For many of us, preparing for back-to-school signals the end of summer…but it also means it is time to start another year of great programming for WMSHP!  The Board met in June to plan activities for the year ahead, and we are excited to start broadening services and opportunities for our membership.  Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the ballgame with us on July 13th for the annual summer outing at Fifth Third Ballpark. The weather was beautiful, the Whitecaps won, and the all-you-can-eat BBQ was a home run!

We look forward to seeing many of you Thursday, September 14th for our first CE event of the 2017-2018 year at Uccello's in Grand Rapids.  We’ll be talking about “The ABCs of CPD” and how embracing a continuous professional development process can help maximize lifelong learning.  One hour of live CE credit will be offered for pharmacists and technicians.

Please consider encouraging any pharmacists and technicians you know who are not WMSHP members to consider joining. The annual membership fee ($40 for pharmacists, $30 for technicians) gives members access to up to 7 hours of live CE credits from our regular monthly meetings September through November and January through April. With an additional registration fee, our annual Spring Seminar in May provides another 5 hours.

If you would like more information about WMSHP, please visit our website at www.wmshp.net.  If you’re looking to get more involved in our organization, please contact any Board member to discuss opportunities.

At our March meeting, Zachary Smith, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, shared valuable insights during his presentation entitled “Review of the 2016 HAP/VAP Guidelines: Focus on Application at the Patient and Health-System Level” at Bronson.  Zach is a critical care pharmacist with Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, and we appreciate him driving all the way across the state to help us dig into these guidelines in a practical way.

Join us on April 13th at Gravity Taphouse Grille in Grand Rapids as Ben Kulwicki (Mercy Health Saint Mary’s) and Katie Guido (Borgess Medical Center) present results of the research projects they have been working on during this residency year.  Both projects explore the impact pharmacists can have on optimizing patient care…a topic important to all of us!

WMSHP is still accepting scholarship applications from eligible P3 students.  For the second year, the Board voted to offer one $1000 scholarship and one $500 scholarship to deserving students who are native or current residents of West Michigan.  The application deadline is April 7th, and winners will be announced at the annual WMSHP Spring Seminar.  More information is available at www.wmshp.net/scholarship.

The 2017 WMSHP Spring Seminar will be held on Tuesday, May 9th at the Prince Conference Center in Grand Rapids.  We will be offing 5 hours of live continuing education accredited for pharmacists and technicians, including 1 hour of pain and 1 hour of law.  Visit www.wmshp.net/seminar for more information and to register for the event.  We hope to see you there!

As always, if you would like more information about WMSHP, please visit our website at www.wmshp.net.

I hope you were able to get out this weekend and enjoy the beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures…perhaps a sign that spring is just around the corner?!

Members who joined us at Saint Mary’s last week were treated to an engaging presentation entitled “Mechanical Circulatory Support: Sounds Highly Non-Pharmacologic to Me” from CJ Michaud, PharmD, BCPS, cardiothoracic critical care pharmacist at Spectrum Health – Butterworth.  Many thanks to CJ for sharing his knowledge and passion for a topic that is unfamiliar (and a little bit uncomfortable) to many of us!

Congratulations to Katie Guido (Borgess Medical Center) and Ben Kulwicki (Mercy Health Saint Mary’s) for being selected to present at our April meeting.  We look forward to hearing about the research projects they have been working on this year.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 9th at Bronson in Kalamazoo and will feature a presentation from Zach Smith, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP on the 2016 IDSA guidelines for hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia.

MPF Adopt-a-Student:  If you are headed to the MPA Annual Convention this weekend (February 24-26), please consider sponsoring a student to attend the awards banquet through the Michigan Pharmacy Foundation’s Adopt-a-Student program.  If you are not going to the meeting, you can still sponsor a student and MPF will see to it that the student is paired with another pharmacy professional during the event.  The cost for the program is $100 for one student or $185 for two students.  Please email Eric Roath (eric@michiganpharmacists.org) if you are interested in supporting the next generation of pharmacists in this way!

Happy New Year!  Thanks to all who came out to Martell’s in Kalamazoo as we started off 2017 learning about “What’s New on TAP? The ADRs of PPIs” from Tracey Mersfelder, PharmD, a Ferris faculty member and clinical pharmacist at Borgess Medical Center.  Tracey presented an extensive review of the available literature linking proton pump inhibitor use with B12 and magnesium deficiency, osteoporosis, infections, kidney disease and more; and we truly appreciate the time and energy she put into providing this education for us.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 16th, and will feature CJ Michaud, PharmD, BCPS presenting on mechanical circulatory support.  There’s room for a crowd in the Lacks Grand Room at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in Grand Rapids… please consider joining us!

