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Postgraduate year one (PGy1) community-based pharmacy residency program

ASHP & APhA Accredited | Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe, El Paso, TX 

Celebrating more than 15 years of Pharmacy Residency Training in El Paso

Overview | Program Overview | Training Structures | Preceptors & Partners | Residents & Alumni Outcomes | How to Apply | About El Paso & ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ SOP

PGY1 Community-based pharmacy residency program

training Bilingual pharmacists to advance health equity across the borderland.

The ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ School of Pharmacy’s PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency prepares pharmacists to deliver culturally responsive care within a Federally Qualified Health Center serving predominantly Spanish-speaking communities. Residents gain immersive experience in ambulatory care, population health, teaching, leadership, and the 340B medication-access model. Graduates emerge as confident clinicians and advocates for equity in community and ambulatory care settings.

Program overview

bilingual. community-anchored. transformational.

Training bilingual pharmacists to advance health equity across the Borderland.

The ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ SOP PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency (CPRP) prepares pharmacists to serve as compassionate, practice-ready clinicians on the U.S.–Mexico border. Residents train within a Federally Qualified Health Center that delivers bilingual, culturally grounded care to predominantly Spanish-speaking communities. Through immersive experiences in ambulatory care, population health, teaching, and community pharmacy practice, residents develop the clinical confidence and leadership skills needed to improve health outcomes and expand access to care.

Our program integrates evidence-based pharmacotherapy with the realities of caring for underserved populations, emphasizing chronic disease management, transitions of care, HIV prevention, medication-access advocacy, and innovative community partnerships. Residents gain hands-on experience navigating the 340B medication-access model, optimizing care within interprofessional teams, and contributing to systems-level improvements that shape community health.

Graduates emerge prepared for careers in ambulatory care, academia, community-based practice, or PGY2 specialty training. Every resident leaves with the skills to serve diverse populations, lead with purpose, and elevate the standard of patient-centered pharmacy care.

Quick Facts

Duration: 12 months
Start: July
Setting: Federally Qualified Health Center (La Fe)
Focus: Ambulatory Care • Community Pharmacy • Teaching & Leadership
Unique Strengths: Bilingual care • Borderland health • 340B medication-access model • Equity-focused training

Residents rotate through diverse learning experiences that combine direct patient care, leadership, and public-health service. Training occurs within La Fe’s clinic network alongside ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ faculty preceptors and interprofessional teams.

training structures

Direct Patient Care Training

Disease State Management / Education & Prevention

Residents deliver chronic disease management—diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, anticoagulation, smoking cessation—within a bilingual, Federally Qualified Health Center serving predominantly Spanish-speaking communities. Training emphasizes guideline-based care, motivational interviewing, and culturally grounded education. Residents practice autonomously under collaborative practice agreements and develop confidence in managing complex, underserved populations.

Preceptors: Rafael Sánchez; Carina Salazar

Family Practice & Transitions of Care

Residents work alongside family medicine clinicians to manage acute and chronic conditions while supporting care continuity across settings. This experience strengthens clinical decision-making, medication therapy optimization, and communication with interprofessional teams. The bilingual patient population provides rich opportunities to integrate cultural humility and shared decision-making.

Preceptors: Rafael Sánchez; Carina Salazar

Patient-Centered Dispensing

Residents participate in community-based pharmacy operations emphasizing safe dispensing, patient counseling, adherence support, and culturally responsive communication. The experience integrates the 340B medication-access model, allowing residents to understand cost-sensitive care and assist patients facing financial barriers. This rotation highlights the pharmacist’s role in bridging clinical care and community pharmacy practice.

Preceptors: Sandra Saenz; Babette Pedregon; Susana Lopez

Integrative Medicine in Residency

This learning experience introduces residents to strengths-based wellness approaches that complement conventional care, emphasizing patient education, lifestyle interventions, and team-based strategies. Residents learn how integrative practices can support chronic disease management in a bilingual, community-anchored setting.

Preceptor: Denise I. Pinal

Elective: Inpatient General Medicine

Residents may select an inpatient general medicine rotation to gain acute care exposure, rounding experience, and enhanced understanding of transitions between inpatient and outpatient settings. This elective promotes adaptability and strengthens clinical reasoning for community-based pharmacists managing post-discharge patients.

Preceptors: based on inpatient preceptor availability

Leadership & Administration

Administration

Residents gain hands-on experience with pharmacy operations, quality initiatives, budget considerations, and workflow optimization within an ambulatory and community health environment. Exposure to the 340B medication-access model enhances understanding of financial stewardship and access equity. Residents develop leadership skills by participating in meetings, policy discussions, and project planning.

