MCW School of Pharmacy Alumna and Froedtert Hospital Resident Aspires to Infectious Diseases Career
In one of her introductory clinical rotations as a pharmacy student, Kaitlin Ledvina, PharmD, recalled a case involving an unusual bacteremia source – a pathogen that’s typically benign and found in probiotics. A provider asked students to recommend an oral medication, instead of IV antibiotics, so the patient could discharge from the hospital. She dove into the literature to investigate the bug and alternative treatments.
“I realized in the infectious diseases specialty, there are always new resistance patterns coming out and new, weird infections to look at,” said Dr. Ledvina. “You really have to be a lifelong learner to stay up to date on those things – which every pharmacist does – but in infectious diseases, there are constant opportunities for research and learning. Really every case is unique, and I think it’s fun to solve the puzzle.”
After graduating from the MCW School of Pharmacy in 2023, Dr. Ledvina is now a PGY1 acute care pharmacy resident at Froedtert Hospital. While pharmacists aren’t required to complete residency training before starting their career, specialized areas of pharmacy practice do tend to recommend them. Aspirations to specialize in infectious diseases fueled her decision to pursue residency.
“As a resident, you start acting independently, but there are lots of support systems in place if you’re not sure about something or just trying to get comfortable with a patient care scenario you’ve never seen before,” said Dr. Ledvina.
One of the reasons Dr. Ledvina was drawn to the MCW School of Pharmacy was its position at an academic medical center campus. She knew that the school’s partnerships with prestigious healthcare providers including Froedtert Hospital, Children’s Wisconsin and the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center would help her gain experience with a wide range of patient populations and begin building her professional network in the Milwaukee area.
Dr. Ledvina noted there are several benefits to these partnerships. MCW’s pharmacy students are exposed to the clinical practice site early in the curriculum, with rotations every Friday during their first and second years. Additionally, students on rotation at Froedtert Hospital, a Level I trauma center, learn from pharmacists in specialized areas who see complex patient cases. A third benefit is the accessibility to experienced preceptors.
“The great thing with Froedtert is they’re so comfortable having learners at all different levels – from first-year students who have never stepped into a pharmacy, to pharmacy technicians who want to advance their career, to residents,” said Dr. Ledvina. “All of the preceptors I had were amazing and were receptive to how each person prefers to receive feedback.”
During the third year of pharmacy school at MCW, students are immersed in clinical rotations full-time. Dr. Ledvina pursued a longitudinal placement with Froedtert Hospital, allowing her to spend five out of seven six-week rotations there. She said she was well prepared for her residency and would have felt comfortable going directly to career, if she wanted to pursue that pathway.
“The faculty mentorship at MCW was unrivaled. Even though I’ve graduated, there are several faculty members who are still helping me in my residency to explore career options,” added Dr. Ledvina. “The devotion that faculty have to us as students and assisting our professional development – not just getting us in and out of classes – is something I’ll take with me.”
One faculty mentor, Abir El-Alfy, PhD, worked with Dr. Ledvina to publish her first paper in the journal RPS Pharmacy and Pharmacology Reports. They conducted a scoping review of research on delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol, one of the primary psychoactive compounds in THC, summarizing available literature and identifying gaps. Ledvina, a student at the time, read and summarized 100 papers and articles on delta-8-THC, describing how it works and potential therapeutic applications in the future.
“Dr. El-Alfy was an amazing mentor who encourages students to work independently," said Dr. Ledvina. “It was so exciting to see the paper published after I graduated, and I can’t thank her enough for giving me this opportunity.”
While there was more delta-8-THC research available than Dr. Ledvina expected, she said more research is needed before it has therapeutic potential. The published paper “Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol: a phytocannabinoid on the rise” is available online.