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Mackenzie McGuire writes down where she matched for the coming year. Image by Evan Lewis

Pharmacy Graduates, Alumni Announce Postgraduate Matches

May 19, 2026 | A crowd of family, friends and well-wishers celebrated 30 UAMS College of Pharmacy graduating students and alumni as they announced their postgraduate residency and postgraduate training matches in a ceremony held May 14 in Little Rock.

This year, there were nearly 6,000 applicants nationwide for postgraduate year one (PGY-1) and year two (PGY-2) residencies. Twenty College of Pharmacy seniors matched to PGY-1 programs, and nine Class of 2025 alumni matched to PGY-2 programs. One senior will continue their education towards a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical evaluation and policy at UAMS.

“Tonight represents far more than simply receiving acceptance into a postgraduate program. It reflects years of hard work, perseverance, personal growth, and a commitment to advancing the profession and improving patient care,” said College of Pharmacy Dean Cindy Stowe, Pharm.D. “We are incredibly proud that our graduates and alumni will continue their training and education in outstanding programs across Arkansas and throughout the country.”

Stowe thanked family members and friends for their support and recognized faculty, preceptors, and members of the Postgraduate Training and Opportunities Committee for their hard work. She said the residencies would be challenging, but rewarding experiences for those who matched.

“I encourage you to approach this next chapter with curiosity, humility, confidence, and gratitude for the people and experiences that will shape your professional journey,” Stowe said.

Most residencies are accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and positions are filled through a process called matching. Through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), seniors apply in the fall before graduation to dozens of programs, then interview with several of them. In the spring, seniors each send a ranked list of their choices to the NRMP. The residency programs also submit a list of their preferred candidates, and an NRMP computer uses an algorithm to reconcile the lists.

Seniors and alumni matched to PGY-1 residencies in Arkansas and five other states: Kentucky, Utah, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and New Mexico. A large majority of the matches (75%) were with programs across Arkansas. The College of Pharmacy’s national footprint continues to expand, with graduates matching to programs in 23 states since 2021.

Kaitlyn Stratton, a senior from Little Rock, matched with the UAMS Medical Center. She said her residency will include “a pretty wide range” of experiences including critical care, ambulatory care, and management, which will help her narrow her focus as a professional.

“I went through the process of interviewing for various matches, but I loved everyone at UAMS and ultimately felt like it was somewhere I could see myself going,” Stratton said. “Luckily, I matched here, and I get to see everything pharmacists do at UAMS. I’m excited to get started.”

Chase Petersen, Pharm.D., MBA, who is currently serving as a PGY-2 resident at UAMS in population health and data analytics, was the keynote speaker. He told the new residents that they would learn more in the next year than they might think possible.

“You are doing important work for real patients, whose lives will be different because you walked into that room,” Petersen said.

Petersen related a story about a diabetic patient with food insecurity whose health improved significantly after he helped connect them with meal services and a social worker. It was an important reminder, he said, of the impact residents can have.

“Somewhere there’s a patient whose readmission did not happen because you caught a drug interaction,” he said. “There’s a patient whose blood sugar levels came down because you simplified that regimen. There’s a family that is not having a conversation they were afraid of having because you sat in a room with their loved one and asked one more question than the consult required. You will almost never see these outcomes — the work does not always close the loop in front of you. But it is real.”

PGY-1 Residencies

Daniel Armstrong — Batesville (White River Health System)

Sarah Aviles — Lexington, Kentucky (University of Kentucky HealthCare)

Blair Benbow — Salt Lake City (Intermountain Health Utah – LDS Hospital)

Alyssa Bradford — Little Rock (Baptist Health Medical Center)

Kerigan Bradshaw-Hensley — Little Rock (Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System)

Madeline Butera — Little Rock (Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System)

Anden Chaney — Kansas City (Children’s Mercy Hospital)

Amberly Clifton — Little Rock (UAMS College of Pharmacy, Harps Food Stores)

Robert Frazzini — Durham, North Carolina (Duke Regional Hospital)

Evan Griese — Shiprock, New Mexico (Northern Navajo Medical Center)

Kylie Hendrix — Little Rock (CHI St. Vincent Infirmary)

Emily Kanwischer — Rogers (Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas)

Madison Layes — Little Rock (Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System)

Mackenzie McGuire — Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (Grand Strand Medical Center)

Aimsley Moran — Searcy (ARcare)

Natalie Smith — North Little Rock (Baptist Health Medical Center)

Kaitlyn Stratton — Little Rock (UAMS Medical Center)

Gabriel Taylor — Little Rock (CHI St. Vincent Infirmary)

Kirsten Tilley — Little Rock (Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System)

Emma Wooldridge — Searcy (ARcare)

Graduate School

Aubree Seibert-Jeffrey — Little Rock (UAMS College of Pharmacy)

PGY-2 Residencies

Jessica Allred — Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Children’s Hospital)

Alexander Heringer — Milwaukee (Aurora Health Care Metro, Inc.)

Hayden Hyman — Little Rock (Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System)

Jenae Powell — Aurora, Colorado (University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy)

Mitchell Rotenberry — Chicago (University of Chicago Medicine)

Megan Sander — Oklahoma City (University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy/OU Health)

Madison Stumbaugh-Tate — San Antonio (University Health)

Jordan Turner — Houston (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)

Meagan Wallace — Little Rock (Arkansas Children’s)