» Office of Experiential Education

The Office of Experiential Education Office (OEE) coordinates the clinical and practice-related experiences at CUSP. Students participate in their class's practicums every academic year, including during the fall, spring, and summer trimesters. 

Chapman University offers over 980 rotation sites from San Diego to Northern California, with plenty of options focused in Orange County and greater Los Angeles region. CUSP's variety of practice sites allow students to gain experience in ambulatory care/primary care, community pharmacy, and hospital/acute care settings where they provide care to patients under the supervision of experienced pharmacists. While in rotation, students continue to be supported by Chapman University’s experiential faculty and staff, including discussing their rotation experiences and current assignments.

Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) provide students practical experience in community, independent, and hospital pharmacy settings during Year 1 and 2 at CUSP. Coupled with the didactic courses in the curriculum, IPPEs prepare student pharmacists for Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) in Year 3. 

In Year 3, students complete six, 6-week Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs)—4 required rotation types and 2 electives.APPE rotations focus on providing supervised experiences so they are practice ready by the end of the academic year. Students must successfully complete at least 1440 hours and 36 weeks of APPE rotations.

Beyond the Classroom: Unveiling the Power of IPPE Rotations

IPPEs have secured Megan Shieh’s confidence in her future in healthcare by exposing her to a rich variety of healthcare settings, providing valuable learning opportunities both inside and outside the classroom through practice rotations.

“I cannot understate the value of excellent preceptors in this field. Although they have all had different approaches, all of my preceptors were eager to teach; my experience would not have been as enriching had it not been for their support.”

OEE Team

photo of Kathleen  Besinque, PharmD, MSEd, FASHP, FCSHP, FCPhA

Kathleen Besinque, PharmD, MSEd, FASHP, FCSHP, FCPhA

Assistant Dean of Experiential Education
Rinker Health Science Campus
714-516-5475
photo of May Mak, PharmD, BCGP, CDCES, APh

May Mak, PharmD, BCGP, CDCES, APh

Director of Experiential Education and Experiential Team Leader
Rinker Health Sciences
photo of Gary Fong, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP

Gary Fong, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP

Experiential Team Leader
Rinker Health Science Campus
714-516-5468
photo of Karl Hess, PharmD, APh, FCPhA, FAPhA, FISTM

Karl Hess, PharmD, APh, FCPhA, FAPhA, FISTM

Experiential Team Leader
Rinker Health Science Campus
714-516-5570
photo of Vanessa  Orozco

Vanessa Orozco

Experiential Education Coordinator
Rinker Health Science Campus
(714-516-5403
photo of Whitney Dunkle-Hallenbeck

Whitney Dunkle-Hallenbeck

Program Administrator for Experiential Education
714-516-4692

Preceptor Development Program


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Office of Experiential Education