Rich is originally from Syracuse, NY. After receiving his B.S in Diagnostic Imaging from Rochester Institute of Technology, Rich went on to earn his PharmD from Albany College of Pharmacy & MPH from the University of Albany. Upon graduating Pharmacy school, Rich further completed a PGY-1 residency at Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. Rich is precepting & responsible for MICU and Progressive Care Unit oversight. In his free time Rich enjoys distance running, supporting Rutgers wrestling & football programs and spending time with his wife, 3 kids and their Labrador retriever mix named Berkeley.

Mona is a lifelong resident of NJ and graduate of the Rutgers College of Pharmacy. She completed her PGY-1 Residency in Pharmacy Practice at St. Barnabas Medical Center. She has held 2 different positions at Mountainside, initially establishing Mountainside as a site for advanced experiential education for students as a Rutgers Clinical Assistant Professor, where she was named Preceptor of the Year. Later she accepted a position with the hospital as its Clinical Coordinator and was fortunate to be awarded Preceptor of the Year again from the UNE School of Pharmacy along with her colleague Richard Adamczyk. She has worked with the Infectious Disease team at Mountainside to develop its Antimicrobial Stewardship program and is responsible for the Infectious Disease, Family Medicine, and Internal Medicine Rotations. Mona enjoys spending time with her 3 boys, traveling, and is very active with her Church as the Assistant Director of Youth Services.

Ahmed is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He completed his PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in 2018 and began working as the emergency medicine clinical pharmacist there upon graduation. In October 2019, Ahmed joined Mountainside Medical Center as its first ever ER clinical pharmacist. One of Ahmed’s greatest passions is teaching/education. Apart from precepting APPE students and PGY-1 pharmacy residents, Ahmed also teaches pharmacology to physician assistant students at a local university. Ahmed welcomes engaging and thought-provoking discussions and seeks to learn from his residents just as much as he enjoys teaching them. When Ahmed is not working, he is spending time with his wife and kids. He enjoys the outdoors and looks forward to travelling when he gets the chance.

Julia holds Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from The Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Long Island University and Master of Business Administration from The University of Phoenix. Julia is a life-long advocate for patient safety and is holding a certification from the Board of Professionals in Patient Safety as well as ASHP Certificate of Achievement in Medication Safety. Julia has expertise in regulatory compliance with The NY and NJ State and Federal pharmacy regulations as well USP <797> and <800> Chapters. With over 20 years of hospital pharmacy experience in NY and NJ, Julia has been fortunate accomplish a successful progressive professional growth. She started her hospital career as a staff pharmacist, followed by the promotion to Clinical Pharmacy Manager and eventually in 2014 Director of Pharmacy. Julia has served as an Affiliate Assistant Clinical Professor at St. John's University School of Pharmacy and has spearheaded and developed successfully accredited ASHP Pharmacy Residency programs, serving as a Residency Program Director and a preceptor for pharmacy residents and students prior to joining Mountainside Medical Center in August of 2017. Julia is a big proponent of creating a nurturing and respectful learning environment where the residents can grow their skills and pursue the highest level of professional and personal growth, while achieving work-life balance. Julia a big animal lover and enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 kids, cat and dog.

Tim received his Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Public Health degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Tim is very proud to be an alumnus of the PGY-1 pharmacy residency program at Mountainside Medical Center. After residency, he began working as the ER clinical pharmacist at Centrastate Medical Center in Freehold, NJ. In 2024, Tim rejoined the MMC pharmacy team serving as the emergency medicine clinical pharmacist in the evenings. He is also appointed as the preceptor for the residents’ transitional care rotation. Tim is an advocate of an open-feedback learning environment which encourages the residents to have maximum autonomy to plan their desired practice while receiving constant feedback to enhance their knowledge and skills. In his free time, Tim likes to play volleyball, hang out and jam with his friends, attend Broadway shows, and try different cultural foods. One thing to note, Tim is allergic to cats.

Alena received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Rutgers University.

She has > 10 years’ experience working as an inpatient staff pharmacy as well as an infusion staff pharmacist. Alena works closely with the clinical pharmacists and staff to integrate clinical initiatives into daily practice. Precepts pharmacy students from Rutgers on sterile IV admixtures and oncological preparations, in addition to being a preceptor for pharmacy students from several pharmacy schools for the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Rotations. Alena precepts the residents during Orientation and Staffing rotations in USP<797> standards, sterile admixtures and general oncology knowledge and safe preparation techniques.

Joan graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She is a life-long advocate for patient safety having expertise in regulatory compliance with The NY and NJ State and Federal pharmacy regulations as well USP <797> and <800> Chapters, with over 40 years of hospital pharmacy experience in NY and NJ. She precepts the residents during Pharmacy Administrative Rotation.

Marianne received her PharmD from Rutgers College of Pharmacy. She has been working as an inpatient pharmacy staff as well as an infusion staff pharmacist since graduation. Marianne works closely with the clinical pharmacists and staff to integrate clinical initiatives into daily practice. Precepts pharmacy students from Rutgers on sterile IV admixtures and oncological preparations, in addition to being a preceptor for pharmacy students from several pharmacy schools for the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Rotations. Marianne precepts the residents during Orientation and Staffing rotations in USP<797> standards, sterile admixtures and general oncology knowledge and safe preparation techniques.

Edison received his PharmD from The Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Long Island University. He has been working as an inpatient pharmacy staff as well as an infusion staff pharmacist since graduation. He works closely with the clinical pharmacists and staff to integrate clinical initiatives into daily practice. Precepts pharmacy students from Rutgers on sterile IV admixtures and oncological preparations, in addition to being a preceptor for pharmacy students from several pharmacy schools for the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Rotations. Edison precepts the residents during Orientation and Staffing rotations in USP<797> standards, sterile admixtures and general oncology knowledge and safe preparation techniques.

He precepts the residents during Orientation and Staffing rotations.

June received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Rutgers University. She has over 10 years' experience working as an inpatient staff pharmacy as well as an infusion staff pharmacist. June works closely with the clinical pharmacists and staff to integrate clinical initiatives into daily practice. Precepts pharmacy students from Rutgers on sterile IV admixtures and oncological preparations, in addition to being a preceptor for pharmacy students from several pharmacy schools for the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Rotations. June precepts the residents during Orientation and Staffing rotations in USP<797> standards, sterile admixtures and general oncology knowledge and safe preparation techniques. She also precepts the residents during Orientation and Staffing rotations.

Neil Assad is a Lead Pharmacy Technician and the Pharmacy Buyer for Mountainside Medical Center. He received his Certification in Pharmaceutics after graduating from the University of Guyana, School of Pharmacy. Prior to coming to New Jersey, Neil worked in Guyana and the Caribbean as a Procurement Officer for a pharmaceutical and supply company. Upon immigrating to the US, Neil acquired his Certification as a Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) in the state of New Jersey in order to continue to pursue his interest in working in the field of pharmacy. After receiving multiple Pharmacy Technician job offers around the state, Neil choose Hackensack Meridian Health - Mountainside Medical Center due to its focus on workplace culture & the opportunities offered to help employees thrive. One of Neil’s greatest passions is being in a position to provide young professionals the guidance and necessary support needed to successfully achieve their developmental needs and goals, a pursuit that dovetails nicely with Neil’s role in providing residency orientation oversight for our program. Neil is also a member of Mountainside Medical Center Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Clinical Site Preceptor/Advisory Board Member for AIMS Education, Pharmacy Technician Program of Piscataway, NJ. In his free time Neil enjoys travelling, exploring new cuisines and cultures, spending time with his wife and 2 daughters; one of which is a freshman at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.