|
Message from the President Joan Fabbro
On behalf of the CAPhO Executive and as your new President, I would like to thank you for attending the National Oncology Pharmacy Symposium in Vancouver. We have Kimberly Kuik, Susan Walisser (Co-Chairs) and the NOPS Planning Committee to thank for such a great Symposium. I hope you agree that it was an excellent event for many reasons - we discussed very relevant and timely topics, had excellent speakers, a very productive AGM and Town Hall Meeting with fantastic networking opportunities.
Even if you were not able to attend, read on in this newsletter to find out about some of the NOPS highlights and how to access presentations and posters presented.
At the AGM in Vancouver we said goodbye to three Executive Committee members and welcomed three new faces to the table. I would like to sincerely thank Carlo De Angelis, Victoria Kletas and Yvonne Dresen for their hard work and commitment to CAPhO over the past years. All three will continue to be involved by staying on CAPhO Committees. Carlo is chairing ISOPP 2014.
We welcome Mark Pasetka (President Elect), Coleen Schroeder (Awards Chair), and Colleen Thurber (Education Committee Chair Technician / Pharmacy Assistant) to the CAPhO Executive.
The Executive Committee had an excellent face to face retreat while we were in Vancouver. We are very excited for CAPhO and Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners and the patients that we care for! The times they are a 'changing, and so we have revised the Mission, Vision and Values for CAPhO. We also began discussing strategic goals to take us forward into the next six years. We will be working towards the development of goals and objectives for CAPhO 2020 over the next year - so stay tuned.
Another action by the Executive was to find ways to continue making CAPhO better known - by Branding more. Having revamped the logo and website, the next step in the journey of branding CAPhO was to change the name of the annual conference from National Oncology Pharmacy Symposium to the CAPhO Conference. Another initiative to make CAPhO better known is to collaborate more with other Canadian and International Associations and governmental agencies. We are also pursuing joint membership opportunities with some Canadian organizations as well as continuing with the joint membership opportunity between CAPhO and ISOPP.
2014 should prove to be an exciting year for CAPhO!
My challenge to all CAPhO members is ....Spread the word about CAPhO; suggest that your
co-workers join CAPhO and please consider attending ISOPP 2014 in Montreal April 2-5, 2014. To help you spread the word, please visit the member section of the website to download promo slides you can use to promote the Association and upcoming Symposium.
May you and yours have a safe and happy holiday season.
Joan Fabbro
President
|
CAPhO 2013 Awards Update
 During an amazing NOPS, we were able to recognize some our members. It is always an exciting time. This year's award winners are: CAPhO Distinguished Service Award: Gabriel Gazze of the McGill University Health Center. Gabriel Gazze was nominated for the Distinguished Service Award for his leadership in oncology pharmacy for the past 20 years. Among his accomplishments are: - President, CAPhO - 2005-2007 - Chair, NOPS Organizing Committee - 2011 - NCIC Liaison Representative - CAPhO Education Committee, Technician and Pharmacy Assistant - Member, CAPhO Membership Committee 2013- Gabriel was instrumental in the development of the HOPE modules, an on-line learning module on supportive care in cancer for CAPhO members. Being fluent in both English and French, he also has been a strong advocate for the Quebec Oncology Pharmacists and has constantly forged linkages and brought the groups together. He is currently on the Membership Committee. CAPhO Merit Award: Dennis Jang of the BC Cancer Agency. Dennis Jang was nominated for the CAPhO Merit award because of his key role in ensuring safe practices for both the patients and staff in the distribution process, at the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver. Facing an increasing patient population and limited resources, Dennis led a team that looked to speed up the delivery of charts for patients being treated on intravenous chemotherapy to the pharmacy. In only a few months, the number of charts that met the team's delivery time standard almost doubled. Dennis also, in conjunction with his colleague, Linda Hamata, implemented a program called "Daily Management," which involves a quick team huddle to review the previous day's work and look for process improvement. Through this process, the department tracks key parameters of performance including medication error and near miss rates, chart delivery times and pharmacy workload parameters. With this information and with the team, they review the information and look for process improvements. Standard work and policies are developed as a result of the staff discussions and input, thus creating a process that is consistent and safe for patient care. Past President Award: Jennifer Jupp MASCC Travel Grant: Nikki Ryan HOPA Travel Grant: Pamela Yafai Winning Poster Awards: Administration: Anna Lee, Karen Chuk, Yvonne Ta, Vivian Choy, Ester Chung of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Implementation of a medication reimbursement specialist (MRS) role to facilitate medication access for outpatient oncology patients- an interim evaluationPharmacy Practice: Kim Hugel, Tara Leslie, Jennifer Jupp of Alberta's Children's Hospital Integration of a clinical pharmacist into a paediatric hematology/oncology/transplant clinicResearch: Shirin Abadi, Agnes Lee, Chelsea Nam, Louisa Pang, James Conklin, Melissa Machial, Crystal Maric, Mayo Fung of BC Cancer Agency Successful venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis implementation in hospitalized patients with cancer (this poster has been submitted for publication and is not available) Congratulations to all of our award winners! See you all at ISOPP in Montreal, April 2-5, 2014. Sincerely Coleen Schroeder Awards Committee Chair awards@capho.org |
NOPS 2013 Highlights
| 
|
On behalf of the National Oncology Pharmacy Symposium 2013 Planning Committee, we would like to again acknowledge everyone who contributed to making this year's Symposium a success. The Symposium is very much a reflection of the Canadian oncology pharmacy community and its success comes from the contributions of all of the presenters, sponsors and attendees. We hope you enjoyed the opportunity to see the Charles Edenshaw exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery and that you took the time to celebrate National Oncology Pharmacy Day in Vancouver.
