2008 Annual Meeting Voted a Landslide Victory
By Mary Ann Reuter – ISHP Executive Director
The votes are in! A total of 134 pharmacists and technicians completed a program evaluation for this years’s fall meeting in Sun Valley, and all were pleased with the quality of the continuing education program we were able to offer. On an ascending scale of 1 to 5, all areas (meeting rooms, food/beverage, location, leisure activities, scheduling, consistent theme, time to network, and exhibits) received a score of between 4.07 and 4.55 on the average.
We received many excellent comments and a few complaints, most notably that coffee and water were not refilled often enough during breaks, and the Saturday lunch program was chaotic with only one buffet line and a packed program to present in only an hour. And while the elections and the economy may have been on people’s minds, a few respondents did not favor the guest appearance of one political candidate. Other suggestions were to definitely have two screens in the general session and to locate a larger, better ventilated room for the technician session.
Nine speakers were on the pharmacist's faculty, with two speakers presenting twice. Another six speakers presented for the technician program. In general, speakers received high marks averaging in the high 4’s overall. We received some excellence suggestions to pass on to speakers, as well. For example, while an overwhelming number of participants favored receiving the speaker handouts in electronic form, many asked that speaker use minimize the color backgrounds for faster printing and less ink usage. Remember that your feedback helps the education/program committee plan the best possible CE program at the spring and fall meetings.
We also welcomed 22 paid exhibitors at this meeting, with several hosting two booths, and five industry representatives sponsored dinner meetings. Many of our members stopped at the booths to inquire about the exhibitor’s products and to express appreciation for the support provided by the companies and exhibitors. (For a complete list of the exhibitors and dinner sponsors, visit the ISHP website.) We also enjoyed financial support in the form of education grants from four pharmaceutical companies, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cubist, Merck and Wyeth. Special thanks to Cindy Hespe, former executive director, for securing those grants and to Mark Phillips and the industrial relations committee for recruiting the exhibitors.
Thanks also to Greg Cravens for organizing the ISHP Golf Tournament again this year. This has become a high point in the entertainment portion of the Sun Valley experience, and we appreciate Greg for helping us have fun, as well as learn, at the annual meeting. A personal thank you to Sam Hoagland for leading the business meeting and hosting the president’s reception -- and for his patient mentoring of a “brand new” executive director!
We appreciate the efforts of Elaine Ladd and Mike Dickens in coordinating the awards and poster session. Whitney Bennett and the incredible volunteer corps of pharmacy students from the ISU College of Pharmacy managed the registration table, introduced speakers and reminded attendees to fill out their evaluations (and handled anything and everything else that came up!). Without the efforts of so many people, the 2008 Fall Annual Meeting would not have been such a success.
The votes are in, and this year’s conference has been a landslide victory!
ISHP FALL MEETING RECAP
The 2008 Annual Fall Meeting was another success, following a long tradition of excellent accredited continuing education at ISHP meetings. The theme this year was infectious disease and oncology. Here is a recap of the topics covered in case you missed the meeting.
The program got started Friday afternoon with Stephanie Magdanz, PharmD, BCOP, from Saint Alphonsus Cancer Treatment Center speaking on New Oncology Meds and Treatment Strategies, followed by Jessie Modlin, PharmD, of St. Luke’s Tumor Institute presenting on Oncology Symptom Management. Both speakers were “of the charts” on their speaker evaluations from pharmacist attendees.
Later on Friday, a special guest speaker from the ASHP Advantage program presented on Prevention and Treatment of an Oncology Emergency: Case Studies in Tumor Lysis Syndrome. This program, presented by Susannah Koontz, PharmD, BCOP, from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, was at no cost to ISHP. Those attending will receive their ACPE credits directly from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Saturday was an exciting day, with sessions running concurrently for both pharmacists and technicians. A special thank you to Angela Farnstrom, PharmD, who kicked off the technician program with a West Nile Virus Update, filling in for a speaker who could not attend. Debbie Heckahorn, RPh, spoke on Bugs and Drugs; Kent Quickstad, RPh, on New Drugs: Then and Now; Jennifer Boyd, PharmD, on Disease and Poverty; Kathy Rayburn, CPhT, on Get Rid of That Bug; and Rob Wills, PharmD, on Community Acquired MRSA. All speakers were very well received by the audience of 34 technicians.
Meanwhile, at the pharmacist program, Roger Hefflinger, PharmD, also gave an in depth talk about New Drugs; and Ron Polk, PharmD, from the School of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University and Medical College, wowed attendees with his presentation on Antibiotic Use and a Lot of Problems. Dr. Polk, Chairman of the Department of Pharmacy in Richmond, also spoke on Clostridium Difficile Associated Disease on Sunday.
Another excellent speaker from outside the local area was Elizabeth Hermsen, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, from the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. She is an adjunct assistant professor in both the medical college and pharmacy college there. Her talk on Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs: Implementation and Justification was also very popular at the conference.
One of two law talks at the fall meeting, New CMS Core Indicators was presented by Mark Phillips, PharmD, who saved the day when the originally scheduled speaker was not able to make it due to a work emergency. A million thanks to Mark, and also to Elaine Ladd, PharmD, BCPS, would researched and prepared the talk. Also on Saturday afternoon, Karl Madaras-Kelly, PharmD, MPH, also presented an Update on the Epidemiology, Prevention, and Treatment of MRSA. These important topics were well delivered and applauded by attendees.
Four different CE programs were also offered Saturday evening. These dinner meetings were sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry and not part of the ACPE offerings of ISHP, but were enjoyed and appreciated by those who attended.
The 2008 Fall Annual Meeting wrapped up on Sunday with Dr. Madaras-Kelly’s presentation on The Year’s Top 10 Papers in Infectious Disease Pharmacology, Dr. Polk’s talk on CDAD, and a law presentation by Mark Johnston, RPh, executive director of the Idaho Board of Pharmacy. The Idaho Pharmacy Act and Rules: Fall 2008 Update was followed by lively discussion among ISHP members, especially regarding the proposed technician ratio.
What a great collection of topics and fantastic speakers! Thanks to presenters and participants alike. A very special thank you goes to Sue Heineman, Education Chair, and Chris Johnson, Program Chair, for planning the fall meeting. Our deepest appreciation also to Pat Larson for coordinating the technician program, and to all the members of the Education/Program Committee for their hours of volunteer time in making The ABC’s of Infectious Disease and Oncology such a great success. See you next year in Sun Valley!
Headed this year by Rob Wills, your ISHP education committee is already planning the spring meeting, to be held April 18 and 19 in Boise at St. Luke’s Anderson Center. The theme is Medication Therapy Management. Look for more details on the website and in the February issue of the newsletter.