Fellowship

Michelle Rapier, PharmD

Dr. Michelle Rapier, of Cambridge City, Indiana, will serve as the college’s Pharmacy Practice Research Fellow. Rapier received her PharmD from Cedarville University.

“The opportunity for research, clinical experience and completion of the ETSU Master of Public Health program while being connected to a college of pharmacy is what drew me to this fellowship program,” said Rapier. “While at ETSU, I hope to contribute to research in areas including student wellbeing and the implementation of clinical initiatives in community pharmacies. I also hope to improve my teaching and mentoring skills through various classroom instruction experiences." 

Aaron Salwan, PharmD, MPH

Aaron Salwan, PharmD, MPH, completed the fellowship program in June 2020. Dr. Salwan is a 2017 graduate of the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy. He was the first fellow to complete a 3-year fellowship at ETSU. Dr. Salwan developed both research and clinical skills with an emphasis in psychiatry under the guidance of Dr. Sarah Melton and fellowship director Dr. Nick Hagemeier. As a fellow, Dr. Salwan participated in a variety of research projects, some of which explored how community pharmacists engage with patients at risk of developing an Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), improving medication adherence among people living with HIV through SMS messaging, and identifying how stigma impacts ability to seek healthcare among people who inject drugs. Dr. Salwan completed his Master of Public Health degree in 2020 with a concentration in Community and Behavioral Health, including an internship at a local syringe service program. Dr. Salwan was heavily involved with ETSU’s Addiction Science Center directed by Dr. Robert Pack, collaborating with other researchers focused on improving the lives of people struggling with substance use disorders across Appalachia. His career interests include substance use disorders, academia, outpatient psychiatry, and harm reduction. After completing the fellowship, Dr. Salwan chose to pursue more clinical training and took a position as a Neuro-Psychiatric Pharmacy PGY2 Resident at Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.

Tyler Melton, PharmD, MPH

Tyler C. Melton, PharmD, MPH, graduated from the Gatton College of Pharmacy in 2012 and went on to work in various rural pharmacy practice settings across Western North Carolina. He returned to East Tennessee State University to complete post-graduate fellowship training where he earned his Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Community and Behavioral Health in May of 2020. During his time in the fellowship, he worked with the Sullivan County Anti-Drug Coalition to develop a program promoting the installation of medication drop-boxes in rural community pharmacies, participated in research projects led by the ETSU Addiction Science Center, trained diverse audiences on the use of intranasal naloxone for opioid reversal, and continued his practice experience with Morristown Pharmacy. His practice interests include rural health, community pharmacy practice, prescription drug misuse and prevention, and pharmacy operations management. After the fellowship, Dr. Melton took a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy.

Karilynn Dowling, PharmD

KariLynn Dowling, PharmD, MPH, BCACP, completed the Fellowship Program in June 2018.  Dr. Dowling is a 2014 graduate of the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy. She completed residency training at Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor, Maine, as a member of the 2014-15 PGY1 Community Pharmacy and 2015-16 PGY2 Health-Systems Pharmacy Administration residency classes. As a resident, Dr. Dowling focused on controlled substance stewardship and program implementation for intranasal naloxone and medication-assisted therapy initiatives. During the Fellowship Program, Dr. Dowling primarily focused her research and professional development activities on harm reduction strategies, including significant involvement on the ETSU Research Development Committee grant, “Community Pharmacist Engagement in Hepatitis C and HIV Prevention: A Feasibility Study” (PI: Dr. Nick Hagemeier).  She earned her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Community and Behavioral Health in May 2018.  Her career interests include drug abuse research, opioid use disorder treatment, and academia.  After completing the Fellowship Program, Dr. Dowling took a position as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Gatton College of Pharmacy.

Daniel Ventricelli, PharmD

Daniel Ventricelli, PharmD, graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in May 2013 and completed a Community Pharmacy PGY-1 Residency with the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy and Kroger in June 2014. As a community pharmacy resident, Dr. Ventricelli's focus was on medication therapy management, clinical program development, and teaching at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, where he held an adjunct faculty appointment. Dr. Ventricelli was also a member of the clinical treatment team on the Dual Diagnostic Unit at the Chestnut Ridge Center for Mental Health Services in Morgantown, West Virginia. While working on the Dual Diagnostic Unit he played an integral role in the treatment of patients struggling with substance use disorders. His practice interests include addiction services, diabetes care and medication therapy management. Dr. Ventricelli’s research at ETSU focused on prescription drug abuse and misuse communication among prescribers and pharmacists. Dan earned an MPH degree in Community and Behavioral health and completed the fellowship in June 2016. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of the Sciences, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.

Rajkumar Sevak, MS, PhD, RPh

Dr. Sevak earned a bachelors in pharmacy and masters in pharmacology in India. During the masters program, Dr. Sevak developed a strong interest in the impact of drugs on brain and behavior, and joined the Ph.D. program in pharmacology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. During graduate school, Dr. Sevak received rigorous training on the principles of pharmacology and behavioral analysis in the context of drug abuse. Dr. Sevak earned his Ph.D. in 2006 and completed postdoctoral research training on the abuse of prescription stimulants and methamphetamine at the University of Kentucky in 2009. Dr. Sevak has published several articles in reputable peer-reviewed journals including, the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology and the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and he has presented research at numerous scientific conferences. He has received several awards, including the Graduate Student of the Year from the University of Texas, Young Scientist Award from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and the Early Career Investigator award from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence. Dr. Sevak joined the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a faculty member in 2009. At UCLA, Dr. Sevak continued his research on abuse of stimulant medications that are prescribed in clinics and abused on the streets and was awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in research funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and private sources. His work at UCLA was recognized nationally in the receipt of honors and awards from reputed organizations, such as the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Sevak joined the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Gatton College of Pharmacy as a fellow and adjunct faculty member in July 2014 and completed the fellowship in June 2016. He earned a biostatistics certificate program during the fellowship. Dr. Sevak is presently completing a PGY1 residency at Auburn University.