| President's Corner Archives |
| Index by Month | Week | Category | Title |
| President's Corner - March 2009 | March 1, 2009 |
On Monday Feb 2nd, 2009 the bucktoothed rodent known as Punxsutawney Phil saw his own shadow, which means, if you believe in this sort of thing, we can expect six more weeks of wintry weather. For us in Michigan, I have a feeling this will come to be a truth!
Greg Baron, our Director of Governmental Affairs for MPA, is looking for individuals in each local and regional association that he can send information regarding proposed rules, legislation and fundraising events that should and would be of interest to pharmacists. His hope is that these individuals would then share the information with their membership and help formulate responses with him. If interested in being a contact for Greg, please let me know.
In March, we look forward to meeting to discuss the topic of "Inpatient Glycemic Control". Please join us at the Bistro Bella Vita Downtown in Grand Rapids!
Cherie Woodhams
WMSHP President 2009
| President's Corner - November 2008 | November 1, 2008 |
Remember to Vote: The ballots are out! By now, you all should have received an official WMSHP ballot in the mail. The ballot may be mailed back to Brad Miller, WMSHP Secretary, handed in to an Executive Board member, or turned in at the November WMSHP meeting in Kalamazoo. There won't be extra ballots available at the monthly meeting, so keep that in mind. To verify that WMSHP has your current address, click here.
MSHP Annual Meeting: Try to make it to the MSHP Annual Meeting being held November 14 at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing. There are a variety of topics for both Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacists. You can register on-line at www.michiganpharmacists.org.
Join us at our next monthly meeting where Kevin Hess, MD will discuss "Similarities and Differences Among SSRI's for the Treatment of Depression." The meeting will be held at the Sol World Cafe inside the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo.
Posted: Saturday, November 1, 2008| President's Corner - October 2008 | October 1, 2008 |
Important Notice - Please Read: After lengthy discussions regarding the best way to conduct WMSHP elections, the WMSHP Executive Board has decided to adopt a method of voting that is similar to the voting structure of both MSHP and MPA. The new WMSHP voting structure is also in-line with our current bylaws. Each active WMSHP member will be mailed an official ballot. The ballot may be mailed back to Brad Miller, WMSHP Secretary, handed in to an Executive Board member, or turned in at the October WMSHP meeting in Grand Rapids or the November WMSHP meeting in Kalamazoo. To eliminate the possibility of voting multiple times, there will not be extra ballots available at the monthly meetings. Please do not attempt to fax the ballots. To verify that WMSHP has your current address, log in to our website at www.wmshp.net and select "Update Address".
We are still working on developing the best process to obtain CE and funding for our monthly meetings with the new Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) guidelines. The updated code will take effect January 2009. We are still not sure how this will affect our monthly meetings, but we will be sure to let you all know as soon as possible.
Volunteer Opportunity: The Michigan Pharmacy Week Health Fair is being held in Baldwin, MI on Saturday, October 18 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at St. Ann's Human Services Center on 690 9th Street. Volunteers are needed to help with medication reviews and screening activities.
Please join us for our October meeting being held in at Tre Cugini Grand Rapids. Gregory Pratt, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the Michigan Pharmacists Association will be speaking on Bioterrorism.
Posted: Wednesday, October 1, 2008| President's Corner - September 2008 | September 1, 2008 |
Once again it is time for another fall session of WMSHP. I hope that you all had a wonderful summer and are looking forward to a great year of education and networking within WMSHP.
During the summer the WMSHP Executive Board has been busy preparing for the year ahead. We are currently seeking nominations for Executive Board members. According to the WMSHP bylaws, only active members of WMSHP may be nominated for executive board positions. If you are interested in being a board member or know of other interested candidates, please submit their name, contact information, and a brief description of current practice and professional interests to WMSHP Secretary, Brad Miller, at email: webmaster@wmshp.net.
Another important item to mention is the new code established by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) to guide the interactions of pharmaceutical representatives and healthcare professionals. The new guidelines became effective July 2009 and may affect the ability of pharmaceutical companies to sponsor continuing education programs. To get an event sponsored, WMSHP may have to apply for educational grants each month. We will let you know more specific information as the effect of the new guidelines becomes clearer.
Hope you can make it to our first meeting being held at Bravo Restaurant and Cafe in Portage (Kalamazoo). Dr. Jihad Mustapha will discuss the use of LMWH in the advanced cardiac setting.
| President's Corner - April 2008 | April 1, 2008 |
Spring has sprung! The return of Spring reminds me of our upcoming WMSHP Spring Seminar, which is scheduled for May 22, 2008 at the 28th Street Hilton in Grand Rapids. Make sure you put it on your calendar.
Another Spring event is the selection of a recipient for the annual WMSHP scholarship. One scholarship in the amount of $1000.00 is awarded to a 3rd year pharmacy student from Ferris State University, the University of Michigan, or Wayne State University. The pharmacy student must be a native or current resident of the Western Michigan area, demonstrate involvement and/or leadership within professional organizations, and express an interest in health-system pharmacy upon graduation. The applicant must fill out an application form before the deadline of March 31. The scholarship recipient will be selected by the WMSHP board and the scholarship will be presented at the Spring Seminar.
Hopefully many of you were able to make it to the MPA ACE meeting. A highlight for WMSHP was the recognition given to our current Past-President, Ryan Bickel. Ryan received the MPA Distinguished New Pharmacist Practitioner award. This is the 3rd year in a row that a member of WMSHP has won this award. Previous winners were Jodie Backus and Jesse Hogue. Congratulations, Ryan!
Our next meeting will be held April 10, 2008 at Sam's Joint in Plainwell. Two area pharmacy residents will be presenting their Great Lakes Pharmacy Residency Project. Bailee Wienke is a pharmacy practice resident at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. Her project is entitled "Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia in the Critically Ill: Value of the 4T Score and Compliance with Evidence-based Guidelines". Betsy Hoida is a pharmacy practice resident at Mercy General Health Partners in Muskegon. The title of Betsy's project is "A Pharmacist-Managed Medication Reconciliation Process".
Posted: Tuesday, April 1, 2008| President's Corner - March 2008 | March 1, 2008 |
As in years past, our April meeting will feature continuing education presentations from 2 local pharmacy residents. It is good practice for the residents and a great way to highlight some of the remarkable and interesting projects that take place at health-systems in western Michigan. Each resident will present their major residency project. This is the same project that they will discuss at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Residency Conference at the end of April. Ten area residents submitted descriptions of their project. The WMSHP board selected projects submitted by Bailee Wienke, Pharm.D. and Betsy Hoida, Pharm.D.
