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  • October 23, 2024 9:47 AM | Benjamin Pontefract (Administrator)

    Hello everyone! We're right in the middle of spooky season, but things are still looking bright here at WMSHP! This past month has been a good one. We started off with our October meeting, which was hosted at the Four Roses Cafe in Plainwell. Our very own Kelsey Ernst, PharmD gave a presentation on pharmacogenomics. As a known pharmacogenomics hater, I must say she did a great job presenting clinical evidence showcasing how we can use this in real world settings. Thank you Kelsey!

    We also successfully hosted our in-person mock interviews. Thank you e-board member Tara McAlpine for coordinating that, and thank you to all of our volunteers who helped out. We will be holding a virtual mock interview event on Wednesday (10/30), and spots are still available. If you are interested in being interviewed or know someone who is, sign-up here: https://wmshp.net/event-5906243!

    We are still accepting applications for e-board members. If you are interested, please email me (pontefb@ferris.edu). All you need to include is your name and a short 1-5 sentence summary of who you are for us to share with our voting members. I am also happy to answer any questions regarding this. Voting for e-board members will open up in November. So, get those applications in ASAP if you are interested!

    Finally, our last WMSHP meeting of the year will be held in November. Devon Stonerock, PharmD will be presenting on how to manage patients who have received T-cell directed therapies. Speaking as someone who is a transplant amateur, I'm incredibly excited to hear his pearls on how to better serve these patients. The event will be held in Grand Rapids, and if you are interested in joining us, you can sign up here: https://wmshp.net/event-5890903.

    That's it for this month's president corner. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions, comments, or interest in getting more involved with WMSHP at pontefb@ferris.edu. Have a nice end to your October, everyone!

  • September 13, 2024 8:37 AM | Benjamin Pontefract (Administrator)

    Welcome back, everyone! The e-board at WMSHP hopes you all had a nice summer and are ready to hop back into some more pharmacy-related goodness in the coming months. There's quite a lot to catch up on and look forward to. So, let's get to it!

    To start, our summer outing Whitecaps game had the greatest attendance it has ever had with 41 people! Thank you everyone who came out. It was great to see everyone and spend some time relaxing at the field. Over the summer, we also elected our Resident-at-Large E-Board member, Kyle Brillantes! Kyle is currently a resident at Corewell West, and he is excited to help keep the e-board hip and with it during his time with us. If you know Kyle, send him a congratulations!

    Earlier this week, we all met together for the September WMSHP meeting, which was held at Trinity Health in Grand Rapids. Dr. Sarah Leonard, PharmD, BCPPS gave an excellent presentation of Enneagrams and how they can be used to help improve communication among colleagues. As someone who had never heard of this concept, I thought it was a fascinating way to have discussions about the way we communicate. Thank you Sarah!

    To round out this update, we have a few opportunities to make everyone aware of in the coming months. First, e-board nominations are open! If you (or someone you know) is interested in getting more involved with WMSHP, please send me an email at pontefb@ferris.edu for more details. The open positions include, 4 e-board members, 1 secretary, and 1 president-elect. Come join our team!

    The other opportunity I want to make everyone aware of is our Mock Interviews. Many pharmacy students have never had a professional interview and can greatly benefit from going through one with a professional. If you are a pharmacist, pharmacy resident, or administrator, we'd greatly appreciate your willingness to volunteer your time as a mock interviewer. We currently have 2 dates we need volunteers for, 10/21 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM in person at Ferris Grand Rapids, and 10/30 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM virtual over Zoom. If you are interested in volunteering please email either Tara McAlpine (Tara.McAlpine@trinity-health.org) or myself (pontefb@ferris.edu).

    That brings us to the end of the Corner. If you have any thoughts or questions about WMSHP, please do not hesitate to send them my way at pontefb@ferris.edu. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing everyone in October, for our next meeting in Kalamazoo. Have a nice end to your week, everyone!

