Meet the Director and Team

Welcome from the Program Director

Thank you for your interest in our pharmacy residency program. I am pleased you have taken the time to learn more about our program at Mercy Health – Lorain Hospital. 

Our pharmacy department’s mission is to ensure our patients achieve the best medication-related outcomes possible, and our residents are integral to our pursuit of this mission. The goals of our PGY-1 program are to build on the Doctor of Pharmacy education and outcomes to contribute to the development of pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients, eligible for board certification and eligible for post-graduate year two (PGY-2) pharmacy residency training. 

Residents are embedded in our integrated, patient-centered practice model and obtain experience in a wide variety of practice settings under the tutelage of highly experienced and caring preceptors. They gain valuable experience through the design and execution of their residency research project, longitudinal committee and leadership activities, the opportunity to teach and mentor pharmacy students and involvement with professional organizations. 

Our program is fully accredited with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). The pharmacy staff at our institution includes several board-certified pharmacotherapy specialists (BCPS) and the staff also precepts Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) and IPPE students from a variety of schools. 

Thank you for your interest in our program. We look forward to the possibility of meeting with you!

Program Director

Michelle Cardenas, PharmD, BCPS | Program Director

Dr. Cardenas serves as the residency program director for the PGY-1 program and is also the clinical coordinator for the department of pharmacy. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Toledo in 2002 and completed her pharmacy practice residency at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio in 2003. Michelle stepped into role as residency program director in 2022 and has participated in precepting residents since program inception in 2015. Current duties include coordinating pharmacy and therapeutic committee activities, serving as program director for the PGY-1 residency program and serving on numerous hospital committees. In the residency program, Michelle precepts orientation, internal medicine and longitudinal medication use evaluation resident project. Michelle is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist..    

Core Faculty