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Chair Message July 2018

July 2018

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you all are having a nice quiet summer and finding some time to rest and relax. The beginning of summer is like a new year. It's a time to take a moment to take care of you, build relationships, think of new ideas, and reset for the rest of the year. For me, as I assume the leadership role for the Section, I look forward to connecting with all of you to collaborate, learn new ways of looking at things, and support each other.

This year, our 2018 ASHP Summer Meeting & Exhibition was held in Denver, Colorado, aka Mile-High City. The speakers and programs were outstanding and relevant. Kelly Smith, ASHP President, reminded us that the most important asset is the relationships we build along the way. With technology in hand, we MUST connect. And, Dr. Vivek Murthy shared the importance of emotional well-being for our patients and for us. Throughout the whole meeting, it was nice to connect, share our experiences, and gain some useful hacks to take back home. I must say, this is one of my favorite meetings.

During the Summer Meeting, the Executive Committee begins the planning process for the upcoming year. To carry out the SOPIT Strategic Plan, the committee organizes the workgroups, identifies their leaders and members, and discusses ways to optimize our processes to facilitate delivering the various projects. This year, we will be working with our SOPIT Leadership Executive Advisory Panel (LEAP) to help us prioritize our goals and gather ideas for our SAGs. The overall purpose is to provide our SAGs with direction to move forward from the onset.

We look forward to the upcoming months when we start working with the SAG Chairs, Vice-Chairs and members to achieve our goals. Please be on the lookout for an invitation to join an upcoming SOPIT SAG Orientation Webinar in August.

  • SAG on Clinical Applications : recommendations to assist pharmacists in the design, implementation, interoperability, and meaningful use of clinical applications. Chair: Raymond Chan Vice Chair: Chad Stashek
  • SAG on Clinical Decision Support and Analytics : optimization of clinical decision support and incorporation of new and innovative clinical functionality into appropriate clinical workflows in electronic health records and clinical information systems. Chair: Van Do; Vice Chair: Calvin Daniels
  • SAG on Operations and Automation: safe, interoperable, efficient use and ongoing maintenance of Medication-Use Technology. Chair: David Aguero; Vice Chair: Dennison Lim
  • SAG on Professional Development : providing education and training materials for practicing and future Pharmacy Informaticists. Chair: Ashley Mains Espinosa; Vice Chair: Marc Willner

Outside of our SAGs, the SOPIT now offers an opportunity to participate in a collaborative workgroup called the Pharmacy HIT Collaborative (aka PHIT). This year, the PHIT already began their work, and we now have members from our section on the various workgroups.

In addition to all the above planning, it is also a time for transition. At this year's meeting, we completed the following transitions:

  • Sylvia Belford, Pharm.D. M.S., CPHIMS completed her term as immediate Past-Chair. We are thankful for her leadership and dedication over the last three years.
  • Joe Lassiter, Pharm.D. M.S., BCPS has transitioned from Chair to Immediate Past-Chair of SOPIT, after an outstanding year for the Section under his leadership.
  • Beth Prier, Pharm.D, M.S., CPHIMS has also completed her term as Director-at-Large. We are grateful for her time, energy and contributions to the Section.
  • Barry McClain, Pharm.D. M.S. was installed for his first year as Director-at-Large, and we have the privilege of continuing to work with Seth Hartman, Pharm.D, M.B.A. who is in his second year as Director-at-Large.
  • Tim Brown, Pharm.D, BCACP, FASHP completed his time as the ASHP Board of Directors liaison for SOPIT. We appreciated his guidance, advice and assistance over the last year.
  • We enthusiastically welcomed Stephen Eckel, Pharm.D, MHA, BCPS, FAPhA, FASHP, FCCP with his wealth of knowledge that has joined SOPIT as our new ASHP Board of Directors liaison.

We will complete your Executive Committee when we learn who will be joining as Chair-Elect and Director-at-Large Elect after the upcoming election. As a reminder, please vote by July 26th – we have a great slate of candidates nominated to serve ASHP.

Last but not least, here are some key dates to keep on your radar:

For July:

For August:

Thank you for all you do to transform clinical concepts into our technology to ensure safe, effective, usable, efficient, and economical medication-use systems for our patients and fellow clinicians.

Respectfully,

Maritza Lew, Pharm.D., CPHIMS, PMP
Chair, Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology
[email protected]

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