The New Oncology Pharmacy Updates Course

Christy Harris, PharmD  BCOP BCPS
Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice
MCPHS University
Boston, MA

An exciting new program is coming this summer, the Oncology Pharmacy Updates Course. This annual 2-day conference will be directed toward the advanced board certified hematology/oncology pharmacy (BCOP) practitioner. We know that our membership is very diverse and we hope that this program will fill a gap that has not yet been ad- dressed by any other BCOP recertification program.

The Oncology Pharmacy Updates Course is not designed as an introduction to the content, nor is it intended to replace a board certification preparatory review course. Each session will be literature-focused, discussing studies and results that have been published or are on- going. This course will ensure that all core topics and domains are covered, as specified by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties and the Oncology Pharmacy Specialty Council. The course curriculum will be changed and content updated yearly with all core topics covered in a 3-year cycle. The course will provide 10 BCOP continuing education (CE) and professional development hours per year.

This year there are some great topics that will be presented, including a less commonly covered disease, soft tissue sarcomas, which have had a remarkable year with one new drug approval and one added indication in the past 12 months. Other sessions will break down the new data and discuss the sequence of therapies or special circumstances in malignancies such as prostate cancer and melanoma. The speakers are knowledgeable veterans in practice and we look forward to hearing about the new literature and current developments and learning how to incorporate this new information into practice.