Bailee Wienke is a pharmacy practice resident at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. Her project is entitled "Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia in the Critically Ill: Value of the 4T Score and Compliance with Evidence-based Guidelines".
Betsy Hoida is a pharmacy practice resident at Mercy General Health Partners in Muskegon. The title of Betsy's project is "A Pharmacist-Managed Medication Reconciliation Process".
Our next meeting will be held March 13, 2008 at Pietro's Italian Restaurant in Grand Rapids. Tracey Mersfelder, Pharm.D., BCPS will be discussing therapy for neuropathic pain.
With spring right around the corner, don't forget about our annual WMSHP Spring Seminar scheduled for May 22. More information will be sent out in the future.
Posted: Saturday, March 1, 2008| President's Corner - February 2008 | February 1, 2008 |
Well, I guess we can say that winter is finally here. I hope you are all staying warm and safe on those icy Michigan roads. The results are in from our membership survey regarding the ACPE guidelines for standards for commercial support. The majority of our membership wish to continue with our current format of dinner and a live CE presentation. To accomplish this it is likely that the average meeting time will lengthen by about a half-hour.
As the WMSHP representative, I attended my first MSHP board meeting and committee day on January 17. MSHP has been working hard on the 2nd version of Changing Perceptions, a promotional brochure aimed at accurately presenting what clinical activities pharmacists do. Changing Perceptions is used to promote the profession of pharmacy to state and federal legislators as well as the general public. The initial version of Changing Perceptions is still available in pdf form on the MSHP website at http://www.michiganpharmacists.org/pharm_prof/changing_perceptions.htm.
The new version will be available sometime in the next few months. I encourage all of you to get involved and join a MSHP committee. What a great way to positively affect our profession and network with other pharmacists from across the state of Michigan.
Don't forget to attend the 2008 MPA Annual Convention and Exposition February 29-March 2 in Dearborn. Registration information can be found on MPA's website at www.michiganpharmacists.org .
Coming soon: Please note that our next meeting will be held on February 21, 2008 at the Sol World Cafe in Kalamazoo. Dr. Kahn Nedd will be discussing the use of beta blockers in hypertension.
| President's Corner - January 2008 | January 1, 2008 |
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.
You will see a mix of new and familiar faces within the leadership of WMSHP this year. Contact information for the 2008-2009 WMSHP leadership can be found on our website (www.wmshp.net). As always, please contact me or another board member with any questions or concerns.
We look forward to a year filled with some changes. One of the biggest changes has come from modifications to the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACPE) guidelines for continuing education. To meet the guidelines, WMSHP must separate dinner from each monthly presentation. We are currently conducting a survey to determine how best to comply with this standard. Surveys were distributed at the November meeting and will again be distributed at the January meeting. A copy of the survey is also included with this month's newsletter. If you did not attend the November meeting and are not able to attend the January meeting and would like to take part in the survey, you can e-mail me at danastaat@ferris.edu or fax me a copy of the survey at (616) 752-6434. Results of the survey will be disseminated to the membership on our website. The changes to our meeting design will go into effect for the February meeting.
The January meeting will be held at the Saint Mary’s Health Care Lacks Grand Room. Kevin Furmaga, Pharm.D., BCPP, Saint Mary’s Health Care and Pine Rest Psychiatric Hospital, will be speaking about the clinical use of buprenorphine/naloxone.
Posted: Tuesday, January 1, 2008| President's Corner - December 2007 | November 30, 2007 |
Wow! This year has gone by fast. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your president. It has been an honor. I would also like to thank the current board for sharing all of their time and talents with WMSHP. It has been a pleasure working with all of them. I would especially like to recognize the outgoing members, Jesse Hogue, Ted Riley, and Shaun Phillips, for their dedication over the last several years. Finally, congratulations to the newly elected board members:
| President-Elect Cherie Woodhams Treasurer Technician Member | Board Members Michelle Brodin Adam Drzewicki Renee Marana Sarah Paulson |
I have one last order of business to share with you before I turn the reigns over to Dana Staat, your incoming president. The MPA has just called for WMSHP to select three delegates to send to the 2008 MPA House of Delegates. The Session of the House will be held on Saturday, March 1st, from 1:00 - 4:00 P.M. at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency. If you are an active MPA member and are interested in representing WMSHP as a delegate or would like to obtain more information, please contact me via e-mail at ryanbickel@borgess.com by Monday, December 31, 2007. The Session of the House is held during the MPA Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE), but participation in the ACE is not mandatory. Delegates, who choose to only participate in the Session of the House, will have their registration fee waived for that event.
Finally, if anyone would like to offer a resolution to the House of Delegates, please notify myself or another WMSHP board member by the January 10th meeting. This will give us adequate time to discuss it and file it with the Secretary of the House for consideration.
| President's Corner - November 2007 | October 16, 2007 |
The American Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) recently changed some of their standards, which will effect the way we offer our educational programs. The two changes which effect us most are: 1) continuing education (CE) presentations cannot be given while the participants are eating a meal and 2) presentations should have a different set of questions for pharmacists and technicians. To address the first change, WMSHP's Board will be surveying the membership some time in the next couple months to determine the importance of ACPE-accredited CE (Michigan Board of Pharmacy's CE standards have not changed yet), the importance of offering dinner, and reasonable meeting times. To address the second change, the Board decided to accredit our own CE credits for our technician members. Not only will this solve the issue of separate questions, but it will also save the organization some money, as we currently pay $5 per credit hour of ACPE-accredited CE per person.
Speaking of technician CE, did you know that any pharmacist can approve continuing education (CE) credits for Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhTs)? The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) will allow CPhTs to obtain up to 10 CE credits per licensure period for participating in inservices and other education activities. To obtain credit, a pharmacist must complete PTCB's Universal Continuing Education form, which can be found at their website, www.ptcb.org (click on "CE Credits" under the "CPhT Services" menu).
It is election season again. WMSHP's board has the following open positions: president-elect, treasurer, board member (4), and technician member. You will be receiving a ballot in the U.S. Mail in the next couple days. Please take the time to fill it out and return it to us. You may return the completed ballot via U.S. Mail, give it to any Board member, or take it to the November meeting. The results will be tallied and announced at the November meeting.
The November meeting will be held on November 8th at the Food Dance Cafe in Kalamazoo. Dennis Parker, Jr., Pharm.D. from Detroit Receiving Hospital will be giving a presentation on the Management of Intracerebral Hemorrhage. Due to space constraints, the meeting will be limited to the first 40 individuals who RSVP. Please be sure to select your dinner preference when you RSVP.
