Mark your calendars! This year’s Michigan Pharmacist Association Annual Convention and Exposition (ACE) will be held at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency February 17-19. The ACE is a perfect opportunity to attend high quality continuing education programs as well as network with pharmacists from all over our state. Technicians, don’t forget that there is also targeted programming for you at the ACE. Students are encouraged to participate, too. I know from personal experience that the ACE is a perfect environment for students to begin building a network of peers that will be very beneficial when you start practicing. To register or obtain specific programming information please visit the MPA website at www.michiganpharmacists.org.

The MPA House of Delegates is held annually during the ACE. Representatives of WMSHP this year include Jeff Van Houten, Shaun Phillips and Jesse Hogue. The delegates will be voting on issues and policies brought forward by MPA members. If you have any questions or would like an issue to be considered, please contact one of the representatives. Please keep in mind that the deadline for resolution submission is February 8.

Don’t forget – the February WMSHP meeting will be Thursday, February 9 in Kalamazoo. Hope to see all of you there!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and merry Christmas Holiday.

As you may be aware, we have several new faces on the WMSHP Board this year:

Cherie Woodhams, who is the pharmacy educator at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo.

Shaun Phillips, who is the clinical coordinator at Mercy General Health Partners in Muskegon.

Kim Melgarejo, who is a clinical pharmacy specialist at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo.

Bill Kriel, who was elected to the pharmacy technician position on the board, from St. Mary’s in Grand Rapids.

I look forward to working with all of them for the next two years. I would also like to welcome back Jodie Bakus for another two year term on the board, as well as Natalie Vazzana for a one year term.

On behalf of the WMSHP board, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Jean Lee for her hard work as President this past year, as well as to those leaving the board, including Jody Mehren who served as a board member, and Peggy deVoest who set the bar high as Past-President.

I am very excited to serve as president for 2006 year, and hope to see all of you at our monthly meetings, starting this month at St. Mary’s.

On October 17, WMSHP and FSU co-sponsored a residency showcase which was held at MERC in Grand Rapids. The format was slightly different this year, as it consisted of a panel of current residents, moderated by Dean VanLoo, discussing common questions when deciding on a residency program. Programs from all over the state were present, allowing our FSU students the opportunity to speak to these representatives about their specific programs.

And don’t forget that it’s the time of year to give consideration to those pharmacists and technicians who would like to volunteer their time to serve on the WMSHP board. Please give your consideration to these candidates for the executive board positions. An election ballot is included in this month’s newsletter.

The by-laws indicate the duration of terms for each executive board member. However, there is no term duration indicated for the Pharmacy Technician position. The executive board would like to add the following amendment to the by-laws:

The vote for this amendment will take place at the January 2006 meeting in Grand Rapids. A simple majority vote of the active members present at this meeting shall carry the amendment to the by-laws.

As you know, our President-elect position was vacated this summer. Jesse Hogue from Bronson Hospital has graciously accepted to fulfill the remaining time for this position. He will serve as President-elect for 2005, President in 2006 and Past-president in 2007. Jesse has served on WMSHP’s board for a number of years and has participated on MPA committees.

Elections for four board positions, treasurer and President-elect will be conducted in November. Please consider the nominations carefully. We will announce the results at our November meeting.

Again, as a reminder, the MSHP Annual meeting will be held in Lansing on November 4, 2005. Check out MPA’s website for more details.

We are still looking for members who would like to serve on our board. The following positions are up for election this November:

• Board Members (4 positions) - Each board member will organize the CE and meeting place for one general meeting per year. The term for this position is from January 2006 through December 2007.
• President-Elect - This person will serve as President-Elect (Vice-President) in 2006, President in 2007, and Past-President in 2008. The President presides over monthly board meetings and serves as the regional delegate to the MSHP Executive Board (MSHP membership dues will be paid for by WMSHP). The Past-President organizes each year's Annual Spring Seminar.
• Treasurer - This person is in charge of the finances for WMSHP. The term for this position is from January 2006 through December 2007.
• Technician - This person may elect to organize a monthly CE meeting. The technician on our board often helps to arrange the Technician Track for the Annual Spring Seminar.

Please contact any of our current board members if you or someone you know would be interested in running for any of these positions. Please make any nominations by Friday, October 21st.

Another fun filled summer again has passed. I hope all of you had fun this summer enjoying the heat and sun. Welcome back to another term of CE programs that our Board members are currently organizing.

For those of you who have not heard, our current President-Elect, Mitzi McGinnis is now working with University of Illinois in Chicago. I would like wish Mitzi and her husband all the best from WMSHP. In light of Mitzi’s departure, we will be looking for her replacement. This year we will be filling two president-elect positions. One to fulfill the remaining term and to serve as President in Jan 2006 and the other to serve as President-elect next year.

We will again be conducting elections in the fall for the upcoming year. We will be looking for a number of board members. Please consider serving on our board. If you have any questions regarding these positions, please speak of any of our current board members.

Also as a reminder, MSHP will be having their annual meeting on November 4, 2005 in Lansing. I will update you with details.

For our April meeting, we will again be showcasing pharmacy practice residency projects conducted by our area pharmacy residents who have been working hard in preparing their projects to present to our membership. The first presentation is titled "Compliance with Sequential Compression Devices Used for Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Surgical Patients" presented by Heather Bockheim, Pharm.D. from Spectrum Health. Our second presentation is titled "Pharmacokinetics of Once Daily Tobramycin for Therapy of Pulmonary Exacerbation of Cystic Fibrosis" presented by Margaret Lincoln, Pharm.D. from Bronson Hospital. I would like to thank these residents for sharing their projects and results with us.

Further update on the increase in membership: The increase to $20 will be in effect as of January 2006. A reminder will be sent to you in the fall.

Again, I wanted to remind all of you of our annual WMSHP Spring Seminar held on May 5, 2005 at the Grand Rapids Hilton. We have a number of great speakers this year. Keep an eye out in your mailbox for our flyer!

Annual dues for WMSHP members were increased from $10 to $20 at the February WMSHP Board meeting. This is the first ever increase in membership dues and will aid WMSHP in continuing to provide you with all the benefits of membership.

Just a reminder, the annual WMSHP Spring Seminar is just around the corner. It will be held on May 5, 2005 at the Grand Rapids Hilton. Peggy DeVoest has been working very hard to organize this seminar for the membership. The goal of this seminar is to provide pharmacy health care professionals with an opportunity to explore state-of-the-art pharmacy practice issues while earning continuing education. We have a roster of great speakers, so mark your calendars!!!!

Hope to see you at the March program in Kalamazoo!

February 18-20 is the Michigan Pharmacist Association 2005 Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE) held at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency. The theme is year is “Building a Brighter Future”. The ACE program welcomes pharmacists, technicians, students and guests. Continuing Education credits are also available.

MPA House of Delegates will be held on Saturday, February 19. Jesse Hogue, Vicki Sternhagen and Mitzi McGinnis will be representing WMSHP. These delegates, along with other delegates from MSHP, will be voting on issues and policies identified by the membership and considered by the Executive Board. Please contact any of these representatives if you have any issues that you would like discussed at their meetings.

Please note that this year at the MPA-ACE meeting, there is an Emergency Preparedness Certificate Program in Pharmacy. Pharmacists have been identified as key players in the event of a new emerging infectious disease outbreak or bioterrorism. This certification consists of seven live programs scheduled throughout the ACE program, providing 10.5 contact hours, as well as home study, independent practical demonstration exercises and post tests. To receive additional information you may contact Mary Farrington at MPA 517-377-0234 or mary@michiganpharmacists.org

Hope to see you in Grand Rapids for the February CE program!