Michelle Brinker-Bodley Named 2021 Preceptor of the Year

Michelle Brinker-Bodley, PharmD’05, was named the 2021 Preceptor of the Year Award winner at the 17th Annual Preceptor Symposium, May 7, 2021.

Dr. Brinker-Bodley received her Doctorate of Pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy in 2005.  After completion of a PGY-1 residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Brinker-Bodley found her passion – the pharmaceutical care of neonates.  Currently, she is practicing as a neonatal intensive care, general pediatrics, and obstetrics pharmacy clinical specialist at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Ann Arbor.

While Dr. Brinker-Bodley enjoys direct patient care and being part of an interprofessional team, she has great professional satisfaction serving as a student pharmacist preceptor. Since becoming an Adjunct Clinical Instructor with the College in 2011, Dr. Brinker-Bodley has expanded her role to encompass direct precepting of student pharmacists on various rotations. Some of those areas include Direct Patient Care Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE), Health System/Hospital IPPE, Health System/Hospital Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE), and Inpatient Pediatrics APPE.

“My colleagues and I find creative measures to engage the pharmacy students under our supervision,” explains Dr. Brinker-Bodley. “Students help provide direct support and extend the reach of pharmacy services for the inpatient pharmacy department. Allowing student pharmacists to be valued and active members of the team provides them with invaluable experience.”  

Nominators mentioned the care Dr. Brinker-Bodley shows in making sure that students learn and achieve their goals while under her instruction.

“Dr. Brinker-Bodley ensured that each student received great experiences in the HS/H IPPE rotation,” said one nominator. “She gave each student activities that would build upon one another and demonstrate the value of pharmacists in the health system. During my time at this rotation, I felt more prepared to go into APPE rotations.”

“Dr. Brinker-Bodley consistently encouraged learning and adapted to student interests,” stated another nominator. “She prioritizes student learning and makes sure consistently that students are achieving what they want to achieve. In her health systems rotation she provides a wide variety of situations so students can learn in different manners, such as: students shadowing nursing for an hour, games to learn opioids, infectious disease talks, topic discussions, student presentations, etc.”