Posted: Tuesday, October 16, 2007| President's Corner - October 2007 | October 1, 2007 |
Help Wanted: WMSHP is seeking actively engaged members to run for a board position for 2008-2009. Openings include: president-elect, treasurer, board member (4 positions), and technician board member. Experience is not necessary. Mentoring will be provided. If you are interested in running or nominating another member to run, please contact Ryan Bickel at ryanbickel@borgess.com or (269) 226-6616 by October 11th. Elections will be held in late October/early November and the results will be announced at the November meeting.
Coming Soon: The next WMSHP meeting will be held in Grand Rapids on October 11th at Bar Divani. Dr. David Langholz will discuss hypertension and the role of Tekturna. Continuing education credits will not be offered at this meeting. Please RSVP at www.wmshp.net, if you would like to attend. Seating may be limited, so sign up now.
Announcement: The MSHP Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, November 2, 2007 at the Lansing Center. This event is open to both MSHP/MPA members and non-members. Students and residents are offered complimentary registration if they register by October 19th. To register, please visit the MPA website, http://www.michiganpharmacists.org, and go to the "Events Calendar" which is found at the "Pharmacy Professionals" link.
Posted: Monday, October 1, 2007| President's Corner - September 2007 | September 1, 2007 |
The summer is drawing to an end. The kids are heading back to school. It is also time for WMSHP to return from its summer break. The next meeting will be held in Kalamazoo on Thursday, September 13th. Check out the website, www.wmshp.net, for more details and to RSVP.
While we were on our summer recess, ASHP held the House of Delegates meeting. One of the hottest topics at this year's meeting was should residency training be required for new pharmacy graduates to provide direct patient care. After much discussion, they resolved the following:
To support the position that by the year 2020, the completion of an ASHP-accredited postgraduate-year-one residency should be a requirement for all new college of pharmacy graduates who will be providing direct patient care.
I am sure that this resolution, as well as, other new professional policies will be discussed at MSHP's annual board retreat this September. I will keep you posted on highlights.
In addition to our upcoming meeting, I would like to remind you of some other important upcoming dates. First, National Pharmacy Week this year is October 21-27. Information and planning resources can be found at the MPA website, www.michiganpharmacists.org. MSHP's annual meeting is Friday, November 2nd, at the Lansing Center. Registration forms for this meeting will be available at our September and October meetings. Finally, ASHP's 42nd Midyear Clinical Meeting will convene December 2 - 6 in Las Vegas, NV. Reserve your hotel now.
Posted: Saturday, September 1, 2007| President's Corner - April 2007 | April 1, 2007 |
Now that April is almost upon us, we are starting to see the first signs of spring. For WMSHP, this means that we are also nearing our annual meeting, which highlights some research projects done by Western Michigan pharmacy residents. After a close vote, the Board selected the following two projects to be presented at the April meeting: "Pharmacist Interventions to Improve Adherence Among Patients with HIV/AIDS Starting Antiretroviral Therapy" by Melanie Crain, Pharm.D., and "Evaluation of Microorganisms Responsible for Early versus Late-Onset Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia in Intensive Care Unit Patients" by Sarah-Ann Brown, Pharm.D. I would like to thank all of the area residents for submitting their projects and encourage you to come to the meeting and support Melanie and Sarah-Ann.
Another spring tradition is the WMSHP Spring Seminar. This year's seminar will be held on Thursday, May 10th, at the Grand Rapids Airport Hilton. It is an excellent opportunity to earn continuing education credits and network with colleagues. Our morning sessions will focus on toxicology and advancing the pharmacy profession, while the afternoon will be broken into two tracks, Administration and Therapeutics. The Administration track will touch upon innovative technician practices, pharmacy law, and the benefits of being a preceptor. Historically, technicians have found the Administration track useful, because it fulfills their law review requirement for certification. The Therapeutics track will provide updates on HIV therapy, women's health, and glycemic control in patients with infections. Reserve the date on your calendars and watch our website, www.wmshp.net, for more information and to register.
Posted: Sunday, April 1, 2007| President's Corner - March 2007 | March 1, 2007 |
Greetings! I just returned from MPA's Annual Convention and Exposition in Dearborn. It was nice to see many of you out there. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some highlights from the convention.
One of the main topics which the MPA focused on this year was getting their membership involved politically to strengthen the profession of pharmacy. They suggested identifying legislators (or potential legislators) in your district that you believe in and supporting them. Support can be as simple as sending them a $10 check to support their campaign or as involved as knocking on doors for them during the campaign season. If you are not comfortable supporting a legislator, please consider supporting MPA's Political Action Coalition (PAC).
Another highlight of the meeting was finding more preceptors and sites to become involved with training pharmacy students in their P-3 and P-4 years. WMSHP will be working closely with the Michigan Colleges of Pharmacy Experiential Programs (McPEP) group to assist them in identifying preceptors and sites in our region, as well as, supporting their current preceptors and sites. WMSHP has arranged for McPEP to give a presentation at our May 10th Spring Seminar in Grand Rapids. Please mark your calendars for this event.
Finally, I would like to inform you that Jesse Hogue, Fred Schmidt, and I served as your delegates to the MPA House of Delegates session. During the session, Laura Shaw, Chairman of Michigan's Board of Pharmacy, provided the House with a special report. She reminded us that Michigan's new continuing education (CE) standards (R 338.3041) were recently signed into law. For those of who are not aware of the new standards, starting July 1, 2007, pharmacists will be required to obtain 10 hours of live CE per renewal period, will be required complete one hour of CE in pain management, and will not be permitted to obtain more than 12 hours of CE per day. The new rules can be found at www.michigan.gov/healthlicense under the "Health Professional Administrative Rules" link.
Posted: Thursday, March 1, 2007| President's Corner - February 2007 | February 1, 2007 |
Wow! We saw record attendance at last month's meeting. Approximately 75 WMSHP members attended the 2006 ICAAC review in Grand Rapids. I want to thank Dana Staat for doing a great job facilitating the unusually large crowd and arranging for Michael Klepser to do the presentation for Michael Tiberg, who encountered a family emergency at the last minute. As a thank you for giving the presentation at such short notice, WMSHP's Board of Directors is extending an honorary lifetime membership to Michael Klepser. Thanks again, Mike!
One of my responsibilities as your president is to serve as the Regional Delegate to the Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP). I attended my first MSHP board meeting and committee day on January 18th. It was a great experience meeting pharmacy leaders from around the state and providing them with a summary of our recent activities. I would like to recognize several WMSHP members, who also currently serve on MSHP's Board of Directors: Fred Schmidt, President; Jesse Hogue, Director, and Jean Lee, Director.
