Dear Colleagues,

This past year was like no other. The challenges that our country has and continues to face are unprecedented. Yet, the relentless dedication and commitment I have seen from pharmacy professionals during the pandemic are valiant and inspirational.

As we step forward into 2021, ASHP remains committed to supporting the incredible work that our members are doing on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also working hard to provide the latest innovative approaches, tools, and resources to support patients across the full spectrum of medication use. I want to share some important new initiatives that ASHP created to help move pharmacy practice forward.

ASHP is pleased to announce the upcoming ASHP Specialty Pharmacy State of Practice in Hospitals and Health Systems – Future Directions Summit. The summit, scheduled for Feb. 1-4, will bring together more than 100 hospital and health-system pharmacy professionals, nurses, payers, and others to develop recommendations that advance patient outcomes through specialty pharmacy designated medications. The invitation-only event will include Q&As with speakers, virtual breakout groups, and much discussion and debate. It will address measures involved in diagnosis, medication management, payment, and reimbursement, as well as the impact on affordability, accessibility, and outcomes related to specialty pharmacy. Outcomes and recommendations from the summit will be published in a future issue of AJHP and support the development of upcoming ASHP educational content and tools.

Another critical undertaking, under the umbrella of our ASHP Innovation Center, is our new partnership with the American Medical Association to create a series of six Pharmacogenomics Virtual Summits focused on exploring the potential of pharmacogenomics-based selection, dosing, and monitoring of medications to improve health outcomes. The first summit, which takes place on Feb. 9, explores the pharmacogenomics landscape. Leading experts from pharmacy and medicine will introduce pharmacogenomics and the value it can bring to patient care, examine its benefits, and discuss the economic and health equity aspects of pharmacogenomics. Registration for the Pharmacogenomics Virtual Summit Series is currently open. The summits will run through March 18 with topics that include the current state of pharmacogenomics, the integration and implementation of pharmacogenomics into practice, clinical guidelines, and adoption drivers. I encourage you to register for this innovative and informative series to learn how pharmacogenomics can bring value to your practice.

I also wanted to remind our members that the application deadline is quickly approaching for a competitive grant program from the ASHP Foundation in collaboration with the ASHP Innovation Center to support projects that demonstrate the impact that health information technology and digital transformation can have on safe and effective medication use. Applications, due on Feb. 4, are open to interprofessional healthcare teams with a pharmacist as the principal investigator. Be sure to also check out our new ASHP Innovation Center infographic to learn more about the center’s mission, goals, and resources.

Additionally, the first episode of “Season 2” of our ASHP Leadership podcast will be published on Feb. 1. February is Black History Month, and in this episode, I discuss the preliminary recommendations from the ASHP Task Force on Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with ASHP President Tom Johnson and Paul Walker, chair of the task force. We talk about the inclusive process used to develop the draft recommendations by incorporating feedback from members and how the recommendations will continue to advance ASHP’s strong commitment to addressing the range of current and historical issues facing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in ASHP’s membership and the profession of pharmacy. The preliminary recommendations will be presented to the ASHP Board soon, and we will post the final recommendations on ashp.org once they are approved. I hope you join us for this important discussion on our ASHP Official Podcast.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention ASHP’s latest innovative COVID-19 resources and tools. Earlier this month, ASHP released a new resource guide on the security, cold-chain storage, and handling of COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The guide offers current information and guidance from the FDA emergency use authorization letters and Healthcare Provider Fact Sheets from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, and general best practices from other reputable sources. I encourage you to review this important tool, which will be updated regularly.

Other valuable resources from our dedicated COVID-19 vaccine webpage and COVID-19 Resource Center include ASHP’s Assessment of Evidence for COVID-19 Related Treatments, ASHP COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Tracking Table, and the COVID-19 Vaccine Assessment Tool.

Finally, I invite you to join our COVID-19: Immunizing Efforts From Three States webinar on Feb. 10, when Brian Bothwell, director of pharmacy at San Juan Health in Monticello, Utah, Mohammad (Mo) Kharbat, vice president of pharmacy services and health research at SSM Health – Wisconsin Region, and Sarah Stephens, system medication safety officer at the HonorHealth Corporate Office in Scottsdale, Arizona, share their experiences with vaccine delivery, patient education, administration, and follow up.

ASHP remains committed to supporting you in every way we can during this pandemic, and through all you do in support of advancing healthcare. Thank you for being a member of ASHP and for everything that you do for your patients and our profession.

Sincerely,

Paul

Posted on January 29, 2021