This year we were again fortunate to have an array of Satellite Symposia featuring many Canadian and International oncology practitioners. Our sponsors always demonstrate their commitment by organizing thought provoking content on topics that are in the forefront of our practice. All of our program speakers were well received and provided interesting and stimulating content. We also had the opportunity to come together as CAPhO members at both the Annual General Meeting and the Town Hall meeting. There are many exciting new initiatives on the horizon and once again you are encouraged to become an active CAPhO member, join a committee and experience the satisfaction of contributing to your profession while getting to know your colleagues all across the country.
Our congratulations to the Award Winners - Gabriel Gazze, winner of the Distinguished Service Award, Dennis Jang, winner of the Merit Award, Jennifer Jupp, recipient of the Past President Award, Shirin Abadi et al, winner of the Best Poster, Research, Kim Hugel et al, winner of the Best Poster, Pharmacy Practice and Anna Lee et al, winner of the Best Poster, Administration.
2013 is the last year that CAPhO's annual Conference will be called NOPS. In 2015, it will be renamed as the CAPhO Conference and will continue along its journey of excellence with a renewed sense of purpose. For 2014, be sure to put the ISOPP Symposium in Montreal April 2 to 5 on your radar. This will be a terrific opportunity to attend an international conference close to home.
Kimberly Kuik and Susan Walisser
NOPS 2013 Co-Chairs |
|
Recorded Presentations and Posters Online
Did you miss NOPS this year or would you like to refresh some of the content discussed at the Symposium? You are able to listen to and view the presentations online. The 2013 posters are available for viewing. Be sure to review them to see what your colleagues are working on and to keep up to date.
|
CAPhO Annual General Meeting and Town Hall
The CAPhO Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday, November 16, 2013. The AGM minutes will be posted in the members' section of the CAPhO website shortly.
Attending this year's AGM made Hélène Bourget-Letarte especially happy, as she won a free registration for the CAPhO Conference 2015. Congratulations!
The Town Hall took place on Sunday, November 17, 2013. This session is an opportunity for members to share ideas and offer suggestions and solutions to matters pertaining to CAPhO, the industry and your member benefits. The Town Hall minutes will be posted shortly in the members' section of the CAPhO website as well.
|
 Photo Contest Winner
The winner of the NOPS 2013 Photo Contest is Dawn Annable with her photo on the left showcasing a new generation of CAPhO members. To view other submissions, click here and login. Dawn wins a free registration to the CAPhO Conference 2015. Congratulations Dawn! |
NOPS 2013 - Report from Lisa Johnstone
Many Paths, Many Journeys seemed like a very appropriate name for the Symposium this year. The topic that resounded with me the most was the Future of Pharmacy. In our profession, the ability to adapt with changing and improved technologies is very important, so we need to ensure that we are always progressing in a consistent and positive manner. Friday morning started off with a talk on the use of robotics in pharmacy. We were introduced to RIVA and Health Robotics, both of which are automated compounding systems. Bar-coding was also talked about and its future in chemotherapy production. I believe bar-coding and robotics will become the norm in our day to day practise. My biggest question is if industry is making what we need. Are these robotics primarily geared toward bigger centers and the adult world? It would be nice to tour some sites that already have robotics in place.
The use of robotics ties into the two talks in the technician stream. The first talk was about preventing musculoskeletal injuries in the pharmacy environment. This topic is very relevant amongst the technician group. A culture change needs to happen with our group to come up with ways to minimize the impact of repetitive strain injuries. We need to teach the importance of stretching and taking breaks so that these injuries are less likely to happen. This needs to be done using a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach. I plan to make this a project of mine at my workplace and challenge others to as well. With the possibility of robotics being introduced into our day to day practise I hope that these injuries will become less prevalent.