February is going to be a short, but busy month. On February 8th the WMSHP meeting will take place in Kalamazoo. Sandra Chase will be giving a presentation on using low molecular weight heparin in medically ill patients. Also, the MPA's Annual Convention and Exposition (ACE) meeting will take place February 23 -25th in Dearborn. More information regarding the ACE meeting can be found at MPA's website, www.michiganpharmacists.org. I hope to see you at one of the events.
Posted: Thursday, February 1, 2007| President's Corner - January 2007 | January 1, 2007 |
Happy New Year! Hopefully, you were able to enjoy the holidays with your family and friends.
I would like to start off the year by introducing this year�s board of directors to you. Your officers include: Ryan Bickel, President; Jesse Hogue, Past President; Dana Staat, President-Elect; Ted Riley, Treasurer; and Brad Miller, Secretary. Your board members include: Jodie Bakus, Bill Kriel, Jean Lee, Kim Melgarejo, Natalie Paul, Shaun Phillips, Cindy Pollock, Jeff Van Houten, and Cheri Woodhams.
On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Jesse Hogue for all of his hard work and guidance as President. I would also like to recognize Jean Lee for her service as Past-President last year. Fortunately, she will be remaining with us as a board member. Finally, I would like to welcome our newest board member, Cindy Pollock.
I am honored to serve as your president and look forward to working with you to promote the profession of pharmacy. To assist me in serving you, please feel free to share your ideas regarding educational opportunities, topics of interest, or anything else that pertains to advancing health-system pharmacy.
Many of you are currently making New Year resolutions. I have a couple ideas that I would like to offer. If you are not currently a member of the Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacy (MSHP) and Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA), consider joining. If you are already a member, consider becoming involved with a committee, serving as a delegate, and/or attending the MPA's Annual Convention & Exhibition in February. More information regarding these opportunities can be found at MPA's website, http://www.michiganpharmacists.org.
Ryan Bickel, Pharm.D.
WMSHP President
| President's Corner - November 2006 | November 1, 2006 |
Don’t forget! If you have not done so already, please send in your ballot for the WMSHP Board elections. We plan to announce the results at the November 9 meeting, so ballots need to be received before then.
Hopefully every one participated in Michigan Pharmacy Week activities. Remember, if you are an MPA member please take a moment to fill out the reporting form with what you or your department did to celebrate.
Posted: Wednesday, November 1, 2006| President's Corner - October 2006 | October 5, 2006 |
It’s time for our annual elections again, and since we have so many nominations this year we decided to feature short bios on the candidates (see below). Hopefully they help you in your voting! We will be electing five candidates. Just a reminder, Michigan Pharmacy Week is fast approaching, October 22-28. If you are a member of MPA please take a moment after the week wraps up to report back on what you or your department did to celebrate. Individuals and departments that promote Pharmacy Week well and then submit a follow up report to MPA will be considered for MSHP or MPA Public Affairs awards. Also, don’t forget the MSHP Annual Meeting Nov. 3 in Lansing.
Phil Early, Pharm.D., M.S., is the Administrative Director for Pharmacy Services at Borgess Medical Center, Kalamazoo. He received his B.S. and M.S. from The Ohio State University and Pharm.D. from Idaho State University. He completed a two year ASHP accredited general residency at Mount Carmel Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio in conjunction with completing his master’s degree. He is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy for Ferris State University. Prior to coming to Borgess, Dr. Early was Director of Pharmacy Services at St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima, Ohio.
Andrea Goodrich is a clinical pharmacist at St. Mary's Health Care in Grand Rapids. Andrea received her B.S. in pharmacy in 2001 and will be completing her non-traditional Pharm.D. from Midwestern University this fall. Andrea's professional areas of interests include Internal Medicine and HIV.
Jean C. Lee is a HIV/AIDS clinical pharmacist at the McAuley Health Center of Saint Mary’s Health Care in Grand Rapids. Lee completed her BSc. Pharm. from Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada (1994), Hospital Practice Residency at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario (1995) and a Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology (1999) before completing her Pharm D at Ferris State University (2001). In Canada, she has served on the National Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) Board of Directors as the Newfoundland CSHP Chapter Branch Delegate (1997-1999) and on the National CSHP Strategic Planning Committee (1997-1999). At the local level she served as co-chair for the Awards Committee (1999-2001). In Michigan, Lee is now completing her term as WMSHP Past-President and has been a member since 2001. She has also served on the MPA Employee Pharmacists Committee (2002), MSHP Organizational Affairs Committee from (2004-2005) the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists Internet Committee (2003-2004) and will serve on the MSHP Board of Directors (2007-2009). Lee’s professional affiliations also include ACCP, SIDP, NPhA, and MSHP.
Sarah Paulson attended Ferris State University and graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2005. She then went on to complete a general pharmacy practice residency at Saint Mary's Health Care. After completion of the residency, she accepted a position as a clinical pharmacist at Saint Mary's Health Care assisting in coverage of the inpatient orthopedic unit, neurology unit, and inpatient pharmacy. Other interests include internal medicine, infectious disease/HIV, and psychiatry. Sarah has been a member of WMSHP since 2005 and also has membership with MPA, ASHP, ACCP, Phi Lambda Sigma (President 2003), and Lambda Kappa Sigma (Recording Secretary 2002). She has been married for 1 year and has 4 furry children (2 cats and 2 dogs). She would like to become more involved with WMSHP and is excited about this opportunity.
Cindy Pollock received her PharmD at the University of Michigan in 2001. She completed a pharmacy practice residency from 2001-2002 at Spectrum Health/DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI. She completed the examination to become a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist in 2002. Currently Cindy is the General Pediatrics Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at DeVos Children's Hospital, and has held this position for 4 years. She holds adjunct faculty appointments at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and Ferris State University College of Pharmacy. She is also a preceptor for pharmacy practice residents at DeVos Children's Hospital. She is married with one child and lives in Byron Center, MI.
Jeff Van Houten received his B.S. from Ferris in 1990 and graduated from FSU's first Pharm.D. class in 1992. He completed a one year pharmacy residency in Pennsylvania and began working at Saint Mary's in Grand Rapids as a clinical pharmacist in 1993, where he has been since. Jeff' clinical interests are in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He worked along with Jean Lee to start the Pharmacy Residency program at Saint Mary's. Jeff has been on the Board of WMSHP in some capacity for the last 10 years, and held the president's position in 2000. Jeff is married (12 years) and has two daughters (6 and 8).
