HOPA 2019–2020 Publications Committee
Megan Dillaman, PharmD BCOP, Editor
Lisa M. Cordes, PharmD BCOP BCACP, Associate Editor
Christan M. Thomas, PharmD BCOP, Associate Editor
LeAnne Kennedy, PharmD BCOP CPP FHOPA, Board Liaison
Jessica Auten, PharmD BCOP BCPS
Andrea Clarke, PharmD
Jeff Engle, PharmD MS
Sarah E. Hoffman, PharmD BCOP
Sidney V. Keisner, PharmD BCOP
Bonnie A. Labdi, PharmD BCOP
Chung-Shien Lee, PharmD BCOP BCPS
Renee K. McAlister, PharmD BCOP
Heather N. Moore, PharmD BCOP
Jennifer S. Philippon, PharmD candidate
Kendall Shultes, PharmD BCOP
Andrew Tiemann, PharmD candidate
Candice M. Wenzell, PharmD BCOP
Michael J. Williams, PharmD
View PDF of HOPA News, Vol. 16, no. 4
Board Update: HOPA’s Expanding Initiatives and Collaborations
Susanne Liewer, PharmD BCOP FHOPA
HOPA President (2019–2020)
Clinical Associate Professor, PGY-2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency Director
University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy
Omaha, NE
It is hard to believe that summer is past and the beautiful fall season will quickly turn into winter. HOPA continues to build on summer’s momentum by providing premier education in oncology pharmacy, advocating for our cancer patients, expanding work on quality- and health-related outcomes, and advocating for pharmacy-initiated research. Your commitment to helping HOPA expand and create new resources is a source of pride. Thank you!
In September HOPA held its seventh annual Practice Management program. For the first time, the program was moved from Chicago to the beautiful city of Charlotte, NC. We had a great turnout for this conference, so Practice Management will continue to move around the country in order to provide as many HOPA members as possible with the opportunity to attend! The attendees who joined us, both in Charlotte and virtually, learned about challenges facing oncology pharmacy managers and administrators and how HOPA members rise to meet these challenges to ensure that every cancer patient has the best possible care. Our Practice Management Program Committee tried some new educational strategies this year, including site visits and, for the session on biosimilars, a “flipped classroom” format where participants did advance preparation. Three successful preconference sessions were held on September 13: on investigational drug services, on the growing role of specialty pharmacy as an extension of the cancer care team (with a site visit to Walgreens), and on establishing a comprehensive oncology pharmacy team (with a site visit to Atrium Health’s Levine Cancer Institute). The program featured outstanding lectures on a range of topics—for example, using consultants to help with transitions, battling burnout, and bringing precision medicine into practice—as well as an overview of integrative oncology. Steven Eisenberg, DO, provided this year’s thoughtful Niesha L. Griffith Keynote Address, “CPR for the Oncologist’s Soul.” In addition, HOPA’s own Heidi Finnes gave an inspirational inaugural HOPA Voices lecture titled “You Can Move Mountains.” As a bonus, on the preceding day, an “Introduction to Quality Improvement” workshop was led by the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Quality Training Program faculty (see the “Quality Initiatives” column in this issue). We owe our heartiest thanks to the Practice Management Program Committee and HOPA staff members—their hard work and dedication made this program a truly impressive event!
HOPA members, committees, and task forces continue to do amazing work. For example, the Governance Committee recently reviewed and updated HOPA’s bylaws. When this revision was completed, HOPA members were able to review the revised bylaws and give feedback to the committee. If all goes as planned, members will be able to vote on the new bylaws in November!
HOPA’s Leadership Development Subcommittee is currently wrapping up work on its Pilot Mentorship Program matching HOPA leaders with members who are early in their career. Leadership Development chair Becky Fahrenbruch, as well as mentors and mentees, updated Practice Management attendees on this program and discussed the ways that HOPA is actively developing our members into our future leaders.
In September the Leadership Development Subcommittee also announced the publication of “Women in Oncology Pharmacy Leadership: A White Paper,” authored by HOPA members Alexandra Shillingburg, Laura Michaud, Rowena Schwartz, Jaime Anderson, and David Henry on behalf of HOPA’s Women in Leadership Summit Task Force. The article was published online by the Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice in September 2019; a link to the paper can also be found on HOPA’s website (hoparx.org/misc-membership/american-pharmacists-month).
Finally, many of you saw the media releases about HOPA’s collaboration with the Oncology Nursing Society on the position statement “Ensuring Healthcare Worker Safety When Handling Hazardous Drugs.” This collaboration was a huge success, and we look for more to come from this partnership! The position statement was published in HOPA News (Vol. 16, no. 3) and can also be found on our website at hoparx.org/advocacy-activities/position-statements. These are just a few examples of the all amazing things HOPA members are doing!
In the days ahead, let’s take time to appreciate the seasonal changes and all we have to be thankful for. I am so grateful to the people I have worked with and for the opportunities I have had at my institution and in my work with HOPA. What we do every day makes a difference in the lives of cancer patients. Our efforts are important and touch more people than we realize. Let’s keep up the great work!