  • May 13, 2024 2:10 PM | Benjamin Pontefract (Administrator)

    Summer is finally here! It was great seeing everyone at this year's Spring Seminar. A special thank you to Susan DeVuyst-Miller , Autumn Neff, Nick Rademacher, Kyle Schmidt, and Deeb Eid for providing their time and expertise to provide some fantastic CE's for us. Also, thank you to all of our exhibitors for helping make the event happen. If you haven't already, don't forget to fill out your WMED Evaluations to get your CE credit!

    The WMSHP e-board has our yearly planning meeting coming up in June. If you have suggestions for speakers, topics, or events for the coming year, please reach out. I am always available by email at benjaminpontefract@ferris.edu.

    I hope everyone has a lovely summer as WMSHP takes a bit of a break to recuperate and prepare for the year ahead. I look forward to seeing everyone again at our annual Whitecaps game on August 8th! Have a nice day!

  • April 12, 2024 8:54 AM | Benjamin Pontefract (Administrator)

    Hello WMSHP Members! It's wild to think it's already April; 2024 is flying by! We just hosted our April Meeting at Founder's, which continued our tradition of inviting 2 local pharmacy residents to present on their research projects. Keitasha Arnold at Corewell Health and Mackenzie Miller at Trinity Health gave a fantastic overview of the work they have been doing this past year. Thank you to them both for all of their hard work!

    Our meeting next month, on May 7th, will be our annual Spring Seminar! Sign in and breakfast will start at 7:15 AM with the first CE starting at 8:30 AM. If you have not heard, we have a fantastic line-up of speakers! They are listed below:

    • Susan DeVuyst-Miller - Implicit biases with sexual orientation and gender identity healthcare
    • Autumn Neff - Anticoagulation in Special Populations
    • Nick Rademacher - Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department
    • Kyle Schmidt - Updates on Ischemic Stroke Management
    • Deeb Eid - Law Update and Pharmacist Prescriptive Authority

    Personally, I am incredibly excited for this event. Our speakers are all brilliant, and I'm sure they will have a lot of interesting ideas to bring to our group.

    Lastly, the e-board has our planning meeting in June. If you have suggestions for speakers or topics please reach out to myself (benjaminpontefract@ferris.edu). Otherwise, we will see everyone at the Whitecaps game on August 8th. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

    Benjamin Pontefract, PharmD, BCPS
    WMSHP President

  • March 15, 2024 2:26 PM | Benjamin Pontefract (Administrator)

    Hello again WMSHP members! I hope everyone is having a nice end to their week. It was great seeing some of you yesterday for our March Monthly Meeting. We were fortunate to have Alicia Lane, NP give a fantastic presentation regarding the use of buprenorphine in the management of opioid use disorder.

    This past month, our resident member, Abby Poort, led an incredibly successful volunteer event at Renucci House in Grand Rapids where members of the e-board were able to connect with Ferris pharmacy students and provide a great service for the community. Based on the large amount of interest we saw from students, we are looking into hosting similar events in the future, which we will open up to our general membership!

    Looking forward, there are two remaining meetings for Spring 2024. First we will host our annual resident research presentation on April 11th at Founder’s in Grand Rapids. The following month, we will be hosting our annual WMSHP Spring Seminar where we will have a full day of CE presentations. This year's Spring Seminar is scheduled for May 7th at the Prince Conference Center. Make sure you register for both great events.

    I hope everyone have a fantastic weekend,

    Benjamin Pontefract
    WMSHP President

  • February 09, 2024 8:54 AM | Benjamin Pontefract (Administrator)

    It was great having everyone hop on for our February meeting. We want to give a special thank you to Megan Leigh, PharmD for her fantastic presentation surrounding managing patients with medication overdoses. Our meeting in March will be held at the fan favorite restaurant, Martell's, in Kalamazoo! Keep and eye out for registration as seats will be limited.

    There is also still time to register for the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE). There will be live CE at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center from Friday, February 23 to Sunday, February 25.

