Erica Ridley, PharmD | PGY1
Hometown: Chatham, IL
Dr. Ridley earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and went on to earn her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in May 2020. As her major research project, Erica chose to assess the average duration of antibiotic therapy, both inpatient and outpatient, for patients with uncomplicated community-acquired pneumonia. In addition to her clinical pharmacy residency, she serves as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor of Pharmacy Practice at SIUE School of Pharmacy. Her practice areas of interest are ever changing but currently include pediatrics, infectious disease, and internal medicine. In her time away from pharmacy, she likes spending time with family and friends, enjoying Lake Springfield, and watching Packers football.
Aakash Patel, PharmD | PGY2
Hometown: Columbia City, IN
Aakash earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Manchester University in May 2019 and had then went on to complete his PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital. Aakash’s practice areas of interest, beyond infectious diseases, include pursing academia and contributing to didactic and experiential education of pharmacy learners. His residency project for this year will look at the potential cost-benefit analysis of implementing oritavancin use in patients to reduce the risks and costs associated with an extended length of stay. Outside of pharmacy, Aakash enjoys listening to audiobooks, watching content across multiple streaming platforms, breakfast foods, hanging out with his wonderful co-residents and Zoom sessions with family. He also enjoys traveling but has not recently been able to indulge in that passion.