Natalie Vazzana is currently an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice with Ferris State University College of Pharmacy. She obtained her Doctorate of Pharmacy at Purdue University and followed with a pharmacy practice residency with McKesson Medication Management at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. She is currently practicing at Spectrum Health – Butterworth campus and is the clinical pharmacist on the progressive care unit. Natalie participates with the pharmacy residency program and is a member of the residency advisory committee. Also, she is completing her second year as a board member of the Western Michigan Society for Health-systems pharmacists.
| President's Corner - September 2006 | August 25, 2006 |
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a safe and fun-filled summer. The WMSHP Board has prepared yet another excellent year of CE programming for you to take part in, beginning September 14 with a talk on chronic kidney disease at Webster's Restaurant in Kalamazoo. I hope to see everyone there!
The WMSHP Board will soon begin accepting nominations for 2007 Board positions. If interested, stay tuned for more information.
Mark your calendars! Michigan Pharmacy Week takes place October 22-28 this year. This is a great opportunity to remind patients and other health care workers of the important role we play in patient care, or even to take your legislator to work with you. For more details or to download resources please check the MPA website (www.michiganpharmacists.org). Right on the heels of Pharmacy Week, the MSHP Annual Meeting is scheduled for November 3 in Lansing. This has traditionally been an excellent day of educational programming tailored to the needs of health system pharmacists. Stay tuned to the MPA website for details on programming and registration.
Posted: Friday, August 25, 2006| President's Corner - April 2006 | March 24, 2006 |
Following the tradition established over the past few years, our April meeting will again highlight two research projects done by Western Michigan Pharmacy Practice Residents. We had many excellent submissions this year, and voting within the Board was very close. The projects chosen for presentation are “Vancomycin and Metronidazole in the Treatment of CDAD: A Retrospective Analysis,” presented by Joshua Petersen, and “Investigating the Role of a Clinical Pharmacist in the Emergency Department of a Community Teaching Hospital,” presented by Erin Lingenfelter. Although only two projects can be presented at our meeting, I would like to commend all the area residents for the hard work they put into their research projects.
Mark you calendars! Just another reminder that the WMSHP Spring Seminar is fast approaching. It will again be held at the Grand Rapids Airport Hilton, on May 25. This is a great event to earn valuable CE as well as network with colleagues. Topics this year include addiction medicine, emergency preparedness, physician order entry, and pharmacy law. Clinical topics include a pharmacotherapy update, interactions between drugs and herbals, and HIV adherence and resistance.
Stay tuned to the website (www.wmshp.net) for more details on cost and registration information.
Posted: Friday, March 24, 2006| President's Corner - February 2006 | February 1, 2006 |
Mark your calendars! This year’s Michigan Pharmacist Association Annual Convention and Exposition (ACE) will be held at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency February 17-19. The ACE is a perfect opportunity to attend high quality continuing education programs as well as network with pharmacists from all over our state. Technicians, don’t forget that there is also targeted programming for you at the ACE. Students are encouraged to participate, too. I know from personal experience that the ACE is a perfect environment for students to begin building a network of peers that will be very beneficial when you start practicing. To register or obtain specific programming information please visit the MPA website at www.michiganpharmacist.org.
The MPA House of Delegates is held annually during the ACE. Representatives of WMSHP this year include Jeff Van Houten, Shaun Phillips and Jesse Hogue. The delegates will be voting on issues and policies brought forward by MPA members. If you have any questions or would like an issue to be considered, please contact one of the representatives. Please keep in mind that the deadline for resolution submission is February 8.
Don’t forget – the February WMSHP meeting will be Thursday, February 9 in Kalamazoo. Hope to see all of you there!
Posted: Wednesday, February 1, 2006| President's Corner - January 2006 | January 1, 2006 |
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and merry Christmas Holiday.
As you may be aware, we have several new faces on the WMSHP Board this year:
Cherie Woodhams, who is the pharmacy educator at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo.
Shaun Phillips, who is the clinical coordinator at Mercy General Health Partners in Muskegon.
Kim Melgarejo, who is a clinical pharmacy specialist at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo.
Bill Kriel, who was elected to the pharmacy technician position on the board, from St. Mary’s in Grand Rapids.
I look forward to working with all of them for the next two years. I would also like to welcome back Jodie Bakus for another two year term on the board, as well as Natalie Vazzana for a one year term.
On behalf of the WMSHP board, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Jean Lee for her hard work as President this past year, as well as to those leaving the board, including Jody Mehren who served as a board member, and Peggy deVoest who set the bar high as Past-President.
I am very excited to serve as president for 2006 year, and hope to see all of you at our monthly meetings, starting this month at St. Mary’s.
Posted: Sunday, January 1, 2006| President's Corner - November 2005 | November 2, 2005 |
On October 17, WMSHP and FSU co-sponsored a residency showcase which was held at MERC in Grand Rapids. The format was slightly different this year, as it consisted of a panel of current residents, moderated by Dean VanLoo, discussing common questions when deciding on a residency program. Programs from all over the state were present, allowing our FSU students the opportunity to speak to these representatives about their specific programs.
And don’t forget that it’s the time of year to give consideration to those pharmacists and technicians who would like to volunteer their time to serve on the WMSHP board. Please give your consideration to these candidates for the executive board positions. An election ballot is included in this month’s newsletter.
Posted: Wednesday, November 2, 2005| President's Corner - October 2005 | October 2, 2005 |
As you know, our President-elect position was vacated this summer. Jesse Hogue from Bronson Hospital has graciously accepted to fulfill the remaining time for this position. He will serve as President-elect for 2005, President in 2006 and Past-president in 2007. Jesse has served on WMSHP’s board for a number of years and has participated on MPA committees.
Elections for four board positions, treasurer and President-elect will be conducted in November. Please consider the nominations carefully. We will announce the results at our November meeting.
Again, as a reminder, the MSHP Annual meeting will be held in Lansing on November 4, 2005. Check out MPA’s website for more details.
Posted: Sunday, October 2, 2005| President's Corner - September 2005 | August 29, 2005 |
Another fun filled summer again has passed. I hope all of you had fun this summer enjoying the heat and sun. Welcome back to another term of CE programs that our Board members are currently organizing.
For those of you who have not heard, our current President-Elect, Mitzi McGinnis is now working with University of Illinois in Chicago. I would like wish Mitzi and her husband all the best from WMSHP. In light of Mitzi’s departure, we will be looking for her replacement. This year we will be filling two president-elect positions. One to fulfill the remaining term and to serve as President in Jan 2006 and the other to serve as President-elect next year.
