Thank you, Cassandra Falk, PharmD, MPH for the great review of Chronic Heart Failure. Our meeting in March will be hosting virtually via zoom on March 9^th. Dr. Patrick Staso, MD will be joining us to discuss Drug Allergies.

We have an open board position for 2023. If you are interested, please reach out to me or any board member. If you aren’t sure what being on the board entails, please join us at 5:30 before the March CE. The board meetings are always open to our membership, and we meet the hour before a CE starts. Our main charge is to schedule monthly meetings and other events for our members. We would love to have you join us. 

Finally, it’s still not too late to register for the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE). Programing will be at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center from Friday, February 24 to Sunday, February 26.

Hope to see you soon!

Shelby Kelsh

WMSHP President

Happy 2023! I am excited to be serving as WMSHP President this year. My goal is to increase attendance to our education, community service and social events. We have great speakers lined up for our monthly meetings and for Spring Seminar in May. We started our year with a delicious dinner at Martell’s in Kalamazoo and very engaging presentation from Jeffrey Wilt, MD about pulmonary hypertension (PH). With the recent changes in PH diagnostic criteria, it sounds like more patients will receive a PH diagnosis and qualify for treatment. 

In February, our resident board member Cassandra Falk PharmD, MPH from Trinity Health St. Mary’s will update us on chronic heart failure. We are hosting the CE at Ferris State University’s College of Pharmacy Grand Rapids Campus at 25 Michigan and will be covering parking for those who attend.

Finally, don’t forget to register for the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE). Programing will be at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center from Friday, February 24 to Sunday, February 26. MPA ACE Registration Link. 

Hope to see you soon!

Shelby Kelsh

WMSHP President

As we come to the end of 2022, I want to thank you all for the opportunity to serve as this year’s WMSHP President. I have learned so much in this role, and it has been my privilege to lead our organization. I look forward to serving on the board next year as your immediate Past-President for 2023. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about WMSHP or your membership, please contact me or any Board Member.

This past month our continuing education programming was presented by Abigail Geyer, PharmD, PGY2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Resident at Trinity Health St. Mary’s. A huge “thank you” to Dr. Geyer for thoroughly walking us through some of IDSA’s treatment guideline updates during her informative presentation “Treatment of Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Infections: IDSA 2022 Guidance Documents”. Our next continuing education presentation will take place on January 12^th, 2023. Dr. Jeffrey Wilt, MD, a critical care physician from Borgess Medical Center will be presenting “Pulmonary Hypertension”. The meeting will take place at Martell’s Restaurant in Kalamazoo, and you don’t want to miss it! Keep an eye out on the website and your email for the event registration link in the coming weeks.

Our Board elections for 2023 terms took place in November as well. Please join me in congratulating President-Elect Benjamin Pontefract, Secretary Brad Miller, and pharmacist Board members Ashley Blanchette, Amy Bowers, Jessie Prociv, and Kristina Stoncius! This group will lead us to great things over the next few years.

WMSHP was proud to award Midyear Scholarships to three deserving students this year. Congratulations to Paige Stratton from University of Michigan and Veronica Mills and Brittany McMahon from Ferris State University! We hope your trip to ASHP Midyear was both productive and fun.

Did you know that all of our CE programming is approved for both pharmacist and technician live CE credits? We would love to have you join us at our monthly meetings for CE, food, and networking. WMSHP is still offering FREE one year membership to pharmacy technicians who join by December 31^st, 2022. Registration can be found here. 

I wish each of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a healthy New Year as we head into 2023!

Sarah

I can’t believe it’s already November! The second half of this year has just flown by. We only have one more general CE meeting in 2022!

A big “Thank You” to Autumn Neff, PharmD, MBA, for presenting last month’s CE “Osteoporosis”. Dr. Neff did a fantastic job covering all the necessary information regarding an osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment that pharmacists should be aware of, and how we can best care for this patient population. Our November CE presentation will take place on November 3^rd. Abigail Geyer, PharmD, PGY2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Resident at Trinity Health Saint Mary’s will be delivering “Treatment of Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Infections: IDSA 2022 Guidance Documents”. I hope you all can make it! Registration can be found here.

