St. John’s Alumna Achieves Storied Career in Pharmacy Profession
When Christine M. Stork ’93Pharm.D., M.P.H., DABAT, FAACT enrolled in 1991 to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at St. John’s University’s School of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, now known as the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS), she was at the beginning of her career and had just become a registered pharmacist. She was one of only six candidates—all of them on full scholarship—to be accepted into the doctoral program.
“It was a great program, intensive and rigorous,” she said. “I appreciated the individualized and intensive experience, including during my thesis preparation and defense.”
- Pharm.D. in Pharmacy
- College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
“My goal in this program was to obtain the training and experience needed to evolve a clinical practice,” recalled Dr. Stork. She soon found her studies to be an excellent fit for her career aspirations.
“It was a great program, intensive and rigorous,” she said. “I appreciated the individualized and intensive experience, including during my thesis preparation and defense.”
Dr. Stork has enjoyed an extensive and storied pharmacy career. “It is not surprising that Christine has achieved such success in her career and her work has impacted thousands of lives,” said Anne Y. F. Lin ’84P, ’86Pharm.D., FNAP, Dean of CPHS. “When she was a graduate student, I was impressed by her academic abilities and her commitment to patients. It was a pleasure to work with her.”
For 28 years until last summer, she served as Clinical Director of the Upstate New York Poison Center, located in Syracuse, NY. She is credited for the center being nationally certified by the American Association of Poison Control Centers in 1996. She led the center as its catchment area increased from serving a population of 14 counties to 54 counties in New York State.
Dr. Stork, a resident of Syracuse, is nationally recognized as a leader in the field of toxicology and has served on the Board of Trustees for the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology and the American Board of Applied Toxicology.
Within the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Dr. Stork single-handedly created the clinical toxicology consult service to assist in providing patient care to poisoned patients, an ongoing service. She also has trained hundreds of residents and students.
Dr. Stork left her clinical director post several months ago but remains at the poison center as a Clinical Toxicologist. She also leads the Clinical Toxicology Rotation at Upstate Medical University and the more than 70 learners who come through the poison center yearly. She recently started another new role at Upstate Medical University as Co-Pharmacology Thread Leader at The Alan and Marlene Norton College of Medicine. In addition, she is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Upstate.
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