Although it may be difficult to believe with the continued cold weather, spring is just around the corner. WMSHP Past-President, Stacy Brownell, is busy planning the program for the Annual Spring Seminar. The Spring Seminar will be held on Thursday, May 1 at the Crowne Plaza in Grand Rapids. Technician, internal medicine, and infectious disease tracks will be available. Topics for the technician track include technology and law updates and an overview of small pox vaccination programs. The internal medicine track will offer presentations about diabetes, psychiatric issues, and a pediatric topic. Nosocomial infections, community acquired pneumonia and tuberculosis will be covered in the infectious disease track. A program announcement will be sent out in the near future with more details.
Our April meeting will occur on the 3rd of the month and two pharmacy practice residents have been selected to present their residency projects at the meeting. All pharmacy practice residents are required to complete a project during their residency program. The project may be in the form of original research, a problem-solving exercise, or development, enhancement or evaluation of some aspect of pharmacy operations or patient care services. Residents from our area present their projects at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Residents Conference. This year's conference will occur in April at Purdue University. Approximately 160 residents and 150 preceptors from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin participate in this conference. It is the "capstone" event for residents and also provides the residents and preceptors an opportunity to network and learn about other resident projects and programs. The two residents who will present at WMSHP in April are Brian Berryhill, PharmD, Pharmacy Practice Resident at Spectrum Health and Sheila Kasten, PharmD, Managed Care Pharmacy Resident with Pfizer, Ferris State University, Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Brian will be presenting "Development and Implementation of an Inpatient Heart Failure Protocol" and Sheila will discuss the "Impact of Pharmacist Intervention on LDL-C Goal Attainment in Diabetics".
Brad Miller, Pharm.D., Pharmacy Practice Resident at Spectrum Health, has graciously volunteered to serve as WMSHP's webmaster in designing and maintaining a website for us. I'll keep you posted about the progress and let you know when it's available.
I'd also like to extend WMSHP's congratulations to Joan Rider, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Coordinator at Ferris State University, on her installation as President of the Michigan Pharmacists Association. Joan is past-president and board member of WMSHP and was installed as MPA's president on February 22 during the 2003 MPA Annual Convention and Exposition.