We will again be conducting elections in the fall for the upcoming year. We will be looking for a number of board members. Please consider serving on our board. If you have any questions regarding these positions, please speak of any of our current board members.
Also as a reminder, MSHP will be having their annual meeting on November 4, 2005 in Lansing. I will update you with details.
Posted: Monday, August 29, 2005| President's Corner - April 2005 | March 23, 2005 |
For our April meeting, we will again be showcasing pharmacy practice residency projects conducted by our area pharmacy residents who have been working hard in preparing their projects to present to our membership. The first presentation is titled "Compliance with Sequential Compression Devices Used for Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Surgical Patients" presented by Heather Bockheim, Pharm.D. from Spectrum Health. Our second presentation is titled "Pharmacokinetics of Once Daily Tobramycin for Therapy of Pulmonary Exacerbation of Cystic Fibrosis" presented by Margaret Lincoln, Pharm.D. from Bronson Hospital. I would like to thank these residents for sharing their projects and results with us.
Further update on the increase in membership: The increase to $20 will be in effect as of January 2006. A reminder will be sent to you in the fall.
Again, I wanted to remind all of you of our annual WMSHP Spring Seminar held on May 5, 2005 at the Grand Rapids Hilton. We have a number of great speakers this year. Keep an eye out in your mailbox for our flyer!
Posted: Wednesday, March 23, 2005| President's Corner - March 2005 | February 19, 2005 |
Annual dues for WMSHP members were increased from $10 to $20 at the February WMSHP Board meeting. This is the first ever increase in membership dues and will aid WMSHP in continuing to provide you with all the benefits of membership.
Just a reminder, the annual WMSHP Spring Seminar is just around the corner. It will be held on May 5, 2005 at the Grand Rapids Hilton. Peggy DeVoest has been working very hard to organize this seminar for the membership. The goal of this seminar is to provide pharmacy health care professionals with an opportunity to explore state-of-the-art pharmacy practice issues while earning continuing education. We have a roster of great speakers, so mark your calendars!!!!
Hope to see you at the March program in Kalamazoo!
Posted: Saturday, February 19, 2005| President's Corner - February 2005 | February 1, 2005 |
February 18-20 is the Michigan Pharmacist Association 2005 Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE) held at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency. The theme is year is “Building a Brighter Future”. The ACE program welcomes pharmacists, technicians, students and guests. Continuing Education credits are also available.
MPA House of Delegates will be held on Saturday, February 19. Jesse Hogue, Vicki Sternhagen and Mitzi McGinnis will be representing WMSHP. These delegates, along with other delegates from MSHP, will be voting on issues and policies identified by the membership and considered by the Executive Board. Please contact any of these representatives if you have any issues that you would like discussed at their meetings.
Please note that this year at the MPA-ACE meeting, there is an Emergency Preparedness Certificate Program in Pharmacy. Pharmacists have been identified as key players in the event of a new emerging infectious disease outbreak or bioterrorism. This certification consists of seven live programs scheduled throughout the ACE program, providing 10.5 contact hours, as well as home study, independent practical demonstration exercises and post tests. To receive additional information you may contact Mary Farrington at MPA 517-377-0234 or mary@michiganpharmacists.org
Hope to see you in Grand Rapids for the February CE program!
Posted: Tuesday, February 1, 2005| President's Corner - January 2005 | January 4, 2005 |
I hope everyone enjoyed the Holiday season with lots of good friends and warm cheer!
A warm ‘welcome back’ to Jeff VanHouten, Jesse Hogue, and Ryan Bickel, who will be serving for an additional two years as board members. I would also like to take this time to introduce two new board members:
Dana Staat is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ferris State University. Originating from Port Hope, she traveled to West Michigan to obtain her Pharm D from Ferris State University and then completed her pharmacy practice residency program at Spectrum Health. She oversees the internal medicine rotation at Saint Mary’s Health Care and her interests include pharmacokinetics and infectious disease.
Natalie Vazzana is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ferris State University. Hailing from Homer Glen (suburb of Chicago), IL, she obtained her Pharm D degree at Purdue University and completed a pharmacy practice residency from McKesson Medication Management at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. Her clinical site is Spectrum Health – Butterworth’s internal medicine program. Natalie will be serving for one year, as a replacement for Mitzi McGinnis who will be your new President-Elect.
On behalf of the WMSHP board, I would like to thank Peggy DeVoest, who has done a tremendous job as President in 2004. Also, thanks to Mike Jonkman for his two-year service as Board Member and Jaci DeYoung for her service during her Past-President year. Thank you so much for all your hard work!
I hope to see all of you in the months ahead for the great educational programs we have planned. Please feel free to contact any member of the board or myself with ideas you may have for educational programs, topics you would like to have addressed, or ideas for our website. Please check out our website at www.wmshp.net.
Posted: Tuesday, January 4, 2005| President's Corner - November 2004 | November 3, 2004 |
On October 18th, WMSHP co-sponsored a residency showcase with Ferris State University in Grand Rapids at MERC. There were about forty people in attendance, which included program directors, residents and P2-P4 pharmacy students. The program was set up so that the each of the eleven programs from around the state could provide a brief overview of their pharmacy practice residencies and specialty residencies. Following the presentations, each of the programs’ representatives was available so the students could ask additional questions. Overall, the program was very valuable for both students and residency directors.
An upcoming event to consider is the MSHP annual meeting on November 12 at the Lansing Center in downtown Lansing. The program agenda and registration can be obtained at www.michiganpharmacists.org.
Posted: Wednesday, November 3, 2004| President's Corner - October 2004 | September 30, 2004 |
It is well-known that all licensed pharmacists must complete thirty hours of continuing education every two years for renewal. These hours can consist of any of the following forms of education: on-line, journals or live programming. Currently, pharmacists can elect to earn all their credits in one venue and may never attend a single program; but, this may all change in the future. The Board of Pharmacy has proposed that at least ten of the thirty hours be obtained from live programs. This proposal is being considered, and if passed, may go into effect starting next year. The WMSHP Board is considering this proposal very carefully and working hard to ensure that most if not all of our programs will offer continuing education for all of its members. We want to offer programs that are informative and useful for daily practice. Please let me know what you would like to see in the programming.