Reminder to Pharmacy Residents: Submit your research abstract for an opportunity to share your residency project with our members at the April WMSHP meeting!  Abstracts are due to Kyle Schmidt (kyle.schmidt@spectrumhealth.org) by January 27th.  Don’t miss out on this chance to practice your presentation before the Great Lakes conference!

Stay warm, all…it will be spring before we know it (at least that’s what I’m telling myself)…

As another year comes to a close, I would like to thank all who participated in and contributed to our 2016 WMSHP programming.  We wrapped up the year with an information-packed presentation on “Adult Immunization Updates” from Shalyn Quigly, PharmD, an ambulatory care pharmacist at Mercy Health Muskegon.

While December offers the chance to take a break and enjoy the holidays with family and friends, we also look forward to what is ahead in 2017!  As has become a tradition, we will kick off the new year with our restaurant meeting in Kalamazoo…Tracey Mersfelder, PharmD, will present “What is New on TAP? The ADRs of PPIs” at Martell’s on January 12th.  We hope many of you will be able to join us for what is sure to be an engaging presentation about this commonly used class of medications.

We are also happy to welcome our new and returning board members this year, who were announced at the November meeting.  For those of you who were unable to join us, the newly elected board members are:

President-Elect 2017: Katie Adrian, PharmD, BCPS

Secretary 2017-2018: Brad Miller, PharmD (incumbent)

Board Members 2017-2018:

• Stacy Brousseau, PharmD, BCPS (incumbent)
• Christin Campbell, PharmD (incumbent)
• Carrie Morrison, PharmD (incumbent)
• Jordan Posey, PharmD

Resident-at-Large 2017: Courtney Carroll, PharmD (Spectrum Health Peds PGY2)

Best wishes for a happy, healthy holiday season, and I hope to see many of you in the new year!

Below are the nominees for our 2017 WMSHP Board Elections.  Votes will be due before the start of our November General Meeting on November 3rd.

President-Elect 2016:

Katie Adrian received her Pharm.D. degree from Ferris State University in 2011. She then completed a PGY-1 residency at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Katie is currently practicing as one of the Adult Medical Unit and Extended Medical Care Unit pharmacists at Bronson Methodist Hospital. She is also the Assistant Residency Director and helps to coordinate the orientation experience, along with the staffing rotation and the clinical pharmacy rotation at the end of the residency year. She has enjoyed being on the board and would love to continue her involvement.

Secretary 2017-18:

Brad Miller (incumbent) is an Informatics Pharmacist at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids.  He graduated from Ferris State University and completed a PGY-1 residency at Spectrum Health.  He has previously worked as Pharmacy Director at Pennock Hospital in Hastings, and as an Emegency Department Clinical Pharmacist at Spectrum Health.  He has served as WMSHP's secretary and webmaster since 2004.

Board Members 2017-18:

Stacy Brousseau (incumbent) graduated from Ferris State University's College of Pharmacy in 2013.  Following pharmacy school, Stacy completed a PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo and was subsequently hired on at Bronson as a clinical pharmacist in the Emergency Department. She is also adjunct faculty with Ferris State University's College of Pharmacy, facilitating an Emergency Medicine rotation for fourth year pharmacy students.  Stacy is currently the chairperson of the MSHP Educational Affairs Committee, a board member for WMSHP, and is actively involved in the MPA Education Task Force.  She has enjoyed serving as a WMSHP board member for the past two years and would love the opportunity to continue working to provide interesting and informative continuing education programs for WMSHP's members..

Christin Campbell (incumbent) is a 2014 graduate of the Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy and completed a PGY-1 residency at Borgess Medical Center. She is now a clinical pharmacy specialist at Borgess on the general medical/oncology unit. Christin has enjoyed serving as a WMSHP board member this year and is seeking re-election so that she can continue to actively contribute to the organization. She has been a member of WMSHP since 2014.

Carrie Morrison (incumbent) is an ambulatory care pharmacist at Mercy Health in Muskegon and serves as the Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator for Affinia Health, Mercy's clinically integrated physician network in Muskegon and Grand Rapids.  She has been on the WMSHP board for 2 terms and is seeking election for a 3rd .  She received her bachelor degree in pharmacy from Ferris State University and completed her PharmD with Creighton University in Nebraska..

Jordan Posey: After going to school at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, I managed to convince Spectrum to take me on as a resident. Since then, I have been taking care of adult and pediatric patients in the ED and ICU. I am (in)famous with students and residents for my 8 hour trauma topic discussions. I am running for a board position because I want to contribute to the great work that WMSHP does to support pharmacist education and camaraderie!

