henry) back home whenever she can.

Critical Care

Ethan Meyer, PharmD: Meyer is from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and earned his Doctor of Pharmacy at University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023. He completed his PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin.
His professional interests include medical ICU, infectious disease and cardiology. Meyer's research project will focus on evaluating the use of PRU monitoring in patients receiving neurovascular stents to optimize cangrelor initial dosing and titration.
Outside of work, he enjoys cycling, camping, traveling, cooking and trying new foods.

Emergency Medicine

Brady Woods, PharmD: Woods is from Bolivar, Ohio, and earned his Doctor of Pharmacy at The Ohio State University in 2023. He completed his PGY1 pharmacy residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
His professional interests within the emergency department include medication access, infectious diseases and emergency response. Woods' research project will focus on comparing the severity of intracranial hemorrhage in patient's taking a DOAC and either metoprolol or diltiazem.
In his free time, he enjoys running along the lakefront, watching movies and exploring the Chicago food scene.

Infectious Diseases

Joel Kennedy, PharmD: Kennedy is from Jackson, Mississippi, and earned his Doctor of Pharmacy at University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy in 2020.
He completed his PGY1 pharmacy residency at Princeton Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
His professional interests include Gram-negative resistance, rapid diagnostics and infectious diseases in the critically ill. Kennedy’s research project will focus on evaluating the impact of our community-acquired pneumonia algorithm.
Outside of work, he enjoys traveling to new places, skiing and spending time with friends and family.

Oncology

Sarah Fierek, PharmD: Fierek is from Wausau, Wisconsin, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023. She completed her PGY1 pharmacy residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
Her professional interests include malignant hematology and stem cell transplants. Fierek’s research project will focus on the comparison of safety and efficacy of second-line ES-SCLC regimens.
Outside of work, Fierek enjoys trying new restaurants, reading, working out and spending time with friends and family.

Sarah Khaddage, PharmD: Khaddage is from Glen Allen, Virginia, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2023. She also completed her PGY1 pharmacy residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and is narrowing down her professional interests this year.
Khaddage’s research project will focus on the effect of administering same-day granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on neutropenia-related events in patients receiving chemotherapy for gastrointestinal malignancies.
Outside of work, she enjoys listening to live music and teaching herself to roller skate.

Sophia Luk, PharmD: Luk is from Columbus, Ohio, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at The Ohio State University in 2023. She completed her PGY1 pharmacy residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
Her professional interests include malignant hematology and thoracic oncology. Luk's research project will focus on the impact of older age and frailty on outcomes in patients with CAR-T lymphoma.
Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new restaurants and coffee shops, spending time with family and friends, and traveling.

Solid Organ Transplant

Molly Gavin, PharmD: Gavin is from Mokena, Illinois, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2023. She completed her PGY1 pharmacy residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
Her professional interests include solid organ transplant and infectious disease management within transplant. Gavin’s research project will focus on the comparison of posaconazole, voriconazole and isavuconazonium to assess efficacy and safety for their utility in preventing invasive fungal infections in lung transplant recipients.
Outside of work, she enjoys exploring different restaurants and coffee shops in Chicago, running along the lakefront, shopping, trying new recipes and spending time with friends and family.