Thank you to everyone interested in running for a board position for the upcoming term starting in January.  Please read the candidate bios located on the WMSHP website, and check your email for a link to vote. Ballots are due at 5pm on November 3^rd.  Those chosen for an upcoming term will be announced at our November meeting. 

The annual WMSHP/FSU Residency Showcase was held virtually on October 6^th. A huge thank you to all of the students and residency programs that made this a successful event again this year. If you have any suggestions for next year’s showcase, please pass those along to me or another board member.

Attention students! Are you planning to travel to ASHP Midyear in Las Vegas this December? WMSHP is pleased to announce that we will be giving away three $370 scholarships to P4 students who want to attend the Midyear meeting! This will cover student ASHP member registration fees for the conference. To be eligible for one of these scholarships, students must have an expected graduation date in 2023, be in good standing with their College of Pharmacy, and be a current or native resident of West Michigan. To apply for this scholarship, students must submit their CV along with a cover letter outlining their interest in attending the Midyear Clinical Meeting and future career goals. All submissions and/or any questions can be directed to me at sarah.hoerner@spectrumhealth.org. Applications must be submitted by November 1^st.

Did you know that all of our CE programming is approved for both pharmacist and technician live CE credits? We would love to have you join us at our monthly meetings for CE, food, and networking. WMSHP is still offering FREE one year membership to pharmacy technicians who join by December 31^st, 2022. Registration can be found here.

I hope you all stay safe and healthy as we gear up for this holiday season. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

President-elect

Benjamin Pontefract graduated from the University of Toledo with his PharmD in 2016. The following year, he completed a PGY1 ambulatory care residency at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He finished his post-graduate training by completing a 2-year antimicrobial stewardship fellowship at the Boise VA Medical Center in Boise Idaho. After completing his post-graduate training, he accepted a position as an assistant professor at Ferris State University where he currently teaches calculations and infectious diseases topics. Through this, he also works at Spectrum Health Blodgett Medical center as an internal medicine pharmacist. This allows him to precept P4 students on internal medicine APPE rotations. Ben is also an active member of WMSHP, where he has served as an e-board member for the past year.

Treasurer

Brad Miller is an Informatics Pharmacist at Corewell Health in Grand Rapids. He graduated from Ferris State University many years ago.  After practicing Emergency Medicine Pharmacy for several years at then-Spectrum Health Butterworth, he transitioned to the pharmacy informatics team.  Brad has served as the secretary for WMSHP since 2004.

Board Members

Amy Bower is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Internal Medicine at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo MI. She was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Canada and completed part of her undergraduate training at Lake Superior State University. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Ferris State University in 2008. She has been an active member of WMSHP for many years and would love the opportunity to serve on the board to further her involvement. Her current areas of interest include oncology, infectious disease, diabetes, and neurology.

Ashley Blanchette earned her PharmD from Wayne State University’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences during which time she served as an active member of the Michigan Pharmacists Association, board member on the Oakland County chapter, and in her final year became president of the Macomb/St. Clair/Lapeer chapter. Her biggest accomplishments during this time were organizing the Student Pharmacists Diversity council, drafting and presenting multiple resolutions at the MPA House of Delegates sessions, and contributing to two publications as second-author. She served as the WMSHP resident member-at-large during her PGY-1 residency at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital and went on to complete a PGY-2 Ambulatory Care residency with the Spectrum Health Medical Group. After graduation, Ashley accepted the position of Supervisor of the Spectrum Health West Michigan medication history team. Special interests are population health, precepting, transitions of care, research, and corny jokes! Ashley looks forward to the opportunity to promote the professional interests of pharmacists in West Michigan by serving as  a WMSHP board member.

Jessie Prociv PharmD BCACP graduated from Ferris State University with her PharmD and worked in retail pharmacy for two years before completing an ambulatory care focused PGY1 at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She started the ambulatory care pharmacy clinic at Ascension Borgess and expanded the footprint to 4 primary care offices. Jessie then transitioned to Bronson and is now one of the lead pharmacists for the ambulatory care pharmacy team. 

Kristina Stoncius graduated from Purdue University College of Pharmacy in 2021. After graduating, she pursued a PGY1 Residency position at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan. During her residency she served as the Resident Board Member of WMSHP and assisted in planning events with the Community and Membership Committee. Currently she holds an inpatient pharmacist position at Ascension Borgess Hospital where she spends a majority of her practice in the intensive care units, emergency department, and co-managing sterile compounding activities. Kristina hopes to serve on the board to continue her involvement in events such as Mock Interviews for Students and Spring Seminar while encouraging participation from students and residents!