The next talk in the technician stream was Quality in Sterile Compounding. Are we meeting 797 requirements? Are there variations in our processes? Simple and economical tests can be done to validate if we are providing quality products to our patients. Both personnel and the facility need to be held accountable to meet these standards.
The Novel Targeted Agents for a Personalized Approach talk was also very interesting. If in the future we are able to target these diseases with oral therapies it is so important for pharmacy to have a role in monitoring these patients for compliance. Pharmacists are getting busier and as a result of this, Technicians are starting to take over some of their roles. I am currently in a Clinical Support Technician role in the oncology clinic, and as such one of my responsibilities is do Best Possible Medication Histories. I believe that Technicians will become a valuable part of patient-focused care. We can spend the time gathering the information so that the pharmacist has more time to answer questions and concerns.
This was the first Symposium that I have been to. It was great to see the enthusiasm that everyone has for the job that they do. One of the biggest things that I have taken away from this Symposium was the support from Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians from all over the country. These connections mean so much to me. I am looking forward to hearing what other Clinical Technicians are doing in other parts of the country. We can work together to see what is working, along with what can be done differently. It will only make us stronger.
There were many interesting posters as well. It was so exciting that one of the posters that won was done by a few of my coworkers.
The Saturday night banquet with the comedian was great. His uncensored rendition of his experience with cancer treatment was fantastic. I feel as though hearing him has made me approach patients a bit differently.
I would like to say thank you so much to CAPhO and the Awards Committee for awarding the travel grant to me. It has been a wonderful opportunity to attend this event!
Lisa Johnstone
Alberta Health Services
Calgary Alberta
|
Renew Your CAPhO Membership
Be sure to renew your CAPhO membership for 2014! We will be sending members a renewal email shortly with directions on how to renew for 2014. As a member of CAPhO you will continue to have access to Oncology Basics, the Sosido Network, able to apply for a travel grant to attend ISOPP 2014 this upcoming April in Montreal and much more. If you have any questions regarding membership, please contact Glenda Freeman via email at info@capho.org or via telephone at 778-338-4142. |
Apply for Travel Grants to attend ISOPP 2014
In 2014, CAPhO will be co-hosting ISOPP XIV in Montreal, Quebec from April 2nd to 5th. CAPhO members in good standing are invited to apply for an educational travel grant. There are several different grants available to help cover expenses for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants as well as pharmacy students and residents, as follows: Pharmacist* 1 grant of up to $1,500 * 4 grants of up to $ 750 Pharmacy Technician / Pharmacy Assistant* 1 grant of up to $1,500 * 2 grants of up to $1,000 * 2 grants of up to $ 450 Pharmacy Resident/Student* 2 grants of up to $1,500 * 3 grants of up to $375 Click here, sign in as a member and find out how to apply and further information on submitting an application. The deadline for submitting an application is Monday, February 10, 2014. |
Promotion Tools to Promote ISOPP 2014 and CAPhO
The Member Only section of the CAPhO website includes a PowerPoint for both ISOPP 2014 and CAPhO that members can use to promote the upcoming Symposium and our Association in any presentations that they may give to audiences with potential attendees and members. If you have any questions on the documents available, please email services@capho.org. |
|
ISOPP 2014 - Time to Register (see Justification Guide)
The Program at a Glance is posted on the ISOPP 2014 website, please click here to view.
Attendance Justification Would you like to attend the International Symposium on Oncology Pharmacy Practice 2014 (ISOPP 2014) but funding is not available? A guide has been prepared that will help you garner the support you need by offering practical strategies to justify the expense of attending ISOPP 2014. There is also a letter template you can use to assist you in selling your meeting proposition to your manager. The two documents are available below. If you have any questions or require more information, please contact the ISOPP 2014 Symposium Secretariat at register@isoppxiv.org. See you in Montreal!
|
|
Annual Professional Practice Conference
The Largest Pharmacy Conference in Canada takes place February 1- 5, 2014. Please click here for more information. |
CAPhO's Association and Symposium Management Office
Sea to Sky Meeting Management is CAPhO's Association and Symposium Management Office. If you have any questions about membership, services, the National Oncology Pharmacy Symposium (NOPS), or the association, please contact the CAPhO Office directly as follows:
Email: info@capho.org
Direct: 778-338-4142
Fax: 604-984-6434
Suite 206, 201 Bewicke Avenue
North Vancouver, BC Canada V7M 3M7
www.seatoskymeetings.com |
|
