Pharmacogenomics Leader Wins National Teaching Innovation Award

Dr. Roseann Donnelly created an interprofessional learning experience for pharmacy and genetic counseling students at one of the nation’s first pharmacogenomics clinics.

Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Roseann Donnelly, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, has received the 2025 Innovation in Pharmacogenomics Teaching Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Pharmacogenomics Special Interest Group. The award recognizes an interprofessional experiential education opportunity Dr. Donnelly planned and hosted at her Pharmacogenomics Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for pharmacy and genetic counseling students.

“I hope this will serve as a model for other schools of pharmacy and encourage them to leverage existing pharmacogenomics clinical services to expand educational opportunities for students,” she said.

Dr. Donnelly explained that many Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) are interested in completing an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) at her pharmacogenomics clinic. Pharmacogenomics is one branch of precision medicine that tailors healthcare, specifically prescription decisions, to individuals based on their genetic makeup.

Limited in the number of APPE students she could accept, Dr. Donnelly sought an alternative solution.

“I thought creatively about how to get more students exposed to this clinic and this emerging field,” she said. “Pharmacy and genetic counseling are a unique combination, but when you think about the skillsets in each, they overlap nicely in pharmacogenomics.”

Over the past two years, Dr. Donnelly invited 54 students to participate in the experience: 36 PharmD students from MCPHS and 18 Master of Science in Genetic Counseling students from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. First, they read an article Dr. Donnelly co-wrote on pharmacist and genetic counselor collaboration in pharmacogenomics and received briefings on patient cases. Then, students from each profession spent a half-day at the pharmacogenomics clinic where they observed patient visits, both pre- and post-genetic testing, and saw how a pharmacist, genetic counselor, and physician work together to provide patient-centered care. Between and after patient visits, students and the clinical team discussed the patient experience, clinical pharmacogenomics concepts, and interprofessional collaboration. After the clinic experience, students wrote a reflection on what they learned and how they will apply it to their careers as healthcare professionals.

Olivia Gosselin, PharmD ’25, MS ’25, BS ’24, participated in the experience and was inspired by the patient interactions she witnessed.

“The interdisciplinary team at Dr. Donnelly’s clinic worked together seamlessly to validate patients and help them take control of their care,” she said. “I watched patients who felt helpless at the start of their visit leave with hope and a smile on their face. This team is a role model for collaboration and prioritizing patients first.”

As she continues her work at the clinic, Dr. Donnelly hopes to create more opportunities like this for pharmacy students who are interested in exploring the possibilities with pharmacogenomics and precision medicine to personalize patient care.

“Students saw how their individual areas of expertise can synergize and create something bigger than either profession can do alone,” Dr. Donnelly said. “Exposure to these types of novel practice models in pharmacogenomics may lead to similar collaborations in the future when these students are in clinical practice because they have already seen what is possible.”

Dr. Donnelly’s paper on her teaching innovation was recently published in the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. This year, she also received the Excellence in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Award from the AACP Pharmacy Practice Section for her work at the Pharmacogenomics Clinic.

Possibilities in Precision Medicine

In the 12th episode of The Secret to Living to 200, Dr. Donnelly shares her expertise in pharmacogenomics and how this emerging field provides personalized healthcare for patients.