Another opportunity to obtain live continuing education is the Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists annual meeting. This year, the conference will take place on November 12th at the Lansing Center from 9:00-4:30. The program includes a wide variety of topics for pharmacists, technicians and students. The opening session includes two presentations: one on Bioethics, followed by a discussion on Emergency Preparedness. The afternoon offers three concurrent sessions focusing on leadership, pharmacy technicians and a clinical session. Some topics of note include pharmacogenomics, pharmacoeconomics, pharmacy informatics and technology. For more information log on to the MPA website at www.michiganpharmacists.org.
Posted: Thursday, September 30, 2004| President's Corner - September 2004 | August 27, 2004 |
Labor Day marks the last celebration of summer. This Holiday is also very unique since it doesn’t glorify a conflict, battle, person, race or nation. It is celebrated the first Monday of September and is devoted to the achievements of all American workers. Labor Day for me symbolizes the beginning of Fall. Usually at this time I stop to regroup and reflect on the events that occurred over the Summer and plan the upcoming Fall.
During the Summer, the Board had a meeting to plan the education programs for the upcoming months. As in years past, we are having monthly meetings starting in September and rounding out the year in May with the Annual Spring Seminar. December is the only month we will not conduct an education session. The programs will be rotating between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo monthly. We are attempting to schedule meetings on the second Thursday of the month based on speaker and facility availability. We are also beginning to organize the Spring Seminar for May 2005. If you have topics you would like presented at either monthly education meetings or Spring Seminar please forward those to me at devoestm@ferris.edu. Also, remember to check out the WMSHP website (www.wmshp.net) for program details. It is loaded with useful information including information on our monthly CE programs, resources for PDA’s, and much more. I look forward to hearing from you!
Posted: Friday, August 27, 2004| President's Corner - April 2004 | March 29, 2004 |
This month our education program is slightly different than most programs. Two pharmacy practice residents will present their residency projects that they have been working on during the year. This year Dana Staat from Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids and Michelle Brodin from Mercy Health System in Muskegon have been selected.
Dana completed her pre-Pharmacy education and Pharm.D. degree through Ferris State University. Dana’s project is entitled The Development and Implementation of a Pharmacy Competency Program. This was formed around the premise that health care is a rapidly changing field that requires constant education and a commitment to learn. Competencies are one way to accomplish continual education and training. To begin this continual process at Spectrum Health, a survey was administered to pharmacists to gauge the interests and needs that each individual pharmacist required for optimal education. After the results of the survey were tabulated, it was clear that a combination of CE and a shared-drive-based packet would serve best as a competency tool. Community-acquired pneumonia was chosen as the pilot focus for the competency template. After the competency was given, a follow-up survey was distributed to the same pharmacists to gain further information on the effectiveness of this education process. Documentation of pharmacist competency was also created as part of the formation of the competency program. Results of the effectiveness of the competency template will be reported at the April WMSHP meeting.
Michelle received her Pharm.D. from South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy in May of 2003. Michelle’s project involves anemia management in renal failure. She is working with area nephrologists to develop and improve a pre-dialysis monitoring service for outpatient kidney disease patients who are on either Procrit or Aranesp. She will describe their current practice and outline future plans for the service. Included in her evaluation of the project will be dosing of the medications, hemoglobin goals, hemoglobin monitoring frequency, iron lab frequency, management of missed doses, and a cost assessment. Since it is in the early stages, it is difficult to draw many conclusions on the success of the program, however preliminary data look promising.
Posted: Monday, March 29, 2004| President's Corner - March 2004 | February 27, 2004 |
Whether March is in like a lion and out like a lamb, or in like a lamb and out like a lion, Spring is just around the corner, which means WMSHP 35th Annual Spring Seminar. This year, past-president Jaci DeYoung is feverishly working to confirm speakers for the seminar. The seminar this year is May 6th at the Hilton Grand Rapids Airport. It will include a general session with a presentation on Emergency Medicine, and a review of the new community acquired pneumonia guidelines. The afternoon will offer three tracks to select from with three presentations within each. The tracks are categorized into technician, critical care and ambulatory care. The technician track will include presentations on vaccines, law review and math review. Ambulatory care track will include discussions on Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular and anticoagulation updates. The final track, critical care, will include presentations on proton pump inhibitors, prevention of venous thromboembolism and nutrition support in the critically ill. So mark your calendars for May 6th. I hope to see you there!
Posted: Friday, February 27, 2004| President's Corner - February 2004 | January 26, 2004 |
February is the Michigan Pharmacy Association (MPA) Annual Convention and Exposition (ACE) in Dearborn. This year’s theme is Pathways to Positive Outcomes. The conference offers programs for pharmacists, technicians and students.
As is previous years, WMSHP will be participating in the MPA Leadership Breakfast scheduled Saturday morning during the ACE. The breakfast meeting theme will revolve around membership retention and recruitment. The WMSHP members that will be representing you are Jeff Van Houten, Jesse Hogue and Vicki Sternhagen. Also, there is the MPA house of delegates session at the ACE. WMSHP this year is entitled to four delegates. Your 2004 delegates are Jeff Van Houten, Jesse Hogue, Brad Miller and Jean Lee. The alternative delegate is Vicki Sternhagen. The delegates will identify issues and policies to be considered by the Executive Board, and consider bylaw changes. Please contact any of the above representatives with topics or ideas that you would like discussed at their meetings.
New this year at the MPA ACE meeting is a session that will be conducted by pharmacy students. Each College of Pharmacy will have one student presenting. The student representing Ferris State University is Sheila Duffy. Her presentation is entitled “The Use of Alternative Medicines in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: Panacea, Placebo or Poison?”. Specifically, Sheila will be discussing the affects of chromium and ginseng in type 2 diabetes and providing recommendations for their use in therapy.
I hope to see some of you at the MPA ACE meeting Dearborn and the WMSHP meeting in Kalamazoo this month.
Posted: Monday, January 26, 2004| President's Corner - January 2004 | December 23, 2003 |
Happy Holidays! I hope you are all enjoying the Holiday season.
January is the time of year that we induct our new officers. This year we have several changes to the Board. Specifically, we have three new members that I would like you to get acquainted with, Brad Miller, secretary and Jodie Bakus and Vicki Sternhagen as Board members. We also welcome Jody Mehren back to the Board for a second term.
Brad Miller is Director of Inpatient Pharmacy Services at Pennock Health Services in Hastings. He received his Pharm.D. degree from Ferris State University. In 2003, he completed a pharmacy practice residency at Spectrum Health. Also, Brad is the designer and webmaster of the WMSHP website. He as done an outstanding job creating the website and maintaining it. Please check it out at www.wmshp.net.