It is officially autumn, WMSHP! If you are like me, this is your favorite time of the year. I love the drop in temperature, the change in colors, and all things cinnamon. Even if it isn’t your favorite season, I hope you find something to enjoy as we shift away from the hot summer months.

Our fall continuing education programming started out with a bang in September with WMSHP’s first in-person general meeting since March 2020! The group heard a great and engaging presentation on “Outpatient COVID-19 Treatment Updates” given by our very own board member, Benjamin Pontefract, PharmD, BCPS. This month’s presentation will be given virtually on October 13^th. Dr. Autumn Neff, PharmD, MBA will be presenting “Osteoporosis”. Registration for the meeting can be found here.

On Thursday evening, October 6^th, WMSHP is hosting its annual Residency Showcase with Ferris State University. After such positive feedback from the last couple years, the event will be hosted virtually over Zoom again this year. The program will begin at 17:00 with a Panel Discussion given by pharmacy leaders. More information about the event can be found here.

Annual WMSHP Board Member Elections will take place at the end of this month. If you are interested in joining the board, or would like to nominate a colleague for a board member position, please contact me or any other member of the Board. Please include a brief bio about the person being nominated. The positions up for election for 2023 are President-Elect, Secretary, and Board member (four pharmacist board member positions). The deadline for nominations is Friday October 21^st. 

The MSHP Annual Meeting takes place on October 28th in Novi, and you don't want to miss it! Registration and more information about the event can be found on their website, here.

Attention students! Are you planning to travel to ASHP Midyear in Las Vegas this December? WMSHP is pleased to announce that we will be giving away three $370 scholarships to P4 students who want to attend the Midyear meeting! This will cover student ASHP member registration fees for the conference. To be eligible for one of these scholarships, students must have an expected graduation date in 2023, be in good standing with their College of Pharmacy, and be a current or native resident of West Michigan. To apply for this scholarship, students must submit their CV along with a cover letter outlining their interest in attending the Midyear Clinical Meeting and future career goals. All submissions and/or any questions can be directed to me at sarah.hoerner@spectrumhealth.org. Applications must be submitted by November 1^st.

Did you know that all of our CE programming is approved for both pharmacist and technician live CE credits? We would love to have you join us at our monthly meetings for CE, food, and networking. WMSHP is still offering FREE one year membership to pharmacy technicians who join by December 31^st, 2022. Registration can be found here. 

I hope you all have a chance to enjoy some cider and donuts this fall! I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events.

Greetings, WMSHP. Can you believe that August is almost over?! I hope you all had an enjoyable summer, and experienced the beautiful outdoors of Michigan. As the schoolyear gets underway for many of you, we are excited to kick off the 2022 – 2023 series of WMSHP continuing education.  

Mark your calendars! The first meeting of the season will take place on Thursday, September 22^nd at Luna in downtown Grand Rapids. We look forward to eating some great Mexican food while listening to an “Outpatient COVID-19 Treatment Update (Summer 2022)” presented by Dr. Benjamin Pontefract. If there are topics that you’d like to learn more about, or know of a speaker to present at a WMSHP event, please send me an email at sarah.hoerner@spectrumhealth.org.

Thursday, October 6^th, WMSHP will be hosting our annual Residency Showcase with Ferris State University. This year’s event will be held virtually. More details and registration will be available on the WMSHP website in the coming weeks.

Attention Pharmacy Technicians! Did you know that all of our CE programming is approved for both pharmacist and technician live CE credits? We would love to have you join us at our monthly meetings for CE, food, and networking. WMSHP is still offering FREE one year membership to pharmacy technicians who join by December 31^st, 2022. Registration can be found here.

A final reminder that tomorrow (Thursday August 25^th) is our summer outing at the Whitecaps baseball game. There are still a few tickets available for the game and barbecue. Registration can be found here. I hope to see you there!