    We look forward to seeing everyone in person again in March. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

    Benjamin Pontefract, PharmD, BCPS
    WMSHP President

  • January 20, 2024 8:00 AM | Benjamin Pontefract (Administrator)

    Hello everyone! I hope you are all enjoy a great end to 2023. If we have not met, my name is Ben Pontefract, and I will be serving as president of WMSHP for 2024. I look forward to working with the fantastic people on the e-board as well as our members in the coming year. As president, I am hopeful that our team can continue to not only provide but also improve upon the services we offer all of our members, focusing on continuing education programs for our pharmacist members and residency preparatory events for our student and resident members. If anyone has thoughts on what they would like to see from WMSHP in this upcoming year, do not hesitate to reach out to me via email to let me know: benjaminpontefract@ferris.edu.

    We plan to kick off the new year with a virtual CE event so everyone could enjoy some education while not having to brave the winter Michigan roads. Ryan Tomlin, PharmD, BCPS, AAHIVP is putting together a fantastic CE for January 11th on HIV Pre-Exposure Prophlyaxis (PrEP). 

    Lastly, do not forget to register for the Michigan Pharmacist Association (MPA) Annual Convention & Exposition. ACE will be held starting February 23rd through the 25th at the Detroit Marriot Renaissance Center. You can register at the following link: https://www.michiganpharmacists.org/education-events/annual-conference-exhibition/.

  • November 21, 2023 2:14 PM | Shelby Kelsh (Administrator)

    I can't believe my year as president is already ending. We have had a great year of events from continue education dinners to Spring Seminar and the White Caps game. I know Ben Pontefract will continue the strong growth our group has had since COVID. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to seeing everyone on Zoom in January and February for our meeting and CE. 


    All the best

    Shelby 

  • October 31, 2023 6:44 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    President-Elect 2024

    Jessie Prociv PharmD BCACP is the Lead Ambulatory Care Pharmacist at Bronson Hospital. Jessie graduated from Ferris State University and completed a PGY1 at the VAMC in Battle Creek. She has been with Bronson for 5 years and has special interests in treating patients with diabetes and chronic pain. In her free time, you might see her going for a run or chasing her three daughters around.


    Treasurer 2024-25

    Andrea Borst attended Ferris State University and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2016.  Following pharmacy school, Andrea completed a PGY-1 residency at Corewell (Spectrum) Health and a PGY-2 pediatric residency at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.  Andrea currently works at Helen DeVos as a clinical pharmacist with a focus on general pediatrics and kidney transplant.  In her free time, Andrea enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her husband and two kids.  Andrea served as a WMSHP board member from 2018 to 2021 before transitioning to Treasurer in 2022.  During her time on the board, Andrea has planned continuing education events and has volunteered at the annual WMSHP Mock Interview and CV Review at Ferris State University.  Andrea is excited to continue her involvement with WMSHP as Treasurer for the 2024-2025 term.


    Technician Board 2024-25

    Heather Hamilton is a pharmacy technician with nearly 20 years experience in the retail and hospital location.  For the last 13 years she had worked at Michigan Career and Technical Institute where she delivers pharmacy technician instruction.  