Jodie Bakus is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ferris State University. She received her Pharm.D. degree from Ferris State University. Following graduation, she completed a community pharmacy practice residency sponsored by Meijer Pharmacy, Ferris State University and Pfizer. She has practiced community pharmacy in the chain and the independent setting where she participated in patient care activities including: diabetes education, immunizations, hyperlipidemia screening, and a pharmacy-based anticoagulation clinic.
Vicki Sternhagen is originally from Atlantic Mine, Michigan; a small copper mining town in the Upper Peninsula. She received her Pharm.D. degree at Ferris State University. After graduation, she moved to Madison, Wisconsin to complete a pharmacy practice residency at Meriter Hospital. Vicki is currently an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ferris State University. Her practice site is located at Borgess Medical Center with a focus on internal medicine. Her main interests are in cardiology and nutrition.
On behalf of the WMSHP board, I would like to thank Jaci DeYoung for her service as president, and Tracey Mersfelder as Board member. Especially, I would like to thank Lisa DeVries for her eight years of service as secretary to WMSHP. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication.
I hope to see you at the January meeting where we will be inducting the new members. Please feel free to contact myself or any of the board members with ideas you may have for meetings, topics you would like discussed in the newsletter or current issues to be posted on the website. Thanks for the opportunity to serve as WMSHP President.
| President's Corner - November 2003 | October 24, 2003 |
WMSHP's second annual residency showcase was a great success with 11 programs and institutions participating. There were many Ferris students in attendance and it was great to see such interest in residency training. There were even P1's asking about specialty residencies! It's never too early to investigate career opportunities and it was wonderful to see students so early in their education thinking so far ahead.
On behalf of the WMSHP board, I would like to congratulate Joan Rider, PharmD on her selection as honorary member. Joan currently serves as President of MPA and has a long history of involvement in professional organizations, including WMSHP. As honorary member, Joan will receive a lifetime of paid dues to WMSHP.
I would also like to congratulate the recently elected board and thank all of our members for voting. We will be formally inducting new officers at the January meeting.
The vote for the by-law revision limiting the associate member status to students was passed by a vote of 25 to 1. Thank you for taking the time to vote at the October meeting.
Posted: Friday, October 24, 2003| President's Corner - April 2003 | April 1, 2003 |
I recently received a videotape from ASHP entitled "Translating National Goals into Local Action". The videotape is narrated by Debra S. Devereaux, MBA, FASHP, President of ASHP. The 10 minute video describes ASHP's progress on the 6 planks of the Society's 2002-03 Leadership Agenda. Although ASHP's intent is to play the video during one of our meetings, I felt that this would be difficult due to the availability of equipment and time constraints. Therefore, I have summarized the main points below.
The 2002-2003 Leadership Agenda formally communicates ASHP's organizational priorities and serves as a framework for future activities. The six major planks of the Agenda are listed below with the progress to date indicated as indented bullet points.
Foster fail-safe medication use in health systems.
- Center for Patient Safety provides CE, comprehensive website, strategic alliances, and supports barcoding.
- Medication safety officer job description available on ASHP's website.
- Expand access to the patient-care services of health-system pharmacists.
Support Medicare and Medicaid provider status for pharmacists.
- Public relations initiative with pharmacy directors to convey pharmacists' unique roles to the public (publicinfo@ashp.org).
- Collaborative Drug Therapy Management authority in 34 states
Help health-system pharmacists deal with the affordability and accessibility of pharmaceuticals.
- "Drug-cost technique" checklist being developed.
Foster an adequate supply of practitioners and practice leaders in health-system pharmacy.
- New section of Pharmacy Practice Managers
- Advocated federal support for pharmacy training and education
- Foster expansion of residency training
- New virtual mentoring program instituted
Close the gaps in health-system pharmacy emergency preparedness.
- Advocate that pharmacists be involved at all levels of emergency preparedness planning
- Close drug supply chain gaps
- Counterterrorism website and CE
- Assist Public Health Services
- Recruit pharmacist volunteers to participate in chemoprophylaxis and mass vaccination if needed
Accelerate efforts to help health-system pharmacists prepare for advances in science and technology.
- Section of Clinical Specialists and Researchers to provide input.
- Establish genetics resource center
- Provide CE in the areas of genome project, nanotechnology, genomics, and immunomodulation
For more information, please visit www.ashp.org
Posted: Tuesday, April 1, 2003| President's Corner - March 2003 | March 1, 2003 |
Although it may be difficult to believe with the continued cold weather, spring is just around the corner. WMSHP Past-President, Stacy Brownell, is busy planning the program for the Annual Spring Seminar. The Spring Seminar will be held on Thursday, May 1 at the Crowne Plaza in Grand Rapids. Technician, internal medicine, and infectious disease tracks will be available. Topics for the technician track include technology and law updates and an overview of small pox vaccination programs. The internal medicine track will offer presentations about diabetes, psychiatric issues, and a pediatric topic. Nosocomial infections, community acquired pneumonia and tuberculosis will be covered in the infectious disease track. A program announcement will be sent out in the near future with more details.
Our April meeting will occur on the 3rd of the month and two pharmacy practice residents have been selected to present their residency projects at the meeting. All pharmacy practice residents are required to complete a project during their residency program. The project may be in the form of original research, a problem-solving exercise, or development, enhancement or evaluation of some aspect of pharmacy operations or patient care services. Residents from our area present their projects at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Residents Conference. This year's conference will occur in April at Purdue University. Approximately 160 residents and 150 preceptors from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin participate in this conference. It is the "capstone" event for residents and also provides the residents and preceptors an opportunity to network and learn about other resident projects and programs. The two residents who will present at WMSHP in April are Brian Berryhill, PharmD, Pharmacy Practice Resident at Spectrum Health and Sheila Kasten, PharmD, Managed Care Pharmacy Resident with Pfizer, Ferris State University, Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Brian will be presenting "Development and Implementation of an Inpatient Heart Failure Protocol" and Sheila will discuss the "Impact of Pharmacist Intervention on LDL-C Goal Attainment in Diabetics".
Brad Miller, Pharm.D., Pharmacy Practice Resident at Spectrum Health, has graciously volunteered to serve as WMSHP's webmaster in designing and maintaining a website for us. I'll keep you posted about the progress and let you know when it's available.
I'd also like to extend WMSHP's congratulations to Joan Rider, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Coordinator at Ferris State University, on her installation as President of the Michigan Pharmacists Association. Joan is past-president and board member of WMSHP and was installed as MPA's president on February 22 during the 2003 MPA Annual Convention and Exposition.
Posted: Saturday, March 1, 2003