A big thank you to Stacy Brousseau, Pharm.D., BCPS, for her excellent presentation on “STDs: The Aftermath of Netflix and Chill” and for all the members who joined us in Kalamazoo. We will be back in Grand Rapids at 6:30pm on Thursday, November 3rd for Shalyn C. Quigley, Pharm.D.’s presentation on Adult Immunization Updates.

It’s time to finalize our ballot and begin the election process for our 2017-2018 Board. The positions for elections this year are President-Elect, Secretary, and 4 two-year Board Member terms.  If you are interested in running for a board position, email your bio to our secretary, Brad Miller, at webmaster@wmshp.net. Bios should be brief (a few sentences) and typically contain alma mater, additional training (if applicable), current practice and a brief description of your interest in being a board member, and are due by Friday, October 21st. Finalized ballots will be emailed to WMSHP members the week of October 24th, and the polls will close immediately prior to our general meeting on November 3rd.

Thank you to all of the members who joined us in Grand Rapids for our first meeting of the 2016-2017 WMSHP year, and to Derek Vander Horst, Pharm.D., for an excellent review of “HIV Pharmacotherapy: Back to the Basics.”  

We look forward to a busy October, starting with our annual Residency Showcase, held in conjunction with Ferris State University, on October 6th in Grand Rapids. Our next monthly meeting will be held on October 13th at Borgess Medical Center’s Lawrence Education Center in Kalamazoo, where Stacy Brousseau, Pharm.D., BCPS, will give an engaging presentation on “STDs: The Aftermath of Netflix and Chill.”

Board elections are just around the corner, so if you are interested in taking the next step in organizational involvement and running for a board position, please contact me or another board member for more information. Last month, we welcomed Derek Wilson to the Board, filling the vacant technician position. We thank everyone for being part of such an engaged organization!

The dog days of summer are over, and it’s time to start another year of great programming for WMSHP. Starting with our September meeting, WMSHP will now be partnering with the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) for joint providership of accredited pharmacy continuing education for both pharmacists AND technicians. We will be updating our website with new instructions for submitting CE credit starting with the September meeting and providing instructions at each program.

Thanks to everyone who joined us June 30th for the annual summer outing at Fifth Third Ballpark to watch the West Michigan Whitecaps on a beautiful summer night. It’s always great to have a fun night of networking with other pharmacists, technicians, family and friends. If you’re interested in more social networking opportunities, the Michigan Pharmacy Foundation (MPF) is hosting Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 15th at Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids. The cost is $175/person (60% is tax-deductible) and includes dinner, a brewery tour, and guided tasting with Founders’ brewery experts. The event is open to all pharmacy professionals and their friends, spouses and significant others. The money raised will be used by the MPF to support investments in the future of pharmacy through scholarships and grant funding. More information about the event, the Foundation and overnight lodging accommodations can be found at www.michiganpharmacists.org/Oktoberfest. The deadline to purchase tickets is Monday, October 3rd.

We look forward to seeing many of you Thursday, September 8th for our first CE event of the 2016-2017 year at Uccello's in Grand Rapids, where Derek J. Vander Horst, Pharm.D. will be giving a presentation on “HIV Pharmacotherapy: Back to the Basics“ for 1 live CE credit for pharmacists and technicians. Please consider encouraging any pharmacists and technicians you know who are not WMSHP members to consider joining. The $40 annual membership fee gives members access to up to 7 hours of live CE credits from our regular monthly meetings September through November and January through April. With an additional registration fee, our annual Spring Seminar in May provides another 5 hours.

We hope to see you September 8th!

Summer is here! We hope many of you will be able to join us for our annual summer outing at Fifth Third Ballpark to watch the West Michigan Whitecaps take on the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Thursday, June 30th. Admission is free for registered WMSHP members, and $14.50 for non-members (friends & family). Each ticket includes a complementary hot dog and soda. The game night promotion is $2 Pepsi products, $2 hot dogs, $2 beers and Social Media Night.  Children under 2 years of age get in free. Parking is $7 and is paid on-site.

The WMSHP Board is in need of a technician board member for the remainder of the 2016-2017 two year term (committed until December 31, 2017). If you are interested in serving on the executive board, please submit your name and practice site to the current President, Becky Maynard at rebecca.maynard@borgess.com. For more information on executive board service, click here to review the WMSHP Bylaws. Any additional questions can be directed to Becky Maynard at the email above.