Thank you, WMSHP, for once again remaining flexible this year! As many of you are aware, we planned to have our April meeting in person but decided last minute to host it virtually in consideration of safety concerns. Thanks for your cooperation and patience as those decisions were made and communicated to the membership. An especially big thank you to our presenters, pharmacy residents Abby French and Kristina Stoncius, who did an excellent job presenting their research projects!

Can you believe that it is already time for our 53^rd Annual WMSHP Spring Seminar? Please join us in person at the Prince Conference Center at Calvin College on Tuesday, May 10^th for this day-long event. This year the CE topics include pharmacy law, C. diff guideline updates, COPD, pain management, and renal function. We also look forward to our vendor engagement. A full agenda of the day’s events and registration can be found at 53rd Annual WMSHP Spring Seminar . Please register by May 1^st to receive the best pricing. (On-site registration will be available for an additional cost).

The board will hold our annual summer planning meeting on June 9^th. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns you would like us to review at the meeting, please do not hesitate to email me or anyone on the board.  Stay tuned for more information about our summer outing at the West Michigan White Caps. We look forward to gathering this summer at LMCU Ballpark to enjoy a game and BBQ!

As a reminder, any technician that would like to join WMSHP can do so for free through the end of June. The membership will be good for one year, starting from the date of joining. Find the link to join WMSHP here.

We can’t wait to see you all in person on May 10^th!

Spring has sprung! I hope you all have been able to enjoy the warmer and sunny days that we have had so far this year On March 3rd, WMSHP enjoyed a virtual presentation that focused on “Pharmacogenomics in the Primary Care Setting” given by Amanda J. Place, PharmD, BCACP. The following week, a group of members had a great time chatting at our virtual WMSHP Happy Hour on Zoom. A big “thank you!” to Tara McAlpine who hosted that event for us. Our next continuing education presentation will take place on Thursday April 14^th, and I am very pleased to announce that this will take place in person at Luna Taqueria in downtown Grand Rapids! Our presenters are Abigail French, PharmD, PGY1 Pharmacy Resident at Bronson Methodist Hospital and Kristina Stoncius, PharmD, PGY1 Pharmacy Resident at Ascension Borgess Hospital (and WMSHP resident-at-large board member). They will be presenting their yearlong residency research projects focused on weight loss with GLP-1 and SGLT-2s and pharmacist-guided stress ulcer prophylaxis, respectively. Yay for gathering again as a group and enjoying delicious food together! Registration for the meeting can be found here.

Please join us for our 53^rd Annual WMSHP Spring Seminar! This will take place on Tuesday May 10^th in person at the Prince Conference Center at Calvin College. The seminar will include informative programming including five live CE credits for both technicians and pharmacists. Registration and more specific programming details can be found here.

Reminder for current P3 students: The application is still open for this year’s WMSHP Scholarship. This year, WMSHP will award one $1,000 scholarship and two $500 scholarships to deserving students. Completed applications must be received by April 1^st, 2022. The winners will be notified by May 2^nd, 2022 and announced at the WMSHP Annual Spring Seminar on May 10^th, 2022. Please complete your application here.

WMSHP kicked off the month of February with a comprehensive presentation delivered by Lacy Worden, PharmD, PGY2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Resident at Mercy Health St. Mary’s. Dr. Worden covered so much helpful information about sexually transmitted infections (STI) treatment guidelines, updates in STI treatment recommendations, and indications to receive pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for patients at risk for HIV. Our next continuing education presentation will take place on March 3^rd, and will focus on “Pharmacogenomics in the Primary Care Setting”. The presenter will be Amanda J. Place, PharmD, BCACP who is an Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Ascension St Vincent Joshua Max Simon Primary Care Center in Indianapolis. Registration for the meeting can be found here.

Please join us for a virtual WMSHP Happy Hour on Thursday, March 10^th at 6:30-7:30pm. Bring your favorite beverage and hang out with fellow WMSHP members on Zoom. It’s been quite a while since we have been able to enjoy each other’s company in person, but hopefully we will be able to do that soon. Registration for the event can be found here. I hope to see you there!

Reminder: there is still time to register for the Michigan Pharmacist Association Annual Convention and Exposition (MPA ACE) that is taking place on February 25^th- 27^th with both virtual and in person offerings at the Detroit Marriott, Renaissance Center. Three members of WMSHP will be representing our organization at the House of Delegates taking place on Sunday of the MPA ACE.