    Board Members 2024-25

    Hello! My name is Kelsey Ernst. I recently started a new role as an ambulatory care pharmacist with Ascension Borgess Medical Group in Kalamazoo, practicing out of three family medicine clinics in Allegan County. I graduated from the Ferris State University College of Pharmacy and completed residency at University of Michigan Health, with a PGY1 in community pharmacy and a PGY2 in ambulatory care. My favorite clinical areas are diabetes, psychiatry, transitions of care, and geriatrics. I enjoyed my involvement with professional organizations throughout pharmacy school, such as the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). I also had the opportunity to take a more active role in organizational leadership as the founder of a mentoring program between pharmacy and pre-pharmacy students during my time at Ferris. During residency, I was a member of ASHP Section of Community Pharmacy Practitioners Education, Communication, and Training Section Advisory Group and appreciated working with other pharmacists to provide tools and educational materials to support our members. I am newly returned to southwest Michigan and hoping to become more involved in my local pharmacy community with the Western Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists as a board member. As a student, I benefited greatly from the events supported by WMSHP and look forward to providing the same support for current and future student pharmacists with events like the mock interviews. I also look forward to working more closely with pharmacy advocacy to help support our profession.
    My name is Destiny Hughson and I am a recent PGY-1 pharmacy graduate from Trinity Health Grand Rapids. Following completion of my residency, I was able to continue my career with Trinity Health Grand Rapids as a clinical pharmacist. I feel very lucky and privileged to be afforded the opportunity to work with such a diverse patient population and an amazing team of pharmacists at THGR. In my free time, I love to explore the greater Grand Rapids area with my husband, cuddle and play with my three cats (Gracie, Gaia, and Onyx), visit my friends and family up North in my hometown of Traverse City, and relax on the couch binge watching a good show (Schitt's Creek is my favorite!). I am interested in serving on the board of WMSHP to establish relationships that go beyond my colleagues at work. I want to meet new people with shared interests and continue to shape and develop my skills and knowledge related to pharmacy practice. Being a part of WMSHP would give me the opportunity to stay informed, remain engaged, and support my journey of life-long learning all while developing connections and making friends, which sounds like a win-win to me. Thank you for your time and consideration.
    Nathan Kanous: I am a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Ambulatory Care at the Ascension / Borgess Woodbridge Heart Failure Clinic and three Family Practice Clinics in the greater Kalamazoo Area. I received my PharmD from Ferris State University and completed an ASHP-accredited ambulatory care residency at the William S. Middleton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Madison, Wisconsin.  Since graduation, I have worked in many practice settings including academia, the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacy benefits and managed care.  My clinical interests focus on ambulatory endocrinology and cardiology, geriatrics, and de-prescribing.  

    I have been a WMSHP member and Board Member since my return to Michigan in 2019.  It has been my pleasure to provide support to pharmacists in West Michigan through the society’s educational and advocacy initiatives.  Given the rapid changes occurring within healthcare and our profession, strong advocacy efforts are more important than ever and I look forward to dedicating an additional three years to professional advocacy in West Michigan.
    Tara McAlpine is an ambulatory care pharmacist in primary care at Trinity Health Grand Rapids. She earned her PharmD from Ferris State University College of Pharmacy in 2016 and completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Bronson Methodist Hospital in 2017. She has been a WMSHP member since 2015 and has served on the Board since 2018. She serves as committee chair of the community and membership outreach committee. She is involved in organizing the mock interview events for the students. Tara is passionate about continuing to serve on the WMSHP Board.
    Jeff Van Houten received his BS Pharm from Ferris and after licensure he worked two years at Blodgett Hospital as a Staff Pharmacist while completing PharmD at Ferris.  He went on to complete a PGY-1 residency at Hamot Medical Center in Erie, PA. and then started working as a Clinical Pharmacist at Saint Mary's Hospital, where he continues to work.  He has worked in many clinical roles over the years at Trinity Health GR and currently works as the floor pharmacist in an Inpatient Geriatric unit.  Jeff has been a member of WMSHP since the beginning of his career (minus an occasional inadvertent lapse in membership).  He has served on the WMSHP board in the past as board member as well as the President Elect/Current/Past President position in the 1998-2000 term.

  • October 25, 2023 9:11 AM | Shelby Kelsh (Administrator)

    It has been a very busy fall so far, as you can tell by the combined September and October update. WMSHP members and board have been very active. We have hosted two CE events, Andrew Watson gave a very interesting presentation about management of Sickle Cell. Then Dean Van Loo provided our first hybrid live/zoom CE from Bronson about the grey area of MSSA bacteremia treatment. We also hosted our first live residency showcase with Ferris State University since 2019. We had 29 programs in attendance and lots of interested P3/P4 students. Finally, we hosted one of two mock interviews for students with the virtual one coming in November. 

    We are excited about the level of activity and engagement our group has had this fall and look forward to keeping the moment up. Be on the look out for board member voting. 

    Shelby

    WMSHP President

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