Pharmacy Residents Recognized with Prestigious Research Award

Wegmans School of Pharmacy residents Cadhan Mcfadden and Teresita Muniz earned an Excellence in Pharmacy Practice Research Award from the New York State Council of Health-System Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation (NYSCHP REF). Their recognition comes with their Research in Progress, entitled “Decreasing Inaccurate Penicillin Allergies in an Ambulatory Care Clinic Using a Multidisciplinary Approach.”

While penicillin antibiotics are one of the most commonly reported allergies in the United States, only a small percentage of patients are actually allergic. Mcfadden and Muniz’s research studied all patients with penicillin allergies in two different ambulatory care clinics in New York, St Joseph’s Health in Syracuse and Anthony Jordan Health Center in Rochester.

After a series of interviews and utilizing the Penicillin Allergy Decision Rule (PEN-FAST) tool, Mcfadden and Muniz were able to either: remove patients’ allergies directly, offer an oral amoxicillin test in the clinic, or refer them to an allergist in the area for further testing. Their efforts allowed them to successfully de-label or remove a number of patients listed with penicillin allergies throughout both Rochester and Syracuse.

“Patients who can’t take penicillin antibiotics due to their allergy may receive antibiotics with worse side effects, or in some cases, may not be the best treatment option for their infection,” Mcfadden said. “By promoting de-labeling efforts and educating patients about their allergies, we aim to increase the amount of penicillin being prescribed while continuing to battle antimicrobial resistance.”

Mcfadden and Muniz applied for the award because they felt it could help further develop their project and spread their message to other members of the organization. They said that the award validates the hard work, sacrifice, and guidance from all who collaborated with them in the process.

The two plan on using the funds from the award to develop a continuing education program to further promote the importance of assessing penicillin allergies. They intend to continue to see patients and collect more data, as a high percentage of patients still need to be assessed. The collected data will also be shared at the Making a Difference in Infectious Diseases conference in Orlando, Florida at the end of May.

The Excellence in Pharmacy Practice Research Award was presented at the NYSCHP Annual Assembly’s Installation Dinner on Saturday, April 5.

This article was written by Brooke Eastman, a senior media and communication major. Eastman currently works in the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fisher for the spring 2025 semester.