This past October, the UConn School of Pharmacy recognized five outstanding pharmacists at its 23rd annual Preceptor Event. Dedicated to student mentorship in pharmacy practice, Samantha Russo, Christopher Batista, Barbara Fiano, Youssef Bessada, and Roy Walton have excelled in guiding future pharmacists.
Students walking outside the School of Pharmacy (UConn Photo)
The 2025 Preceptors of the Year were Samantha Russo, Christopher Batista, Barbara Fiano, Youssef Bessada, and Roy Walton. These individuals were recognized during a ceremony in October, named after associate professor of the School of Pharmacy Dennis J. Chapron. Chosen through student feedback focusing on their commitment, knowledge, and willingness to foster a positive learning experience, these recipients go above and beyond in their mentorship roles and in facilitating the growth of the profession and UConn's program. Held in October in honor of American Pharmacist Month, the Preceptor Appreciation event was made even more special with the School's centennial.
Among the recipients, they received two awards for introductory Pharmacy Practice, two awards for Advanced Pharmacy Practice, and there was one new awardee. For the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Preceptors of the Year, Samantha Russo won the Community Practice Award, and Christopher Batista won the Health System Practice Award. For the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Preceptors of the Year, Barbara Fiano won the APPE Non-Faculty Award, and Youssef Bessada won the UConn Full-Time Faculty Award. Lastly, the new awardee was Roy Walton, who received the Office of Experiential Education Excellence Award.
"As the profession has evolved, our preceptors have also had to evolve to keep us moving forward." – Jennifer Luciano
Samantha Russo (Pharm.D.): Community Preceptor Award
Graduating with a Pharm.D. in 2016 from the University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy, Samantha spent part of her undergraduate experience as a research assistant in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at UConn. In this role, Samantha compiled literary searches and computed effect sizes and other helpful statistical techniques.
Also, during her time at the University of Saint Joseph, Samantha started working as a pharmacy technician and intern at CVS Pharmacy in West Hartford. After getting her Pharm.D., Samantha became a staff pharmacist at CVS Pharmacy in Wethersfield, where she managed an ancillary staff in filling 3,000 plus prescriptions weekly and consulted with physicians and patients with regard to medication, dosage, and drug interactions.
In her current role, Samantha is a pharmacy manager at Big Y Pharmacy, where she carries out key tasks including verification, patient consultation, inventory management, and vaccination administration. Additionally, Samantha shows her dedication to community impact through leading outreach programs at local senior centers, offering free consultation and medication reconciliation, and facilitated multiple on and off-site vaccination clinics to administer influenza and COVID vaccines to the community. In this role, Samantha was awarded the company's pharmacist of the year in 2023, a testament to her strong work ethic and outstanding interpersonal skills.
At Big Y, Samantha has gone above and beyond in providing a welcome experience to students, creating a collaborative environment where young pharmacists can ask questions and gain experience through hands-on learning.
"Sam's guidance, patience, and encouragement made a lasting impact and helped set the tone for a strong start to my journey as a student pharmacist." – Sam's student
Christopher Batista (Pharm.D.): IPPE Health System Preceptor Award
Receiving his Pharm.D. from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York and completing his Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) Community-Based Pharmacy Residency at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Christopher now works as a Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator & PGY1 Residency Coordinator in the Saint Francis Hospital Inpatient Pharmacy.
As a member of various committees, including the American Pharmacists Association (APA) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), Christopher embodies the characteristics of a leader. Through his leadership, he has also gained volunteering experience through a City-Wide Food Drive in Waterbury and at Hannaford Pharmacy in Vermont, providing the community with a flu clinic and health screenings.
Focusing on population health, medication use, ambulatory care, and medication quality and compliance during his PGY1 Residency, Christopher has given presentations on interests including dental conditions, cardiovascular medications, gender dysphoria, diabetes care, and more.
Joining Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in January of 2024, Christopher has quickly stepped in to improve in areas of need. He's been working closely with his team over the past two cycles to develop an IPPE/APPE program to improve availability, particularly for health system rotations.
"He encouraged me to be a better pharmacist and organized his rotation very well." – Christopher's student
Barbara Fiano (B.S. in Pharmacy): APPE Non-Faculty Award
Barbara Fiano graduated from UConn Pharmacy in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. Graduating Magna Cum Laude and as a Board-Certified Geriatric Pharmacist, Barbara found her motivation to become a dedicated lifetime learner through her time as a Husky.
