Interviews

Some of the latest trends in the health-system pharmacy space are ones that have already been around for a while, and organizations will need to understand how to address them at the local level, explained Marie A. Chisholm-Burns, PharmD, PhD, MPH, MBA, FCCP, FASHP, FAST, executive vice president and provost at Oregon Health and Science University.

Once patients with HIV start treatment, pharmacists can play a key role in addressing patient accessibility and affordability of HIV treatments and promoting adherence, said Dena Behm Dillon, PharmD, AAHIVP, HIV clinical pharmacy specialist, University of Iowa Health Care.

There are many risk factors for developing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), but a simplified risk score can help with assessing those risk factors, said Jawad N. Saleh, PharmD, BSPharm, BCCCP, BCPS, clinical manager of pharmacy services, Hospital for Special Surgery.

Pharmacists can play an important role in dispelling myths about vaccines, as well as identifying patients who are eligible for vaccinations that they haven’t yet received, said Jacinda C. Abdul-Mutakabbir, PharmD, MPH, AAHIVP, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, Loma Linda University.

Intravenous (IV) robotic technology brings advantages for pharmacy staff, but there are also accuracy issues with the technology. In addition, this technology will not be replacing a pharmacy technician job, said Scott Soefje, PharmD, MBA, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, director of pharmacy cancer care and assistant professor of pharmacy, Mayo Clinic.

Neil Iyengar, MD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is expecting updates on therapies to fight human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)–positive breast cancer and novel antibody drug conjugates at the upcoming San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS).

From comparing outcomes, it is known that cemiplimab has the potential to improve responses among patients who have cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), although many important questions remain, explained Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, head and neck surgeon and director of clinical research in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

The first priority isn't limiting the rise in type 1 diabetes (T1D) prevalence, it's limiting the rise of missing prevalence, said Tom Robinson, vice president of global access at JDRF.

Liz Lightstone, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, professor of renal medicine for the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, discussed the influence of genetics and background on the care management of lupus nephritis.

About 1 in 5000 males are born with hemophilia, according to Steven W. Pipe, MD, a professor of pediatrics and pathology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and medical director of the Pediatric Hemophilia and Coagulation Disorders Program.

Marie A. Chisholm-Burns, PharmD, PhD, MPH, MBA, FCCP, FASHP, FAST, executive vice president and provost at Oregon Health and Science University, is receiving the award, which is presented to individuals who demonstrate excellence in pharmacy practice leadership.

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in Community and Home Health Nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, noted that a comprehensive assessment of each patient is necessary to develop individualized care plans that can achieve better outcomes and keep older adults in the home setting.

During an Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event held in New York City, Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, fellow in medical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discussed how disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic are ushering in health care delivery reform.

At the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) 2022 Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exposition, Angela M. Hill, PharmD, CPh, RPh, professor and associate dean of clinical affairs; project director, WE-CARE, University of South Florida Taneja College of Pharmacy, will receive the ASHP-ABHP Joint Leadership award for her leadership in addressing health equities.

Jana K. Dickter, MD, associate clinical professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, City of Hope, addresses what health systems need to do to improve HIV therapy accessibility and affordability.

Data on empagliflozin in chronic kidney disease (CKD) showed the drug had similar efficacy across subgroups, but more data is needed to really understand the benefit of the drug in CKD, said Jennifer Green, MD, professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, member of Duke Clinical Research Institute, and EMPA-KIDNEY collaborator.

Now that long-acting injectables are approved, the next big concern is patient access, said Kevin N. Astle, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, AAHIVP, CDES, assistant professor at the University of South Florida Taneja College of Pharmacy.

As dean for medical education at the University of Chicago, Vineet Arora, MD, MAPP, takes a longitudinal view of the training pathway with an eye toward equity in opportunity and system-level improvement of processes.

Liz Lightstone, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, professor of renal medicine for the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, discussed how the potential teratogenic effects of novel therapies being investigated for lupus nephritis can impede clinical trial recruitment for women of childbearing age.

Nancy Reau, MD, section chief of hepatology at Rush University Medical Center, elaborates on how to improve provider knowledge on liver disease guidelines.

Updating the Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Index each year with the latest data and literature and implementing feedback is important for at least the first few years, said Tom Robinson, vice president of global access at JDRF.

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, spoke on how clinical studies in atopic dermatitis (AD) are increasingly investigating topics that remain unknown for disease management, including primary vs secondary failures and AD pathophysiology across different ethnic groups.

Joseph Alvarnas, MD, vice president of government affairs at City of Hope and chief clinical adviser of AccessHope in Duarte, California, spoke on the influence that the California Cancer Care Equity Act is having on legislative efforts in other states, as well as future steps to promote accessible, affordable, and effective cancer care for patients nationwide.

Tam C. Phan, PharmD, AAHIVP, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy, USC School of Pharmacy, talks about how HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) therapies in the pipeline address disparities in patient access and adherence.

In an interview at this year’s American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting in Chicago, Tochi M. Okwuosa, DO, cardiologist and director of cardio-oncology at Rush University Medical Center, discussed the importance of addressing cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in patients with cancer who are undergoing treatment.

As patients come into clinic and receive appropriate follow-up, we can hopefully find ways to mitigate the increase in alcoholic hepatitis, said Nancy Reau, MD, section chief of hepatology at Rush University Medical Center.

Get type 1 diabetes (T1D) communities involved in solving the problem and implementing T1D interventions in your country, said Tom Robinson, vice president of global access at JDRF.

There is a major role for telehealth in oncology care, not only for its convenience but also for giving clinicians the ability to scale nononcologic visits, explained Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, FACOG, assistant attending gynecologic cancer surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City and lead of the MSKCC Affordability Working Group.

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, discussed why it is important for dermatologists to educate patients on atopic dermatitis (AD) and keep an open mind on variations in disease presentation by skin color.

Liz Lightstone, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, professor of renal medicine for the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, spoke on issues regarding the current standard of care for lupus nephritis, including steroid overuse, pregnancy, and dose-related toxicity.