Preceptors: Babette Pedregon; Rafael Sánchez

Professionalism – Leadership

This longitudinal experience builds confidence in communication, time management, conflict resolution, and reflective practice. Residents receive structured mentorship from program leadership and cultivate professional maturity essential for practicing in dynamic, multicultural clinical environments.

Preceptor: Rafael Sánchez

Academia, Teaching & Scholarship

Teaching

Residents participate in layered learning, didactic instruction, skills labs, and experiential precepting at the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ School of Pharmacy. They develop teaching philosophies, facilitate bilingual patient education, and receive feedback from faculty mentors.

Preceptors: Harleen Singh

Project & Writing

Residents design, implement, and present a scholarly project addressing a meaningful community health or ambulatory care need. They gain experience in protocol development, data collection, IRB processes (as applicable), manuscript preparation, and conference presentation.

Preceptor: Harleen Singh

Program Foundations

Orientation

Orientation provides essential onboarding to clinic workflows, bilingual communication standards, documentation processes, expectations, and safety training. Residents begin cultivating the cultural humility and adaptability essential for serving diverse Borderland communities.

Preceptors: Rafael Sánchez; Babette Pedregon

Preceptors & partners

Program Leadership

Rafael Sánchez, PharmD, AAHIVP, BCACP, CDCES Residency Program Director • Clinical Assistant Professor

Harleen Singh, PharmD, BCPS-AQ Cardiology, BCACP, FOSHP Residency Program Coordinator • Clinical Professor

Babette Pedregon, PharmD Pharmacy Director • Pharmacist-in-Charge

Core Preceptors

Denise I. Pinal, PharmD, BCPP

Carina A. Salazar, PharmD, AAHIVP

Susana Lopez, PharmD

Sandra Saenz, PharmD

Community Partner: Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe

Residents train at a Federally Qualified Health Center serving predominantly Spanish-speaking populations across the El Paso Borderland. Training includes chronic disease management, transitions of care, HIV prevention, immunizations, community outreach, interprofessional care, and experience with the 340B medication-access model.

Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving El Paso’s low-income Mexican-American population. Residents deliver care across its clinics and contribute to services in diabetes, hypertension, HIV care, and health education.

The Pharmacy Residency Program provides experience in working with different disease states and collaborating with physicians and primary care practitioners to provide clinical services to the community.  Residents will use current therapeutic guidelines and drug information resources to provide optimal care. There is a unique opportunity to develop Spanish-language skills to better communicate with patients. Because La Fe embraces a holistic approach to health care, residents will enjoy being able to connect with a community beyond clinical pharmacy services.

residents & alumni outcomes

Meet the Next Generation of Community Pharmacists

Our residents embody a commitment to service, teaching, and culturally grounded care. Each brings unique strengths and passions that enrich our Borderland communities.

Current Resident (2025-2026)

Valeria Zubiate Saldivar, PharmD

¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ School of Pharmacy

Practice Interests: Chronic disease management, diabetes equity, teaching

Residency Project: Six-week resident-led diabetes intervention integrating community engagement, continuous glucose monitoring, and health-education strategies for uninsured and under-resourced patients.

Contact: vzubiatesaldivar@utep.edu

Alumni Impact Snapshot

Graduates advance to impactful careers across ambulatory care, academia, HIV care, oncology, community pharmacy, and PGY2 specialty training. They serve as clinical pharmacists, faculty members, directors, and health equity leaders across Texas and the Southwest.

*Recipient of APhA Foundation Residency Incentive Grant during Residency Year

how to apply

Ready to Join Our Mission?

Applications are accepted through PhORCAS. Interviews are by invitation and conducted virtually or on-site. We welcome applicants committed to community health, bilingual practice, and patient advocacy.

Application Checklist:

• PharmD from ACPE-accredited college
• Eligibility for Texas licensure
• Letter of Intent emphasizing community/ambulatory care interest
• Curriculum Vitae
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts

Timeline:

Application Deadline: January 10   |   Match Phase I via NMS   |   Start Date: Early July

Contact Card:

Rafael Sánchez, PharmD, AAHIVP, BCACP, CDCES
Residency Program Director  |  ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ School of Pharmacy  |  rsanchez48@utep.edu

about el paso & utep sop

Live and Learn on the U.S.–Mexico Border

El Paso offers a vibrant blend of cultures, languages, and landscapes—an ideal setting for training in community health. With a low cost of living and a welcoming spirit, residents enjoy balance while serving one of the nation’s most diverse regions.