Affiliated with the American Society of Consultant Practice (ASCP), Barbara has the opportunity to serve diverse patient populations while providing care. With her experience in chronic disease and long-term care, novel cannabis therapies, and work in high and low-volume pharmacy settings, Barbara has made UConn Nation proud.
After different career paths in pharmacy and teaching, Barbara is currently working as a Pharmacy Manager at CT Veterans Home in the Department of Veterans Affair Pharmacy. In this role, she supervises all responsibilities for the operation and management of the pharmacy and facilitates daily workflow. Additionally, Barbara works at Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) Manchester Memorial Hospital as a per diem pharmacist, where she performs functions related to the control, monitoring, and dispensing of medication.
Barbara has transitioned from Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) preceptor to advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) preceptor over the past two years, winning the IPPE health system preceptor award in 2019. Structuring her rotation to grow in challenging ways, Barbara motivates her students to embrace the growth that happens between the end of the P2 year and the beginning of APPEs.
"Barbara was easily the best preceptor and teacher that I have had during my time at UConn. She takes the time to make sure I understand the material and helps foster my creativity by pushing me to think outside the box." – Barbara's student
Youssef Bessada (Pharm.D.): UConn Full-Time Faculty Award
Graduating in 2020 with a Pharm.D. from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Youssef Bessada is now a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) after completing his PGY-2 as a Cardiology Pharmacy Resident at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals.
Now, as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice at UConn Pharmacy, Youssef is a dedicated faculty member with duties in clinical service, didactic and experiential teaching, and scholarship.
When he's not teaching, Youssef dedicates his time to research and service. As an active contributor to the Anticoagulation Forum Monthly Antithrombotic with Literature Rapid Recap and a peer reviewer of the BMJ Open Quality Journal, Youssef is an annual contributor to monthly recaps of high-impact antithrombotic-related literature updates and a peer reviewer for antithrombotic-focused implementation science manuscripts.
Youssef also excels in leadership roles, including a UConn Coptic Orthodox Youth Association (UCOYA) Faculty Advisor and a Scholarship & Awards Committee Member at UConn, and a Residency Advisory Committee (RAC) Member and Hospital Anticoagulation Stewardship Committee Member at Saint Francis Hospital. In these leadership roles, Youssef advances the success of UConn.
Mentoring almost twenty-four students each year, but treating every rotation with care, Youssef approaches each student with respect. Through his teaching style of gentle questioning and discussion, Youssef grows confidence within his students, who gave him a perfect evaluation score for this year.
"He was genuinely excited to teach us every day, which in turn made me excited to learn something new every day." – Youssef's student.
Roy Walton (Pharm.D.): Office of Experiential Education Excellence Award
Graduating from UConn with a Pharm.D. in 2022, Roy Walton excelled during his time as a Husky and won awards, including Member of the Month from the American Pharmacists Association- Academy of Students of Pharmacy (APhA-ASP), and third place in the Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO) VIP Case Competition. Additionally, Roy was professionally involved at the School, in associations with APhA, the UConn School of Pharmacy Advisory Board, IPhO, Phi Lambda Sigma, and UConn Pre-OT Society.
In his current role as Associate Director of U.S. Regulatory Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), Roy aids in the successful development, registration, and commercialization of products, coordinates submissions to the FDA, and supports the development of product labeling.
Making it his mission to give back and expand student experiences, Roy has been mentoring 1-2 APPE students in industry rotations for several years. With outstanding evaluations, Roy is highly motivated to expand offerings to students. From 2024-2025 to 2025-2026 APPE cycles, Roy collaborated with his team members at BI to triple BI's rotation offerings, allowing more students to gain hands-on experiential learning opportunities.
"This increase in industry offerings is huge, as we see more and more students wanting to explore the industry side of our profession. With his support, we will continue to build and foster excitement. – Jennifer Luciano, Director Experiential Education
This annual event honors not only the five awardees but all of UConn Pharmacy's preceptors, coordinators, and faculty for their continued dedication and service. Inspiring the next generation of pharmacy professionals, these preceptors and faculty members continue to utilize their expertise to help Huskies find success.
